The final episode of “Mad Men” airs this Sunday, May 17, and Lionsgate and AMC have advertised the final episodes as “The End of an Era.” But a new second screen experience for the series aims to keep the seminal series alive for fans long after the finale airs.
Lionsgate has partnered with Google Play for the distribution platform’s first-ever TV show digital fan offering, “The Mad Men Experience,” an interactive second screen retrospective experience that delves deeper into the series. The “art exhibit-style” features more than 300 assets from the show, including artwork, cast and crew interviews, audio commentaries and other exclusive features.
“The Mad Men Experience” will also be featured at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ “A Farewell to Mad Men” event, being held in Los Angeles the day of the finale.
“Our partnership with Google Play reflects our continuing commitment to create and deliver cutting edge content that extends our brands for fans and newcomers alike to discover for years to come,” said Lionsgate EVP of marketing Anne Parducci. “’The Mad Men Experience’ transports a ground-breaking show to a new level by infusing its representation of 1960’s Madison Avenue with state-of-the-art technology.”
Google made “Mad Men” their first digital second screen endeavor for a TV show for a reason: According to Google Search Trends, “Mad Men” has consistently garnered huge fan engagement over its seven-season run, with the main character Don Draper being the most popular character name search for every season, excluding the first season, where secretary-turned-copywriter Peggy Olsen dominated search results. Google has seen an impressive amount of “Mad Men” related search questions over the years, including “How can I dress like the characters in ‘Mad Men?’” and “What do they drink?”
To back the second screen launch and promote the show, Google Play and Lionsgate are making the very first episode of the series available for free.
“Mad Men has captivated audiences and placed them squarely in the cocktail culture of mid-century Madison Avenue,” said Jessica Igoe, head of global media and content partnership marketing for Google Play. “As die-hard fans ourselves, we’re excited to collaborate with Lionsgate to share this unique ‘Mad Men’ experience that gives everyone a chance to explore and interact with each season on Google Play long after the series concludes.”