Are you a fan of Hunted, the Channel 4 fugitive chasing reality tv show? It’s been great, hasn’t it? The mind games, the use of technology, and that thrill of the chase.
What’s also been great has been their use of Twitter. The social media platform famed for hosting TV-related conversations has been the perfect place to connect with fans.
The account may not have millions of followers, and the posts may not be trending, but for fans of the show who are taking the time to mention the @handle or check the #hashtag, there have been some lovely little touches.
Telling Twitter users how they would be caught
That’s right. If you mention the official account, there’s a good chance they will respond by telling you what your weakness is or where they would find you. It may only be a quick search of your (public) social profiles to find the information, but it’s enough to show that they’re using Twitter to listen, to engage, and to actually be social (rather than just broadcasting).
Goading fugitives
In the show, the attitude of the hunters is that they’re better and smarter than the fugitives. This is carried through to the Twitter accounts, with tweets and comments being made which quite are quite frankly embarrassing for those who have been caught. The personality shown and remarks made reflect the attitude of many viewers, who may be screaming exactly the same things at the TV.
Humorous clips
To accompany some of the goading comments are pieces of rich content that are quick to consume and summarise key moments or mistakes. The clips and images display the same personality and feel as above, and it’s essentially drip-feeding content to entertain and keep the show front of mind.
Detectives using the hashtag
Probably my favourite part of the Hunted social media activity has been the use of Twitter by those in the show. The same ex-police in the high-speed chases, and intelligence experts back in the surveillance room, have been actively using the hashtag, and even more impressively engaging with tweets about the show that don’t even mention them. Again, fans are not expecting this.
Sometimes there’s big marketing campaigns and big ideas which quite rightly receive praise. But sometimes it’s the little touches that allow companies and shows to connect with fans and truly act social.
