The storylines for “Bel-Air” season 3 provided a literal blueprint for an audience-centric marketing campaign. Recurring themes included entrepreneurship, breaking generational curses and self discovery. In lieu of the press and influencers bbq event that took place on August 1st, two weeks prior to the season premiere, the following strategies are suggestions for ways in which the “Bel-Air” marketing campaign could have had a more impactful, multifaceted audience-first strategy that kept fans engaged throughout the duration of the season.
1.) Follow Through with “Blackccess”
In “Bel-Air” season 3 Will takes the summer off from basketball to participate in a business accelerator and launch a clothing line called “Blackccess” with Carlton. The premise of their lifestyle brand is to empower other entrepreneurs and give 50% of their proceeds back to small businesses.
• Strategy Idea: Q1 of 2024, the first social media post (and press release) for season 3 could have been actors Jabari Banks and Olly Sholotan putting out a call for Black owned businesses that want to be featured in “Bel-Air” to sign up at “Blackccess.com” for the opportunity to be apart of an exclusive cast curated “Blackccess Marketplace”.
Presently, there’s no Blackccess website, not even a landing page, despite the fact that the business name and social media pages are referenced in every episode.
For clarity: At the “Bel-Air” Press & Influencers BBQ that took place on August 1st, Statefarm sponsored a “Blackccess Flea Market” with (only) three Black owned businesses as vendors. Guests were able to choose from a complimentary candle, body oil or a vinyl record. Guests also received “Blackccess” merch (tote bag, t-shirt, bucket hat or baseball cap). Moreover, even if the plan was to only feature three pre-selected businesses at the activation, there was still a missed opportunity to amplify and validate more owned Black businesses throughout the season. An excellent example of this execution is Beyonce’s “Black Parade” website. A small business directory curated by her stylist Zerina Akers which featured hundreds of businesses of various mediums including art, fashion, beauty and wellness. This activation garnered press attention on Forbes, CNN, Good Morning America and Grammy .com to name a few.
“Blackccess” merch shouldn’t only be available for press and influencers that attended the BBQ. Utilizing social listening and searching “Blackccess” on X (formerly known as Twitter) fans of the show would have loved to purchase “Blackccess” merch especially knowing that a portion of proceeds would support Black owned businesses just as Will and Carlton emphasized in the show. A live merch website could have provided the network with very clear metrics of success (e.g. selling out of 1,000 Blackccess t-shirts). At an absolute minimum, the website could have housed exclusive clips and BTS photos only accessible after submitting your email and social media handles which could then be utilized to send out newsletters and notifications when new episodes air.
2.) Where’s the Cast EP and Tour?
33 years after DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince won their second Grammy for “Summertime”, Will Smith is still electrifying crowds with the song, this time at the Press & Influencer BBQ to promote season 3 of “Bel-Air”.
• Strategy Idea: The “Summertime in Bel-Air EP: Presented by The Fresh Prince” would have been a creative as well as an ingenious way to release a compilation project with the artists from the cast. In the month of August singers Coco Jones, Jabari Banks, Olly Sholotan and Simone Joy Jones individually released songs with tepid fanfare. Moreover, a collective EP, that’s promoted with performance opportunities in conjunction with the new season, produced by or even featuring The Fresh Prince is working smarter not harder. The six track EP could have featured the aforementioned artists as well as introduced audiences to Akira Akbar as her character “Ashley” writes songs, produces music and starts a band in season 3.
The release of “Summertime in Bel-Air EP” could have been supported the “Bel-Air HBCU Concert Tour” presented by Spotify where Simone, Olly, Jabari & Coco each perform their respective singles at schools including Howard University, the alma mater of Aunt Viv & Uncle Phil in the series.
Note: This is still a very viable idea that can be applied to promotion of season 4 or 5 and I’m ready to assist with the execution!
3.) Where Are Conversations with Athletes & Fathers?
From Philly to Cali to London, a recurring theme in “Bel-Air” are Black men’s need for present, positive and validating father figures. It’s been very interesting to see how Will was so enamored with and easily influenced by his basketball coach “Doc” in season 2 and in season 3 he’s wide-eyed for a serial entrepreneur named “Quentin”. We also see Geoffrey coping with the resentment his son Fredrick has for him not being present in his upbringing. Season 3 also introduces a new complex father/son relationship with Lamarcus (Hilary’s fiance) feeling pressured by his father to return to the NFL despite a near fatal medical condition.
• Strategy Idea: Partner with the Lakers (and/or Clippers) as well as the Rams for a “Clips & Conversations” event including a live taping of “The Shop: Uninterrupted” (HBO) where members of the cast as well as current and former athletes can speak with high school, college students and other young men about the need for Black men to be present and active fathers as well as the importance of developing interests and careers outside of professional sports.
Note: Having previously attended a Lakers vs Clippers game with the cast of “Bel-Air” in season 2, this is still a very viable idea that can be applied to the promotion of season 4 or 5 and I’m ready to assist with the execution!
Concluding, in lieu of the “one and done” grandeur press and influencer bbq, I would have recommended that the marketing campaign opt for more audience first, community driven activations that underscored the themes of the season and allowed for more impactful and quantifiable fan and community engagement.
For an even more thorough and compressive list of my marketing strategies, please visit my website: https://zondamour.com/marketing-strategist/