One way in
which ‘Life on Mars’ was marketed was that the BBC designed a poster to make it
look like it was from 1973. They did this in order to make it stand out from
the other advertisements for other shows and also to entice those who enjoy
nostalgia. We know they have tried to make the poster look like it was made in
1973 due to the gesture codes of the two main characters. Phillip Glennister is
sat on the bonnet of a Ford Cortina, which is a retro car, and both of the
characters wearing clothes that were popular back in 1973, such as leather
jackets and long trench coats. As well as this, the BBC also used font that they
used to use back in the ‘70s to further embed the idea that this actually is a
poster from 1973.
As well as
making posters, ‘Life on Mars’ was part of a double page spread. This double
page spread allowed readers to further educate themselves on what the programme
was about. This is good marketing for the programme as it could potentially
gain them more viewers. The double page spread also offers a blurb which gives
a quick overview of the storyline and introduces the characters. On the right
hand side of the spread there is a picture of the two main characters, however
they are accompanied by a woman, whose name in the programme is Annie
Cartwright.
‘Life on
Mars’ was a hit in its first season, so when the second series came around
there was a lot of media coverage in the magazines and papers. This coverage in
the range of magazines and newspapers aloud for hype to build up around the
programme. Also, what else this managed
to do was make people aware of the fact that the programme was coming back in the
way of a spin-off.
The ‘life on mars’ press pack allowed viewers
who were anticipating the release of the new series an insight to behind the
scenes details of the show.
