Puppy Bowl and Shark Week are the two biggest events of the year for Discovery’s factual brands (Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel).
Shark Week – August 2022
For 2022 Shark Week, I was involved with leading the NFT strategy, as well as creating and promoting an all-new AR Filter, and custom GIPHY GIFs and Stickers. More on that below!
- Shark Week NFTs
- Using learnings from the Puppy Bowl NFTs mentioned below, worked alongside our director on this strategy that involved cards that were claimable from a QR Code shown on TV, as well as cards available to purchase via a marketplace. I was part of project managing the creative design process, and in charge of all social promotion across Shark Week and Discovery accounts.
- Shark Week Surprise AR Filter – IG Link Here, TikTok Link Here
- This was my first time creating an AR filter from scratch. We worked with a contracted AR designer on the creative for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snap. Then, I was fully tasked with making sure fans knew about this awesome filter. Social promotion went out on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and included requesting and producing fun videos from show talent.
- Creative for Custom GIPHY GIFs and Stickers
- Worked with a vendor and brainstormed with our team to produce these highly successful custom GIFs and Stickers.
- Digital Strategy for Select Shows
- With 20-plus shows airing throughout Shark Week, our social team splits everything up to cover the week. Responsibilities for each show’s strategy includes preparing a folder for talent social promotion, creating the social promo plan for Shark Week accounts, and live tweeting the show.
Puppy Bowl – August 2021 – February 2022
Hit the ground running at Discovery, leading the 2022 Puppy Bowl strategy, alongside our VP. While the main event is one day — the game airs on Animal Planet ahead of the Super Bowl and streams on discovery+ — the digital strategy work truly begins six months prior. Below is some of what that entails:
- Discovery’s First-Ever NFTs
- A wild ride of a project. The main tasks involved working with one vendor on creating the look of 20-plus different NFT cards, and another vendor that hosted them on their marketplace. Aside from that, I was in charge of all social promotion across Animal Planet and Puppy Bowl accounts. A portion of these proceeds also benefited a non-profit that involved Ariana Grande, so social promo involved Ariana and her team. Working hand-in-hand with our VP on this while simultaneously staying on top of everything else listed below was a massive, demanding task, and served as an excellent learning experience.
- Production Shoots
- There were eight shoots before gameday. Some of these I was on-site capturing social content. All of them required crafting a digital deliverables requests list that was run by production to be sure we fit into the shoot schedules. Shoots included one with Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, and one with the White House.
- Fan Contests
- The biggest fan contest each year is a bracket-style voting competition to determine which Puppy Bowl shelter dog is the most “Pupular” in the leadup to the big game — yes, it’s as cute as it sounds. My involvement here includes regular social promotion to drive fans to the website to vote, and the winner announcement strategy.
- Project Managing Vendors
- From NFTs to GIFs to influencers, I worked with lots of vendors on all of these projects. This was my first time working with outside vendors, since my previous jobs had done everything in-house. I learned about everything from legal contracts to the importance of staying organized and clear communication.
More info on additional things I was involved with available upon request!
- Influencer Strategy – Worked with Ariana Grande’s choreographers, Sesame Street, the White House and the Houston Texans.
- Social Content Plan – Two-month content rollout plan
- Gameday Live Tweeting
- Creative for Custom GIPHY GIFs and Stickers
Alysha Tsuji 