HBO

Algorithms don’t watch TV. Humans do.

A brand platform focused entirely on fans, Recommended by Humans showcases the intense love people have for HBO shows and the power of real recommendations from real humans who really love TV. Sure, an algorithm can suggest something you might like but it can’t look you in the eye and say, “Holy shit this show is so fucking good!” That’s something that can only come from another person. 

The campaign features 36 long-form video recommendations directed by award-winning documentarian Alison Klayman, a human-powered recommendation engine, paid and organic social content, and fan participation across the globe.

Tactics covered the entire funnel, raising awareness with content and driving subscriber acquisition/retention through sampling and CRM data capture.

“It’s a smart ploy, positioning one of Netflix’s biggest (albeit flawed) strengths as a weakness, as a means to differentiate HBO.” — Fast Company

 Case Study

Reco Videos

Working with the incredible documentary filmmaker Alison Klayman, we produced 36 videos featuring real fans expressing their intense love for HBO shows. Unscripted and unfiltered, these people really showed the power of a good human recommendation.

Reco Tool

Looking for something to watch? Look no further than humanreco.com. Not only does the constantly-updating tool give you hundreds of real recommendations from real people, but lets you watch the first episode of every single recommended show - completely free.

The Reco Tool used sampling tactics do develop a CRM database for further down-funnel acquisition tactics.

 Results

The campaign proved our theory - nothing can replace the power of a human story behind a recommendation. And if you give people a platform to make recommendations, they’ll take it. Thousands contributed their personal recommendations and the campaign really did help people find their next favorite show, as demonstrated through noticeable spikes in viewership during content flights.