Channel 4 marketing campaign pulls on 90s nostalgia for the return of Derry Girls with one-off edition of Smash Hits Magazine

5 April 2022

Channel 4 has today launched its marketing campaign for the new series of the hit comedy, Derry Girls.

Produced by 4Creative and planned by OMD UK for Channel 4 Marketing, the campaign is inspired by the 90s, the era in which Derry Girls is set, and ‘last-day-of-school’ chaos in a nod to this being both the final series and final year of school for the show’s characters.

It features a special one-off edition of the iconic Smash Hits magazine, which has been brought back to life to commemorate the launch of the show. Produced in collaboration with Bauer Media, the 28-page magazine includes a pull out double-page poster of the cast and classic Derry Girls themed features like the Biscuit Tin interview. Over 150,000 copies of the magazine will be distributed, with copies being handed out across the UK, as well as being bagged up with this week's issues of heat and Closer, on newsstands today.

The attention-grabbing visuals from the double page poster in the magazine will also feature across the out of home materials, including large format digital on the day of transmission.

On TikTok, fans will be treated to exclusive magazine content adapted for social, such as the ability to insert their own images onto the front cover of Smash Hits with the Derry Girls cast. The 90s nostalgia continues on Spotify with a ‘Create your own mixtape’ digital experience which enables users to select their favourite 90s tracks and load them onto a virtual customisable cassette tape.

On the ground in Derry, the UV Arts team which immortalised the Derry Girls characters in a mural to celebrate the second series is working on a temporary update to the painting for the launch of Series 3. The updated mural will be unveiled on Wednesday 6th April.

Derry Girls is the creation of acclaimed writer Lisa McGee who has mined her own experiences to create a candid, one-of-a-kind, family-centred comedy set against the backdrop of The Troubles. The first series aired in January 2018 and received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from viewers from around the UK and particularly from the local community in Derry, making it Channel 4’s biggest comedy launch series of the last 18 years.

Lynsey Atkin, Executive Creative Director at 4Creative, said: “Smash Hits and Derry Girls is a match made in 90s heaven – both icons of their time, wildly popular and with an incorrigible urge to say what they think (even when it gets them into trouble). We have absolutely loved bringing this campaign to life; giving the Derry Girls (and the wee English fella) the full pop star treatment and working with OMD UK, Bauer Media and Lisa McGee to give fans even more of Erin and the gang before school’s out for good.”

Lucie Cave, Chief Content Officer, Bauer Media added: “With Season 3 of Derry Girls set in 1998, reviving our iconic 90s magazine Smash Hits for a one-off special was a no-brainer! Working incredibly close with the Channel 4 team meant that we were able to be keep the energy and essence of both brands in sync throughout and ensure that the show was seamlessly woven throughout all editorial – including the fan-favourite ‘Biscuit Tin’ interview and classic ‘How to Dress Like a Pop Star’. Nostalgia is having such a moment, and this is like jumping back into your teenage bedroom and grabbing a hairbrush to sing in the mirror − we can’t wait for fans to grab a copy and dive into Derry Girls in all its glory!”

Derry Girls is a Hat Trick production for Channel 4.

 

Ends.

 

Press contact: Thomas Reed, treed@channel4.co.uk / 07758 103 788

 

Notes to editors

Images of the completed mural will be available on Wednesday 6th April.

 

CREDITS

Channel 4 - Marketing Team:

 

Chief Marketing Officer: Zaid Al-Qassab

Marketing Director: Amber Kirby

Head of Marketing: Laura Ward-Smith

Marketing Lead: Laura Woodcock

Marketing Executive: Maya Padhya

Marketing Executive: Anna Chiarelli

 

 

Agency - 4Creative:

 

Executive Creative Director: Lynsey Atkin

Senior Creatives: Andy Shrubsole & Scott Taylor

Head of Design/Art Director: Rob Boon

Designers: Sarah Jones, Thomas Robinson

Creative Placement Team: Manny Labram & Murilo Freitas Loureiro

Artworker: Zen St. George

 

Head of Production & Operations: Miketta Lane

Exec Producer: Charlie Bettice

Campaign Producers: Tabby Harris & Fiona Wright

Smash Hits Magazine Producer: Fiona Wright

OOH Producer: Simon Glover

Digital Producer: Faye Adams

Clips Producer: Paige Bentley

Senior Project Manager: Olivia Emmerson

 

Digital Creative Director: Christos Savvides

Digital Director: James Henry

Clips Director: Mick Arnold

 

 

Key Visual & OOH :

 

Executive Creative Director Lynsey Atkin

Senior Creatives: Andy Shrubsole & Scott Taylor

Head of Design/Art Director: Rob Boon

Designer: Thomas Robinson

Creative Placement Team: Manny Labram & Murilo Freitas Loureiro

Retouching: Curious

 

Producer: Tabby Harris & Simon Glover

Production Managers: Laura Jenkins & Max Williamson

Production Assistant: Molly Havilland

 

 

Smash Hits Magazine - Print:

 

Executive Creative Director: Lynsey Atkin

Senior Creatives: Andy Shrubsole & Scott Taylor

Head of Design/Art Director: Rob Boon

Designer: Thomas Robinson

Creative Placement Team: Manny Labram & Murilo Freitas Loureiro

Retouching: Curious

 

Producer: Fiona Wright

Publisher: Bauer Media

Bauer Editor-In-Chief: Lucie Cave

Bauer Editor: Jordan Paramor

Bauer Designers: Vanessa Clover & Catherine Johnson

Bauer Project Manager: Daisy Ingram

 

Digital:

 

Spotify Partnership:

 

Executive Creative Director: Lynsey Atkin

Senior Creatives: Andy Shrubsole & Scott Taylor

Digital Creative Director: Christos Savvides

Head of Design/Art Director: Rob Boon

Design: 4 Creative

Producer: Faye Adams

Spotify Build: MIK

 

Tik Tok H5 Page & Branded Effect & Smash Hits Motion Cover Partnerships:

 

Executive Creative Director : Lynsey Atkin

Senior Creatives: Andy Shrubsole & Scott Taylor

Digital Creative Director: Christos Savvides

Head of Design/Art Director: Rob Boon

Designers: Sarah Jones, Thomas Robinson

Director: James Henry

Producer: Faye Adams

Digital Motion Post Production: Jam VFX

Animation: Pete & Tom

 

Social Clips:

 

Director: James Henry

Producer: Faye Adams

Editor: James Henry

Post: Platform

 

 

On Air Clips:

 

Creative Director: Chris Wood

Director: Mick Arnold

Producer: Paige Bentley

Editor: Mick Arnold

Post: Platform

 

Mural (S3):

 

Executive Creative Director: Lynsey Atkin

Head of Design/Art Director: Rob Boon

Creative: Jim Chambers

 

 

With special thanks to, Lisa McGee, Liz Lewin, Caroline Leddy and Brian J. Falconer

 

 

About Bauer Media UK:

Bauer Media UK reaches over 25 million UK consumers through a portfolio of world-class, multi-platform media and entertainment brands including heat, Closer, KISS, Grazia, Empire, Magic Radio, Absolute Radio and the Hits Radio Network. These brands offer commercial partners access to highly engaged audiences, with creative solutions underpinned by insight and instinct. Bauer Media UK is part of the Bauer Media Group, one of the world’s largest privately owned media businesses with media assets all over the globe.