AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

USA expands online presence - The Hollywood Reporter

Cable’s No. 1 network is positioning its brand beyond TV.

Speaking to ad buyers and reporters at its annual upfront presentation Wednesday night at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Bonnie Hammer — the newly promoted NBC Universal cable entertainment/cable studios president — unveiled plans to extend USA Network and its “Characters Welcome” brand.

“We’ve set our sights beyond No. 1,” Hammer said of USA’s success in cable. She added that the channel’s new goal is to have “the best brand in the entire media landscape.”

To help do that, USA is beginning a “brandwidth” campaign that capitalizes on what the network calls the deep emotional connection of its shows and characters from such shows as “Monk,” “Burn Notice,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Psych.”

The channel already has invested in social networking elements online and is kicking off its next step with “Character Approved” commercial pods in concert with advertisers that the channel hopes will resonate with viewers. It’s also sending photographers to all 50 states to shoot photos of celebrities and regular people in an effort it’s calling “The Character Project.”

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