Genius was a significant shift for National Geographic as it was its first attempt at scripted drama, so when they approached us to help spread awareness for the premiere, we knew would have to alter how people see the programming of National Geographic. But, when we found out the show was about Albert Einstein the man—as opposed to Einstein the famed scientist—the challenge became even more exciting.

In order to drive awareness of what the show was actually about, and to promote tune-in, our activations would have to showcase an unexpected side of Einstein, as well as National Geographic.

So, we created a Chatbot to allow fans to have a fun, interactive one-to-one experience with Einstein that would feel intimate and personal, while also keeping the show top-of-mind through push notifications leading up to the premiere, and beyond.

We didn’t stop there because time was on our side. Being that the March for Science was a week before premiere, we embraced this fantastic opportunity as a way to give Einstein a presence that felt true to his brilliant mind and his rebel heart.

Genius acted as an ally to marchers during the protest—providing shelter, wifi, electricity and support. On the ground, we saw the response first hand and knew we were effective. But, like any successful experiment, our victory was also proved by the numbers with over 700 MM total impressions and 60% new viewers welcoming National Geographic to their list of go-to networks.