OOH Media - Time to Start the Conversation

Recently took a trip to San Francisco. There’s nothing like the vibe and rush of a true city to shake things up and get you in touch with the crush of humanity that goes along with such a thriving urban center.

As a self-confessed media junkie, I love to see how advertisers jockey themselves in these hyper-saturated media environments. I remember visiting San Francisco years ago and marveling at Apple’s ‘takeover’ of the Muni station, with every billboard at the Market street station touting what was then the new iPod. What made this salient was the physical location of the Apple store – strategically positioned just outside the Muni station escalator. It was a very relevant push…the message, like a welcome mat to the gleaming Apple store and its array of colorful acoustic candy.

This trip, the media world is much different. Mobile has taken hold, and the web is now accessible on any number of devices consumers can fit into their pocket. Which is what puzzles me: Urban outdoor media seems to be stuck in it own silo. I saw it everywhere in Francisco, with gorgeous billboards, posters and visuals without a hook to connect to consumers and start the conversation.

Mobile has the ability to add interactivity to otherwise static, one-way media and start the conversation, engaging consumers to text, tweet, enter to win, click and ‘like’. For the most part, these consumers are all standing around faces fixed on their handsets anyway, so why not take advantage of that behavior and add a call-to-action to out-of-home media and really leverage that moment when you catch that consumer’s ever-fleeting attention?

Many industry pundits have gone one year after year that ‘this is the year of mobile’. Until media teams stop thinking about it as a medium unto itself and use it for interactivity across otherwise non-interactive channels, it will continue to putter along, no matter how many touch-screen smart phones get out there.

As a media professional I would never run any print, OOH, in-theater or TV spot without it. Every message, regardless of its primary function, would have a secondary function to start that ever-more-valuable consumer conversation.

Can really, really, REALLY bad advertising actually be good?

AdAge reported today that the nominations are piling in for the worst in TV advertising. Personally I think that with the heaps of turds being passed off as 'quality programming' it makes sense that the ads they seem to slot in every 90 seconds are every bit as horrible.

According to AdAge: "...This year, Consumerist is tapping the reservoir of demand for angry consumer retribution by creating the first Worst Ad in America awards, which, like the Tracy's, celebrates the foulest marketing fumbles based on user-submitted suggestions. Their list of nominees will be unveiled tomorrow, and trust us, it's cringeworthy; contenders for top prizes include Quiznos' nightmarish singing-kittens spot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5KhP11BRj4 (which Hartley mentions is a shoe-in for a Tracy this year, as well) and the decidedly uninspired "Not Without My Coffee" guy from those McDonald's ads. (For a full list of nominees, check back tomorrow for a link to Consumerist's ballot. UPDATE: Here it is.)"

You have to wonder. I'm not a big TV watcher. In fact, I tune in to a total of maybe a couple hours a month. I've NEVER seen the Quiznos' singing cat commercial and I'm glad I didn't. It is really, really, REALLY bad advertising. Not to dis my adorable and uber-creative 9-year-old daughter, but it's something she would have produced if I had thrown a bucket of money at her and told her to make a spot.

But here's the thing. I saw this as once. I remember it's promoting their $4 sandwich menu. Plus, now I'm blogging about it. Not that anyone reads my blog, but it's ingrained in my consciousness. I know Quiznos has $4 sandwiches. And over 40,000 people have watched this horrible ad on YouTube. Something is working here.

I think it's like watching something like Jersey Shore. It's the car wreck syndrome. We hate to look but there's some twisted, deep-seeded part of us that makes us incapable of looking away. I guess for Quiznos, super-annoying singing kitten puppets are more palatable with a lunch promotion menu than car wreck victims' assorted body parts strewn along the I-5. And I remembered I can get a $4 toasty sandwich at Quiznos. Too bad I'm a Subway loyalist.

Twittermoms - Focus Groups Go Social

Adweek reports that CPG heavyweight, P&G is working with blog network, Twittermoms and Quickie Manufacturing to get Twittermom recommendations onto product packaging. In a move that's seen as a way to provide unbiased and 'real' product reviews on-pack, P&G engaged the blog network of 30,000 'influential' moms, each of whom have an average of 1000 followers to test and rate new products.

A subset of Twittermoms are then selected to take part in the product trial. Twittermoms then works with the advertiser on a selected set of criteria to deem if the product is worthy to earn the “Moms Like This” seal of approval, which is then applied on-pack.

Pretty interesting example of crown-sourcing, if you want to call it that. I tend to think Twittermoms should have taken the same focus group approach to the naming of their company. Equating moms with twits just doesn't work for me.

Read the Adweek article here:

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3i5726ebf2b05c55dfed9388083d4d4ced

AMC Entertainment - Welcome to Digital!

Funny how i rambled on in a recent blog post about the lack of mobile hooks in the in-theater marketing space. See my original post here:

http://guywborgford.blogspot.com/2010/09/movie-theater-advertising-whats-missing.html


Reading Brandweek today, they announced that AMC Entertainment had selected Omnicom Group's Signal to Noise and sister shop Rapp to handle digital chores and direct marketing duties, respectively.

This may not seem particularly newsworthy, but I couldn't help but jump all over the irony of the quote from Jordan Warren, president and chief executive officer of Signal to Noise, "AMC recognizes that digital technology can fundamentally change the guest experience and their relationship with" the theater chain.

Welcome to the wacky world of the information super highway and Mo-bile phones.

Unreal. AMC...hello...is anyone home?

What's Your Customer's DNA?

This may seem rudimentary, but too often marketers look at demographic targets without looking at the big picture. Along with this narrow focus comes an ask: Buy something from us, sign up, take action, do something - and this is done without an exchange value.

