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Georgie Pie and MediaWorks search for new comedy talent for 7 Days

Georgie Pie is working to claim back its place in the hearts of Kiwis of all ages, and one way to do this is partnering up with 7 Days as a sponsor. MediaWorks Integration has been working with OMD and Georgie Pie on a campaign to get a budding comedian to join the 7 Days panel as the ‘Georgie Pie Comedy Apprentice’, with reportedly “loads of entries” so far.

Contestants have until midnight Saturday 6 September (that’s tomorrow) to enter audition videos at TV3.co.nz/comedyapprentice. Six entrants will be chosen and brought to Auckland for an intensive workshop called “How not to suck on 7 Days“. They’ll then get to go on stage in front of a live audience at The Classic comedy bar, and their performance in 7 Days games like Captions and Answers will be filmed and posted online. Public voting opens October 3, and the comedian with the most public votes will be crowned the Georgie Pie Comedy Apprentice, and appear in part of a real episode of 7 Days.

7 Days producer Jon Bridges in a release, “I’m looking for an apprentice who will bring some real magic to their time on the 7 Days panel …Charisma, confidence, and knowing which end of a joke is which, will be important. We’ll give them a workshop, some coaching and I’ll say something encouraging like “Good luck, ha ha ha.” Ideally it’ll be someone so good we’ll finally have found someone to be the host of 7 Days and we can get rid of the temporary one who has been doing it til now: Jermany Crabit I think his name is.”

Launched with an mention in-show during 7 Days August 15, the campaign has so far been promoted with social and online, as well as contacting comedy venues nationwide. 

MediaWorks publicist Jeane Mowatt says “Social and word of mouth have been key drivers. MediaWorks Integration created a 30-second call to action TVC, and a schedule has run throughout the three-week search period. We also used the closing sponsorship billboards around the show to drive entry, as well as pre-rolls on 3Now.”

7 Days is hosted by Jeremy Corbett and has now had five years on air, it has been quite creative with getting the audience involved in the sponsor activation in the past. “Last year for Canadian Club we ran a ‘Caption That’ competition, where viewers could play the 7 Days ‘Caption That’ game at home, and the winning caption would appear at the end of the episode, which was pretty cool. There was also a Tui ‘To Be Honest’ game at the end of the show where each panel member had to have a line about current news events,” says Mowatt. 

Georgie Pie has been busy growing itself in the hearts of more New Zealanders again after its relaunch last year. It was closed down in 1999, after McDonald’s bought it off Progressive Enterprises in 1996. McDonald’s still holds the trademark and intellectual property rights.

Social agency Fuse said earlier this year that those who previously experienced Georgie Pie the first time round (25-44 year old Kiwis) are already being captured, and now the brand wants to attract millennials who are Georgie Pie newbies.

Aside from the sponsorship of 7 Days which kicked off in June this year (the first sponsorship that Georgie Pie have done since McDonald’s brought the brand back), it also created the “Pie Chart” TVC by DDB and Goodoil.

McDonald’s New Zealand managing director, Patrick Wilson said in a release in July that “We have developed our new advertising to appeal to nostalgic fans as well as building relevance with younger generations, who may not have grown up with Georgie Pie,” Wilson says. “While Georgie Pie will continue to be a part of McDonald’s offering in New Zealand, we know the brand has its own personality and you will see that coming through in our marketing.”

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