• by Wayne Friedman , May 11, 2018

Turner moved away from specific network consumer-marketing tag lines some years ago, but it is pushing business-to business and internal marketing campaigns -- especially globally.

In conjunction with its upfront TV presentation, Turner is starting its first global campaign: “We Make Fans,” an integrated brand campaign for Turner networks and brands.

In the past, individual networks, such as TNT and TBS, have had their own tag lines: “We Know Drama” and “Very Funny,” respectively. Turner has moved away from these on-screen consumer messages.

But starting two years ago, John Martin, chairman and CEO of Turner, pushed an effort to find a global marketing theme -- especially internally.

“We started with an inside-out approach,” says Molly Battin, corporate marketing officer/global chief communications officer of Turner. “We said we are going to put the fan at the center of everything we do. [We want to] really think through how we create the best experiences no matter what platform it is on.”

Turner has done research on fans, which it believes are more powerful than viewers. “Fans evangelize ... they will do anything for your brand,” says Battin.

The campaign features Turner employees doing testimonials that appear on a micro-site: turnerwemakefans.com. There will also be employee experiences, such as a live concert and on-site brand event opportunities.

“We wanted to make sure that every person at Turner, everyone around the globe, understood what our mission was,” Battin adds.

This will extend to a more business-to-business campaign. In preparation for Turner’s upcoming upfront presentation, Turner will be enacting its “We Know Fans” in outdoor advertising, wrapped buses, digital billboards, as well as trade partnerships with publications.

Additionally, there will be corporate ads at industry events, such as Cannes Lions and Comic-Con.