Apple TV's Pluribus Is Already Following A Great Strategy Set Up By Severance

"Pluribus" sees former "Better Call Saul" star Rhea Seehorn play romantasy author Carol Sturka, who isn't actually all that impressed by her own work. Now, Apple TV is hoping real-world viewers will be impressed with the fictional novelists' writing chops. The company announced via its X (formerly Twitter) account that fans can read an excerpt from the "Bloodsong of Wycaro" novel penned by Carol Sturka herself, in a genius marketing move previously used for Apple's biggest sci-fi success story, "Severance."

For a long time now, Apple TV+ has had some great shows that nobody is watching. The platform that hosts the best spy show on TV in "Slow Horses" and which gave us TV's trippiest mind-bender in "Severance" has long been deserving of more attention. But if the Apple TV marketing team keeps up the stellar job it's been doing, we might soon see things change in that regard. 

So far, we've seen real-world "Severance" pop-up events, which proved perfectly designed to become viral hits across social media, especially since the actual cast turned up to reprise their roles for these brief real-world set pieces. Then, Apple released the in-universe self-help book "The You You Are" for download, bringing a piece of the "Severance" universe to life.

Now, Apple TV is doing the same for "Pluribus." The new show from "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan was, as you might expect, given his previous work, highly anticipated. With the marketing team borrowing a trick from "Severance" and giving fans a chapter from Carol Sturka's book, that momentum will surely only build, proving the streamer clearly intends to continue with inventive forms of marketing in the wake of its "Severance" success and perhaps become a bigger force in the streaming sphere.

In "Pluribus" (the latest remake of a sci-fi classic), Rhea Seehorn's Carol Sturka must save the world from an alien virus that turns the populace into placid, obsequious drones. But she starts out as the author of a series of tawdry romantasy novels known as the "Winds of Wycaro" books. In episode one, Sturka hosts a live reading event for the latest installment, "Bloodsong of Wycaro," where she's surrounded by rabid fans who are a little too fanatical in their love for the books.

Now, "Pluribus" viewers can become just as fanatical by reading an extract from the novel — billed as the "fourth book in her epic romantasy trilogy" — for free over on Apple Books. No subscription is necessary to read the 11-page chapter, which comes complete with a message from the author in which she picks up on a point from the "Pluribus" premiere, wherein fans of the novel were evidently outraged that a character by the name of Raban is not on the cover of the latest book. She also implores readers to refrain from spoilers before providing a full chapter for "Wycarians" to pore over.

The pitch-perfect marketing for 2024's "Longlegs" was a masterclass in how to sell a horror movie. Now, Apple TV is once again proving it knows how to sell its sci-fi shows. The release of this chapter literally fulfills calls to make the "Winds of Wycaro" series a real thing and shows Apple has its ear to the social media ground. Will we get a full book in due time? Perhaps if "Pluribus" becomes a hit.

In "Severance," Michael Chernus plays Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD, brother-in-law to Adam Scott's Mark Scout and a self-help author who wrote "The You You Are, A Spiritual Biography of You." The book is full of pseudointellectual musings such as "Bullies are nothing but BULL and LIES," and platitudes the likes of which can, unfortunately, be found in multiple real-world tomes on bookshelves today. As such, Apple decided to release the book as a promotional stunt, alongside an audio version narrated by actor Michael Chernus himself. It was an inspired choice, helping build even more engagement for one of the streamer's biggest shows.

Now, the company has done it again with "Pluribus." The description for "Bloodsong of Wycaro" promises an epic tale in which Lucasia, Captain of the duneship Mercator, "traverses the amaranthine sands of Wycaro seeking a cure for the insidious illness felling her crew." While haunted by memories of lost love, Raban, Lucasia soon learns "the only thing worse than finding yourself alone in the dark ... is discovering you're not alone." Yes, it's essentially the plot of "Pluribus" in fantasy form.

With marketing like this, Apple TV might soon become a bigger player in the streaming game. According to estimates from FlixPatrol, the platform likely has around 30 million subscribers, while the reigning king, Netflix, has more than 300 million. To be sure, Netflix won the streaming wars long ago, but with the amount of money Apple has at its disposal, the company can afford to go on the offensive via its marketing, which will hopefully continue to be as novel and interesting as the "Severance" and now "Pluribus" promotion has been.