Influencer marketing for Canvas x Big Little Lies: supporting female empowerment on and off the screen

January 1, 2021

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min read

When Canvas (Vrt.nu), a popular Belgian TV channel, decided to air the new season of Big Little Lies, we were eager to help them attract new viewers!

About “Big Little Lies”

If you watched the first season of Big Little Lies, you were probably eagerly awaiting the follow-up this summer! The addictive American series, centered around strong female characters and their intriguing secrets, had been hugely successful on HBO since its first season in 2017. Actresses Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, and Zoe Kravitz delivered brilliant performances in the first season. When Meryl Streep joined the cast in the second season, the quality became even more exceptional and the storyline even more unpredictable.

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The goal

The primary goal was to raise awareness around the second season of Big Little Lies, which was available for free both online and on the Canvas TV channel. Raising awareness of the series was the first step towards our second goal: driving conversion, meaning encouraging people to become VRT NU viewers. Additionally, Canvas aimed to further establish itself as the go-to channel for the best fiction while creating an impact on a broader audience. In Big Little Lies, feminism is a persistent and intense theme. The series initially plays with classic stereotypes of mothers and housewives, but quickly reveals complex and striking characters. With this campaign, Canvas wanted to show support and raise awareness around female empowerment. It was crucial to design a well-thought-out concept that balanced social engagement with campaign objectives.

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The process

Since the goal was to increase awareness of women's empowerment, we decided to run an influencer campaign, selecting profiles that advocate for gender equality, diversity, and creativity. By defining these parameters, we were able to choose influencers who best aligned with the Canvas brand.

It was important to find influencers at different levels: meso (50,000—100,000 followers), micro (2,000—50,000 followers), and nano (500—5,000 followers), as this made audience targeting more precise.

We asked 16 Instagram influencers to create IG Stories and posts paying tribute to strong women in their lives — women they admire and why. The aim was to showcase the power of women, especially in supporting each other. The female characters in the series are very different, yet they value and support each other no matter what. The key goal was to translate this energy into real-life reference points.

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Some of the influencers who supported the Big Little Lies campaign includes: Elien Jansen, Kaat Bollen, Romy Curvy, Looks of Lena, Ruth Van Soom, Justine Kegels, Lily Joan Roberts...

By using tags like @BigLittleLies, @Canvastv, @VrtNU, and hashtags such as #WomenEmpowerWomen, #CanvasxWomenEmpowerment, #BigLittleLies, #CanvasxBLL, and #BLLxVrtNU, the influencers created linked content that successfully drove engagement and attracted new viewers to Canvas.

The results

The project timeline ran from mid-August to early October. The campaign was activated in three phases — from awareness to conversion — aligned with the broadcast period from August 26 to mid-September.

Since the campaign concluded recently, it's difficult to measure long-term impact, but early results were more than satisfactory. Big Little Lies ranked as the most popular series overall on VRT NU during its broadcast period.

With the help of 16 influencers, the campaign reached 234,200 people and generated more than 7,590 likes, comments, and shares. Without a doubt, Canvas and Big Little Lies will continue to inspire viewers, and we are proud to collaborate on a project that promotes values we, at the Chase community, consider a core part of our DNA.

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