Comedy Central gets a makeover

Fun, not just funny, is the network's new mantra as it repositions itself with a new logo, look and content

Three years after it launched in India, Comedy Central is donning a new avatar. It has lined up a new set of shows (The Mindy Project and Betty White's Off the Rockers among others) set to roll out on September 10, is sporting a new design and logo and is awash in a fresh coat of paint. The overhaul has been close to four months in the making and, the team that has worked on it, says that the change is much more than looks and logos.

Comedy Central is repositioning itself. From being part of the English comedy genre it wants to now be classified as a light entertainment channel. What prompted the shift? Says Farzad Palia, AVP and business head, English Entertainment, 'When we launched in 2012, we told people to de-stress by switching on Comedy Central. Today, there has been an evolution in consumer sentiment and we would like the channel to reflect that.' The channel has a new tagline too. Comedy Central is now a 'Happy Place' and not just a channel that encourages you to 'Laugh it off', which used to be the old line. The strategy behind the repositioning is to widen the reach of the channel and draw in viewers across ages. 'By adopting Happy Place as the philosophy, we are broadening the ambit of programming, indicating we have something to make everyone happy,' adds Palia.

Humour and happiness
Happy Place, Palia feels, encompasses a wider spectrum of positive emotions and conveys what Comedy Central is hoping to do with its new shows - retain the laughter quotient, but also tap into the gamut of feelings that contribute to a few moments of happiness. The programming is being looked at from this perspective, and the show line-up is being carefully curated such that the serials deliver what makes people happy. The prime time line-up is a mix of new and existing shows. Some of these are 'Younger', 'The Mindy Project' and 'Betty White's Off the Rockers' and from October, the latest seasons of popular shows like 'The Exes', 'Mom and Ben', 'The Graham Norton Show', 'Saturday Night Live' and 'Teller Fool Us' will go on air. The India broadcast times for these shows will be as close to the US show times as possible.

Along with the programming changes, the team also worked on the new design to ensure that the fonts and colours used reflected the shift. Palia says, 'We felt that it was time to refresh our look and feel to more closely reflect our positioning-the one channel for moments that make people happy. These moments are sometimes slapstick, nostalgic and even romantic, but they always reside in a fun location.'

To convey this, the channel is using a 'rich and vibrant colour palette, slick animation and an overall design package that is very easy on the eyes,' he adds. Earlier, the focus was on getting audiences to laugh out loud and the design reflected this by using a bold, graphic look. The old design was more in keeping with the expressive, tongue-in-cheek and conversational programming that the channel used to focus on.

For its new look, Comedy Central is also banking on quirky and computer generated special effects. For instance, the channel plans to use 'stickers' to label the shows in its line-up, borrowing from the popular use of emojis and emoticons in social media today.

The business of fun
The new tagline will also help market the channel more effectively as the team believes that the phrase 'Happy Place' resonates better with marketing professionals.

Palia and team have identified two broad aspects of the new phase that the channel is getting into, which could be effectively marketed to advertisers and brands. One is the physical happy place that a person may find herself in and the second, a more abstract happy place (like an activity or an experience). The marketing and promotions teams will focus on creating touch points for engagement through various media that enhances either the physical or the abstract aspect of happy experiences. 'There will be a string of engagement activities from watch and win contests to associations with bars, saloons, coffee shops etc. We shall also roll out a treasure hunt next month in three cities - Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. We will pop up at the most unexpected places,' says Palia.

To build up to the launch of its new look, the channel had started sending out mailers teasing viewers about how Comedy Central will be taking them to a 'happy place', without revealing what the phrase actually meant. The marketing efforts will gain momentum as India gets into the festive season with full gusto beginning September. The channel expects its campaign will go on until the new year while its engagement initiatives will be a continuous process says Palia.