To promote new series Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, Food Network launched a multi-platform, multi-faceted campaign aimed at maximum reach with participation across WBD departments, divisions and external partners to raise awareness, create excitement and drive tune-in for premiere through finale.
Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking combines the global fandom of the beloved Harry Potter franchise with the power of Food Network’s programming, particularly the Q4 holiday lineup. The strategy was to super-serve fans across both groups for maximum awareness and excitement and drive a global conversation. Planning began before the series even shot across multiple departments and divisions within WBD to ensure a robust, cross-promoted and coherent campaign. For Harry Potter fans, exclusive content was shot from iconic and familiar places, as the series was produced at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, including amidst the backdrop of Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, on some of the original sets where Harry Potter's journey was brought to life on screen. Famed locations such as Platform 9¾, The Great Hall, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Diagon Alley, the Forbidden Forest and more served as the setting for many of the assets captured including hosted set tours with hosts and Harry Potter film stars, Oliver and James Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) who shared stories and fun facts from their time making the films interspersed with info on the new series. In addition, fact-or-fictions with the hosts and judges (Carla Hall and Jozef Youssef) were captured as well as with special guests from the films, plus funny TikTok trends, themed giveaways such as signed wands, Cursed Child Broadway tickets, a magical TikTok AR filter, and an influencer campaign. For Food Network fans, a magical recipe series was launched helmed by famed TikTok creator David Ma, in addition “Watch Party” recipes were created to share with fans, British and American-themed taste tests with talent, and more. Aligned with a weeklong NYC press schedule, additional buzzy content was captured with the hosts in Food Network’s NY headquarters including a fun collaboration with HGTV’s Property Brothers. Fans were NOT expecting two iconic sets of twins from completely different worlds to come together in honor of their shows, Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking and Don’t Hate Your House! 3 fun social videos were captured with the 4 brothers that have over 27 MILLION views across platforms. Close collaboration with Harry Potter social platforms, series cast and competitors, WBD divisions and departments helped maximize the reach of all assets thanks to diligent planning and to the many teams working together for the global roll out.
This was the largest digital campaign done to date by the Food Network team - super-serving the network’s core food audience as well as the highly engaged Harry Potter superfan community. Social content across platforms has garnered 97 MILLION views and 120 MILLION social impressions to date, with 28 different videos passing the viral 1MILLION views mark, and the series premiere episode was Food Network’s most-social premiere of all time, with over 30 MILLION impressions for the content. The linear series wrapped its first season ranked as the #1 non-news/sports cable program on Thursday nights and having reached more than 16.4 million viewers with a second season already picked up.
