A Hot New Bombshell Enters the PR World
Published on September 23, 2024, at 9:26 p.m.
By Jane Blissett.
If you haven’t watched television this summer, then you wouldn’t know that “Love Island USA” has taken the world by storm. With electric characters and plot twists, the series became the No. 1 most streamed reality show on television.
But what made “Love Island USA” stand out from the rest? Its competitors, such as “The Bachelorette” and “Too Hot to Handle,” did not seem to shine as bright as they normally do. The public relations team deserves their flowers, for capitalizing on trends and including fan engagement.
Soundtrack of the summer
The “Love Island USA” soundtrack budget must have been through the roof, due to the fact the show’s creators used trending songs from artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish and other award-winning singers. Producers capitalized on viral TikTok audios and implemented them into key scenes of the series, allowing fans to engage on Spotify and social media with the playlist from the show. Key moments from episodes were transformed into TikTok, and these TikToks are still doing numbers online.
The fan’s choice
A huge factor of “Love Island USA” that sets it apart from the rest is the fan engagement aspect. Throughout the show, fans are prompted to vote for their favorite couple — and the couple with the least votes is in jeopardy of being sent home. Even though reality TV shows such as “Dancing with the Stars” and “American Idol” have used voting to get their fans involved, you rarely see voting occur in the reality dating show scene.
Fans must download the “Love Island USA” app to cast their choice, but it doesn’t stop there. The app includes polls, sneak peaks of upcoming episodes and a shop for merch. This app experience allows viewers to fully immerse themselves into the “Love Island USA” villa and show their support for their favorite cast members.
Different from the rest
One of the main differences between “Love Island” and its dating show counterparts is the aesthetic it has. With bright colors, neon signs and messy challenges, the show has created a unique identity. “Love Island USA” matched the ambiance of summer 2024 and the trends that were blowing up on social media to gain a wider audience.
Islanders turned influencers
After the show concluded, this season’s contestants hit the ground running. Fan favorites Leah Kateb and Robert Rausch were immediately invited on to the hit podcast Call Her Daddy, where they got to dish even more behind the scenes gossip.
The cast also traveled to Universal Studios Hollywood together, which gave viewers more content and lead them to engage with the new celebrities themselves. These outings allowed “Love Island USA” social media team to post and benefit from this content too, even after the show had concluded.
Ultimately, “Love Island USA” producers didn’t just film another season — they redefined the genre and standards for reality TV.
