‘The Signs’ were all there: Why Bluey’s latest episode was a marketing masterclass

At 8am on Sunday, April 14, 2024, many families across Australia picked their screen and gathered in their PJs over breakfast, to view the much anticipated and longest-ever episode of Bluey titled ‘The Sign’.

The promotion leading up to the launch of this monumental 28-minute episode was a masterclass in campaign marketing.

The hype was real 

As the campaign unfolded, we were given gradual details about the episode to pique our interest leading up to the episode reveal. 

First, we learned the title of the episode and that it would include a wedding. Then we were left shocked and stunned when it was revealed the beloved Bluey house which has set the scene for so many fond memories since its first airing in 2018, was on the market for sale.   

Social media audiences started sharing their theories about why Bandit and Chilli were selling their home. Were they breaking up? Was one of them going to remarry? Is The Sign the final episode? Does the extended time mean they’re testing the waters for a Bluey movie?

With tails chins starting to wag, all of The Sign’s marketing channels were singing the same tune.

No campaign is complete without a dedicated landing page which works as the digital home for a campaign, covering all the details fragmented across advertising placements and posts. 

The landing page for the ‘All signs lead to’ campaign provided details on where the special episode would stream and download for use at home. It also continued to build anticipation with a 30-second teaser.

Source: Bluey TV

The campaign was integrated across multiple channels. In addition to the Bluey website, The Sign featured on organic socials with seven Instagram posts in succession dedicated to the campaign and quite a few teasers on TikTok.

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A post shared by Bluey (@officialblueytv)

@bluey

All signs lead to the dance floor 💜 👀 #blueytok Bluey: The Sign arrives globally on April 14th

♬ Bluey The Sign – Bluey

The collaboration we didn’t know we needed

The Bluey marketing team partnered with Domain, the real estate marketplace, for this campaign.

The pièce de résistance is a dramatised two-minute film featuring impressive comedic acting skills from legitimate Brisbane real estate agents who find out they’ve missed out on the Heeler listing to a new character — a dog real estate agent named Bucky Dunstan.

Domain featured a genuine listing for Bluey’s house, and those who dared to call the real Australian phone number featured on the listing were in for a treat. 

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A post shared by Bluey (@officialblueytv)

I’m sure any brand would jump at the chance to collaborate with Bluey but they went for the unexpected and this attention-grabbing strategy paid off. 

The lesson here is: don’t half bake it, go all in!

The campaign keeps on giving

There wasn’t a dry eye for the adults in our home after viewing The Sign and even though the episode has aired, the sharing of the marketing assets and speculation is still taking off. 

Time will tell if The Sign was a spectacular send-off, a strategic move to reignite the fanbase after three seasons, or a segue into Bluey making it to the big screen. 

Whatever the reason, it shows excellence doesn’t require justification. When you go all in with creativity and innovation, it leads to brilliant outcomes. 

Mia Fileman is a marketing strategist and the founder of Campaign Del Mar.