Cactii Communications to handle Comedy Central account

Viacom18's English comedy channel Comedy Central has selected Cactii Communications as its creative AoR (agency of record).

When the channel was launched earlier this year, the team had brought on board BBH to work on the launch campaign. The agency worked on the launch-time communication for the channel on a short term project basis. Soon after that, the hunt for a long term creative partner was initiated.

The pitch was creative-heavy and after two rounds of presentations, Cactii Communications was selected as the brand's creative partner. The agency's mandate includes handling all ad-related work for the channel across media and merchandise.

It may be recalled that afaqs! carried a report in March that announced the channel's pitch. The hunt was for a creative agency that could understand the brand and its core philosophy.

Comedy Central, the sixth channel from the Viacom18 stable, with its philosophy of 'Laugh It Off', was launched on January 23 with approximately 17 shows and five hours of original programming.

A massive through-the-line marketing plan with innovations across TV, print, outdoor, radio, below the line and digital was rolled out in the first week of February for the launch of the channel. The plan also involved strategic partnerships with lifestyle touch points frequented by the target audience, including coffee chains, theatres, clubs, gyms, salons and shopping destinations.

The brand has also extended itself beyond television into live events, merchandising and availability on mobile platforms. Recently, in a bid to promote Comedy Central's new show, Hot in Cleveland, the channel tied up with Rubys and Cafe Coffee Day for a marketing campaign.

While more such activity is on the cards, the upcoming media plan for the channel's next bout of communication is still in the process of being finalised.