HBO Max released the first episode of its reboot of Gossip Girl this week, and after finishing the premiere episode I was left feeling a bit lackluster, trying to pinpoint where exactly this refreshed version went wrong in trying to capture the magic of the OG series. Although there’s no doubt the original Gossip Girl fell off quality-wise in its later seasons (or, if we’re being honest, halfway through season two and rapidly downhill from there), the first season truly set the bar for scandalous, outrageously entertaining teen drama. With only one episode released so far, the HBO Max version may hold a candle to its predecessor one day, but as of now, my vote is don’t hold your breath for that.
There are a number of things that made the first season of Gossip Girl so compelling, but from a PR and marketing perspective, the show’s provocative OMFG campaign is a case study of best practices to get a trashy TV show on the map. Their tactic? Use your critics’ words against them. The Parents Television Council called the series “mind-blowingly inappropriate,” while The San Diego Union-Tribune advised its readers that Gossip Girl was “very bad for you,” like sugar or processed foods. In a stroke of marketing genius, the network decided to use these seemingly negative reviews to their advantage and launch the now iconic OMFG campaign.
According to Vulture, after delays brought on by the Writers Guild of America strike, the network wanted to reintroduce viewers to the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s teen elite with the one thing that always sells: sex. It’s likely that this OMFG campaign was the first time a network used viewers’ online chatter for marketing purposes. “This idea was inspired by taking a deep research dive into viewer’s social-media usage and understanding how and what they were talking about the show,” Haskins explained. “The sexier tone was based on what was resonating with the audience and mirroring it back.” Unsurprisingly, parenting groups around the country weren’t amused with this approach, but Haskins believes it only “added fuel” to Gossip Girl’s rapidly growing fan base.
Much like Blair Waldorf and Serena Van Der Woodsen, the OMFG campaign is iconic in the world of pop culture, and the embodiment of a marketing campaign that took a risk and reaped the rewards. TBD on if the reboot can deliver on the impact of the original…but let’s be real, has a reboot ever?
