OPERATION: Olicity - the “old school” edition
Lots of people have been asking me what I thought was the best way to communicate our desire for more Stephen Amell & Emily Bett Rickards / Oliver/Felicity promotion (joint interviews, pictures, photo shoots, mag covers, etc) for Season 4.
Since actors & show runners have confirmed they have no control over promotion and that it is the CW Network who does… We’re bringing it to the CW’s door, and we’re bringing it old school! For those coming from a soap opera background, this will be second nature to you.
****Please be sure to read this entire post before diving in. Thanks.****
United States Olicity fans, you’re in the spotlight here. You’re going to get to be the face and voice for the entire fandom. So if you can do this, if Stephen/Emily / Oliver/Felicity promotion matters to you and you want it… pitch in. This only works if people actually do it.
Important Note: It is critical that, during this, you are polite, professional, personable, and stay 100% focused on Stephen/Emily and Oliver/Felicity. We have a goal with this effort and that goal needs to remain the sole purpose. Promoting things we don’t like? Not on the list. Right? Right.
We are asking CW Network for their assistance. We are asking them to give us something. That means talking to them like you’d talk to your favorite grandmother, school-teacher or Santa. Polite. Friendly. Nice. That’s usually not a problem with this fandom but extra sugar never hurts. ;)
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
1. Pick up your phone and call the number posted at the very bottom of this post. You will get the very nice, very friendly and helpful switchboard operator at the CW Network. She’s very nice. She doesn’t bite.
2. When she answers, say, “Hi. I’m calling about Arrow’s Oliver and Felicity… may I have your comment line, please?” She will gladly transfer you. Say, “Thank you.”
*** NOTE! Notice we are calling them “Oliver and Felicity.” We want to be very clear about exactly what we’re talking about to whoever will listen to these messages, so do not use “Olicity.” Don’t assume anybody will know what that “is.”****
3. You will be transferred to the CW’s Comment Line. This is basic voice mail. You will get a recording asking you to leave your name, number, etc., at the beep.
4. Start your recorded message with:
Your Name (first & last, first only, whatever you want)
Your Location (city/state or just one or the other, up to you)
Phone number only if you want (it’s not like they call you back)
5. Focus your message on Stephen Amell & Emily Bett Rickards / Oliver & Felicity Promotion. Don’t be nervous. Answering machines don’t bite. If you feel better writing down what you want to say before you call to leave your message? Do that. Here is a basic message idea:
Hi! My name is XXX. I’m calling from YYY. I’m a huge Arrow fan. I love the show and I love Oliver & Felicity…. I’d really like if {{{insert what you want to see here}}} Some quick topic suggestions:
Photoshoots with Stephen Amell & Emily Rickards together
More show commercials & promotional materials featuring Oliver and Felicity
Joint interviews with Stephen Amell & Emily Rickards
Pictures of Stephen & Emily (in character and out) both together & individually
San Diego Comic Con interaction for Stephen Amell & Emily Bett Rickards
Convention appearances/joint panels for Stephen Amell & Emily Bett Rickards
An Oliver/Felicity poster you can buy + other Oliver/Felicity merchandise in their CW store
What magazines and/or media sources are your favorites & who you’d like to see Stephen & Emily do these things with – Entertainment Weekly? TV Guide? Entertainment Tonight? E Online? Pick your favs.
Swing for the fences here. Ask for everything you want. Let them know that Oliver and Felicity make you excited about Arrow and you can’t wait for Season 4.
Other ideas for future calls:
- see a great promotional pic or poster for another show or movie you like? Pick up the phone & call again, ask for the comment line exactly the same way you did above (Hi. I’m calling about Arrow’s Oliver and Felicity…) and tell the comment line, “Hey, I just saw this great ad…” {{{in XYZ magazine, or on TV, or at the mall or on a bus}}} “for XYZ show/movie. That’s the kind of thing I’d like to see Arrow do for Oliver and Felicity. It’s so {{{describe what you like about the ad – is it sexy, shocking, exciting, mysterious, edgy… be specific about WHY the ad appealed to you}}}.
- see a mag cover featuring your favorite show/couple? Pick up the phone, call and ask for the comment line exactly the same way you did above (Hi. I’m calling about Arrow’s Oliver and Felicity…) and leave a message letting them know a) what mag, b) what show, and c) that you’ve love something like that for Arrow’s Stephen Amell/Emily Bett Rickards and/or Oliver and Felicity
- hear a song on the radio you think would be great for a commercial with Oliver and Felicity… call and ask for the comment line exactly the same way you did above (Hi. I’m calling about Arrow’s Oliver and Felicity…) & tell them what song, by what artist, where you heard it, why you liked it & think it would be great for them.
We use he same line each time (Hi. I’m calling about Arrow’s Oliver and Felicity…) because we want that live person to know WHY we are calling before being shuffled off to voice mail. We want CW Network to know we’re doing it, while we’re doing it, and not just waiting until “someone” decides to check the answering machine.
This will be an ongoing effort now through Season 4. Consistency is going to be important, so this is something we need to keep doing in the coming months,
Basically, when you see other shows doing what YOU want CW Network to do for Stephen, Emily and Oliver & Felicty? Pick up the phone and call in and let them know.
Be supportive. Be creative. Be excited. Be nice and friendly.
It’s all about, “I’d love to see Oliver & Felicity / Stephen Amell & Emily Bett Rickards get to do….”
CW = Santa and we want on that Nice list.
Okay. Got it? Good. Oh, one last thing, the switchboard operator is only manned by a live person Monday - Friday. Weekends we’ll do something different.
Now let’s start ringing the CW Network’s phone off the wall! I just made my 1st call.
Not in the USA? Then back us up on social media. Tweet the CW Network & Warner Bros TV & post on CW Arrow’s Official Facebook with these same requests and topics.
P.S. I’ll be filing stuff about these projects under a “Olicity Promotion” tag on my blog.
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