Kroll Show
In case you aren’t familiar:
Cast:
Nick Kroll
Jon Daly
Jenny Slate
John Mulaney
Jason Mantzoukas
and more
Series Launch: 2012
No. of Seasons: 3
No. of Episodes: 32
My 2¢: Must-See
Wiki-Summary:
Kroll Show is a social satire that parodies many aspects of television, the internet, and popular culture. The style of the series is heavily influenced by the reality television genre.
Most sketches are written, performed, recorded, and edited to mimic the frenetic pace and melodramatic style of reality TV shows like Duck Dynasty, The Osbournes, and Keeping Up With The Kardashians, with multiple hand-held cameras, rapid editing, flashbacks, cutaway commentaries, and superimposed graphics and text.
Each episode is constructed to simulate the effect of "channel surfing" across a range of reality TV shows on cable TV.
Season 2
To promote the second season of Kroll Show, we didn’t overtly promote Kroll Show. We instead promoted the shows within the show, and put them all into market as if they were standalone titles. Each piece of art was just absurd enough to stop people in their tracks, and get their wheels turning.
Dr. Zizmor Parody Stunt
No project I’ve worked on has brought me as much joy as this one.
Any New Yorker who commuted using the subway in the ’90s and aughts is undoubtedly familiar with the ads of dermatologist, Dr. Jonathan Zizmor. They were everywhere, and an unrelenting visual assault of bad design choices. A literal ‘DON’T list’ for any budding graphic designer. Yet somehow you couldn’t take your eyes off of them. Which, in turn, had me questioning everything.
When we began brainstorming which Kroll Show characters we could bring to life in our marketing, I had an almost immediate epiphany that this was my opportunity to finally honor/parody these ads that affected me so deeply. A bit of closure, if you will.
Behold, the in-car subway ad for Dr. Steven Armond, Canine Plastic Surgeon:
Section Details
People lost their minds, and it was amazing to watch it light up on social.
We also posted a billboard in Los Angeles that Nick discussed with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.
The following year, we did two more subversive subway stunts.
The first was an ad promoting the Dad Academy, a school designed to educate young men on how to take responsibility for the choices they made. The design mirrored the dry aesthetics of the many technical school ads that were prevalent at the time.
Fans of the show were becoming big fans of the marketing.
Brian LaCroix Contest Stunt
We also did a subway ad promoting the contest of teen sensation, Brian LaCroix. The ad invited fans to enter, in hopes of being crowned the lucky winner that would get to take Brian’s virginity. Dare to dream.
Season 3 (The Final Season)
Because Kroll Show took all of its inspiration from television traditions, the marketing felt like it should do the same. Generally speaking, shows that make it to a 3rd season typically are done trying to explain the premise, and feel they've earned the right to be serious and artsy. We ran with that, and created super self-important, Annie Leibovitz-style creative which contrasted the idiotic characters of Kroll Show perfectly.
:30 Promo
Sopranos Parody Reference