Popular survival and strategy-based reality show “Survivor” has raised the marketing stakes with its ingenious way to get fans involved ahead of the show’s 50th season.
Since its premiere in 2000, “Survivor” has released two seasons each year, with a few exceptions for the first couple of seasons and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 50th season, titled “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans,” will premiere on February 25 and feature 24 returning players from previous seasons. The title comes from the fact that, before the season was filmed, fans were able to vote in polls concerning what key game elements they would like to see. Supposedly, the elements with the most votes will be incorporated into the show.
To create even more hype for the new season, the show created a nationwide scavenger hunt for “hidden immunity idols” leading up to its release. Immunity idols are important aspects of the show, as the contestants who find them gain an advantage in securing their spot and not getting voted off at tribal council. With this in mind, “Survivor” and CBS hid an immunity idol in every state of the United States and have been steadily releasing clues for fans to find them. The incentive to find an immunity idol? A chance at being invited to attend the season’s live finale in Los Angeles.
The show has had live finales – where the contestants reunite in front of a live audience for the reveal of the winner and a behind-the-scenes conversation about the season – for most of the series. The tradition was disrupted due to the pandemic, which caused the last ten seasons to not feature one. The return of the live finale has many fans excited, which makes the scavenger hunt reward that much sweeter.
Though multiple people can find the immunity idol, only one lucky person from each state – plus an additional online challenge winner – will be chosen to attend the live finale. Fans can find idols in multiple states to increase their chances, which is possible because the idol searches have not all been taking place at the same time. Clues for different states are being released each day on survivor50challenge.com, with the first clue revealed on January 30 and the last one dropping on February 21. Just because a clue has dropped, however, doesn’t mean the idol is ready to be found.
After a clue is revealed, a countdown clock appears that indicates the date and time that the idol will be “live,” about 24-72 hours following the clue’s reveal. On the specified date and time, fans can make their way to the location, find the idol, scan the QR code and complete their entry into the sweepstakes. Since every state has its own timeline, fans across the country have either found the idol, are currently figuring out its location or are eagerly waiting for their state’s clue to drop.
As anticipation builds for the new season, other marketing teams should take note of how “Survivor” has expertly included fans in the lead-up to its release at the end of the month.
Junior Emily Myers is a Copy Editor. Her email is emeyers3@fandm.edu.