CBS redefines comedy: A fresh take on laughter
Breaking the mold: CBS’s new comedy campaign
For decades, CBS has been synonymous with the “Tiffany Network,” a moniker that evokes a sense of prestige and tradition. However, CBS president and chief marketing officer Mike Benson is on a mission to shatter that image and inject a dose of modernity and humor into the network’s brand. Since taking the helm in 2019, Benson has been diligently working on a comprehensive image overhaul for CBS. His latest focus? The network’s comedy lineup.
Timed perfectly with the fall launch of CBS’s four new comedies, Benson has unveiled the campaign “You’re Laughing at CBS.” This initiative aims to challenge the perception that CBS is old-fashioned and stodgy. “People will say that CBS is old and stodgy, but actually, if you look at our programming, it’s really not,” Benson remarked. “I think we’ve got a lot of work to do, from a brand perspective, to show that we can have a lot of fun. That we are willing to poke fun at ourselves as much as we want people to come in and laugh at the shows that we’ve got.”
The new comedy lineup
The “You’re Laughing at CBS” campaign will spotlight returning hits like Ghosts and The Neighborhood, as well as new entries such as the Young Sheldon spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and the freshman comedy Poppa’s House, starring Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr.
“We thought this could be a really good time to add another dimension to the brand with what we’ve got in comedy, and bring some more attention to it,” Benson explained. “We had this idea that it really started with, ‘You’re laughing with CBS,’ but then I really wanted to be provocative and have fun with it.”
Introducing ‘Chuckle’: The new face of CBS comedy
As part of this rebranding effort, CBS is also rolling out a smiling version of its iconic Eye logo, affectionately nicknamed “Chuckle.” This playful nod to the “Chuckles the Clown” character from CBS’s classic Mary Tyler Moore show is designed to certify the network’s comedies as genuinely funny. “We’ve got this ‘Chuckles’ version of the logo that we want to stamp on all of our comedies, just to show that they are certified as funny,” Benson said. “And we really want the audience to start to see that laughing CBS eye mark.”
In addition, CBS will start referring to sitcoms as “sit-down” comedies to distinguish them from the plethora of stand-up comedy available on other platforms. “There’s a lot of stand-up comedy out there,” Benson noted. “But we are looking at this not from the point of view of what comedians do, but what value we’re providing our audience almost every day.”
A night of ‘sit-down’ comedy
To kick off the comedy rebrand, CBS is hosting an event on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the NeueHouse in Hollywood, the same building that once housed CBS’s original West Coast headquarters. Titled “CBS Presents: You’re Laughing at CBS, A Night of ‘Sit-Down’ Comedy,” the event will feature The Neighborhood star Max Greenfield and Poppa’s House star Damon Wayans Jr. The evening will include screenings and Q&A sessions, offering fans a unique opportunity to engage with the network’s new comedic offerings.
Expanding the brand
The “You’re Laughing at CBS” branding will also be featured in on-air and social media spots, showcasing content from the network’s comedy casts. While the initial focus is on the four highlighted shows, Benson hinted that the branding could eventually extend to late-night programming and hour-long shows with comedic elements, such as Elsbeth.
The campaign’s playful tagline shares a sensibility with another well-known comedy campaign, but Benson believes CBS’s approach is uniquely suited to its brand. “Netflix does some great marketing, and what they did around stand-up comedy, I thought was really appropriate for them,” he said. “It was a good reminder that sometimes your campaigns need to be as noisy and as loud as the programming itself.”
Looking ahead: New series and strategic marketing
Beyond the comedy rebrand, CBS has ambitious marketing plans for new series, including Matlock, starring Kathy Bates, the NCIS prequel NCIS: Origins, and the unscripted series The Summit. “We’ve got a really great provocative campaign that’s still true to the show ‘Matlock,’ but starts to position Kathy Bates as she may not be the Matlock you actually are expecting, because there’s such a great twist at the end of the pilot,” Benson teased. “And with ‘NCIS: Origins,’ Leroy Jethro Gibbs is someone who all NCIS fans know, but we really want to go out and create this sense of mystery around who and what he is.”
In a year marked by Hollywood strikes and a presidential election, attracting viewers has been particularly challenging. Benson emphasized the strategic importance of bringing football back to CBS’s lineup. “It’s been super challenging, and so strategically, it was really important for us to bring football back,” he said. “I’m not only talking about the NFL, but we put a lot of effort into bringing both the Big Ten and the NFL back, and then utilize those as platforms to give us the reach that we need to build excitement for fall.”
A new era of laughter
With its bold new campaign and a fresh lineup of comedies, CBS is poised to redefine its brand and capture the hearts of a new generation of viewers. The “You’re Laughing at CBS” initiative is more than just a marketing slogan; it’s a promise of fun, laughter, and a modern twist on a beloved network. So, get ready to laugh along with CBS this fall.