Syfy Makes Over Dylan's to Promote 'Face Off'

Manhattan Ice Cream giveaway part of pushing show's move to Tuesday night

By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/15/2012 10:56:20 AM

To promote the return of its makeover show, Face Off, Syfy has taken over Manhattan's noted sweet shoppe, Dylan's Candy Bar, and will be offering face painting, cosmetics advice and free ice cream this weekend.


In this season of Face Off, the finale will be held live on Halloween night, which will allow viewers to vote on who will win the competition for the first time. The season starts Aug 21.

"When they brought the idea of Dylan's to me, originally I was thinking how are we going to make candy and makeup worth together? But it's really all about brand values. They're wildly imaginative and I think that store is a feast for the senses," says Michael Engleman, Syfy's executive VP of marketing. "It is really a store about imagination and transformation, and that was a perfect interaction with Face Off, which is really a feast for the senses as a television show."

Engleman notes that the Dylan's promotion doesn't approach the reach and frequency of the large paid media campaign Syfy will be running in the next few days to promote Face Off. Events create visceral connections with fans, so "even if I reach a fraction of the people with this promotion as I do with a paid media campaign, I think it's a worthwhile endeavor, especially for a show as special as Face Off."

The network is also working to extend the Dylan's promotion beyond the corner of 60th and Lexington Avenue. "We do have a social media sweepstakes where we're using our social footprint to do Dylan's giveaway," Engleman says. Another sponsor of the promotion, Make Up For Ever, is using its social media outlets to promote its role in the event.

The Face Off Free Cone Day is Saturday, with a free scoop of ice cream for every customer. There will also be face painting for children and makeup lessons for adults conducted by Make Up For Ever. All month the store will be offering a Party Your Face Off drink, a Face Off Freeze ice cream sundae and displays will indicate candy favorites of Face Off host McKenzie Westmore.

Syfy wants to give Face Off a solid push because the show is a key part of building Tuesday night as a destination for original programming.

"We have an opportunity to shore up and strengthen Tuesday for the long terms with the kind of built in audience that comes with a Face Off," Engleman says. Syfy began airing original shows on Tuesday nights beginning in April with Destination Truth and Haunted Highway. Other originals joining Face Off on Tuesdays are Collection Intervention, Hot Set and Viral Video Showdown.