In today's economic climate, consumers are ever more fickle as to where they spend their hard-earned dollars. On top of this, they're bombarded with a flurry of marketing messages across the spectrum - in myriad ways across multiple daily experiences.

So, how do marketers break through the clutter? How do they grab that fleeting attention of an over-saturated media world that's evermore competitive with every passing hour?

It starts with knowing the customer's DNA. Going beyond demographics, psychographics, and even values and lifestyles, it's finding out both the pain points and sweet spots that brings your product or service into relevancy.

Connecting with audiences and customers is BEING one...it's an empathetic approach to knowing the very fabric of what makes the target tick and how your offer fits into their lives and makes it both relevant and utterly irresistible.

This messaging can't happen in a media vacuum either. It needs to transcend any one medium and be consistent throughout the customer experience and the world they live in. The media mix is a misnomer really - media shouldn't be mixed but carefully constructed, with common 'ingredients' and both an ask and a value proposition that is part of the very DNA of the customer you're trying to reach. A good example of a common error in the often misunderstood world of Facebook is the ever-present ask to LIKE us on Facebook. Rarely do I ever see a reason 'why'. What's in it for me? And how does this click fit with my life and the world I experience?

It's time for marketers to think beyond sales goals and market share. We need to dig deep about how our brand can become part of the consumer's DNA and concurrently devise a strategy to stay relevant, irresistible and valuable over time, across all consumer touch points and experiences.

Brand Week's Marketer of the Year...A Commentary

Photograph by Tim Llewellyn

Give it to P&G. If Brandweek’s Marketer of the Year, James Moorhead is any indication, they pick their brand managers to BE the brand. Holding aloft a shining can of Old Spice Body Wash Mr. Moorhead is the embodiment of the brand. And that personification of the product and brand is exactly what Mr. Moorhead did, featuring former NFL player, Isaiah Mustafa in self-deprecating spots that poke fun at our beloved world of advertising and do it in a way that is pure brain candy.

Let’s face it, the spots are genius. Doesn’t matter how many times you see them, you have to keep watching. It’s like we’re tuned in to that face-paced, action-packed world of mega-plots on Hydroxycut and we can’t avert our eyes. And the brand’s there too – loud and clear.

What really matters is that sales of the product line picked up 30%. That’s serious results.

Creative and strategic genius aside, there’s still something missing on the media side – the campaign misses the mark on new media. Where’s the Old Spice dude as the personification of the brand on Facebook? Why can’t we follow him and all his Old Spice inspired conquests? What about Twitter? Foursqure? Why would I want to follow ‘Old Spice’ the brand when I could follow The Old Spice stud? Call me a stalker, it won’t be the first time I’ve heard that.

Is it just me or do the big ad and brand rags pretty much not cover true media synergy – the promise of convergence media, where a rock solid campaign like Old Spice’s follows me across the media spectrum and does so with surprise, humor and delight.

For more on this check it out on Brandweek here:

http://www.brandweekmoy.com/2010/09/grand-marketer-of-the-year-2010-james-moorhead-old-spice.html

Extending the TV Experience - Wetpaint

Web publisher, Wetpaint, looks to add come color to the TV Show fan scene with it’s collection of destination web sites that focus on some of TV’s hottest shows.

With a razor-sharp focus on the 18-34yo female demographic, a state-of-the-art publishing system and daily content pouring forth from a team of seasoned editors, this scrappy Seattle startup looks to fill a void where TV leaves off and the network sites and gossip sites don’t completely cover.

Wetpaint’s foray into the web space started with it’s 1.0 platform, which allows anyone to easily create a web site using their back end publishing system and hosting services. After a couple years live, this system grew to hundreds of thousands of independent web sites and close to 10 million UU per month.

Analytics of the data showed that come of the most consistently popular sites in that system were fan sites devoted to popular TV shows like Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor. With advertisers shying away from UGC content, the executive team led my Ben Elowitz put 2 and 2 together and forged this new strategy around these marquee entertainment titles.



I was fortunate enough to work with Ben on the development of the company’s media kit and sponsorship strategy, where the flexible publishing system and rich palette of content and promotional opportunities, creates what could be a magnet for entertainment, beauty and fashion advertisers and a host of other consumer verticals looking to reach this elusive and fragmented demographic.



Shown here are a couple examples of slides from the media kit, where I develop graphics, layout, copy and sponsorship hooks around this promising new media property.




To read more about Wetpaint, check out this article:

http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2010/09/wetpaint_reinvents_itself_as_an_entertainment_news_hub.html

Movie Theater Advertising - What's Missing?

For some reason my partner makes us go to a movie when they’re still cleaning the theater from the previous screening. We’re there before even the trivia and stuff starts, often taking those first few mouthfuls of greasy popcorn to the sound of an Electrolux.

The other night when the trivia and endless trailers did get going, I started thinking about the promotional canvas before me – one very large screen as the focal point of my attention. The only other mode of amusement was of course my phone.

Promotion after promotion, ad after ad – and all of this after the 10 minutes or so of looping trivia that is no less than promotions for upcoming theatrical releases.

Let’s face it, it’s a great captive audience and guess what, you’re targeting moviegoers and consumers with a reasonable amount of disposable income - $11 popcorn anyone?

Here’s where it fails.

Through countless minutes of commercials of various sorts, not once was there any call out to pick up my cell phone and simply send a text – to get something. Here, advertisers have a captive audience, with the biggest, baddest screen at their creative disposal, 3D, IMAX, 24-speaker Digital Surround Sound, Smellorama, - the sensory candy astounds.

Advertisers have all this incredible power to capture an audience and close the deal and the closest call to action was a URL or two at the end of a couple of the promotional clips. Here is where advertisers are thinking in the box and only focusing on the creative and the medium it was created for - not the core business objective. And let’s face it folks, in our beloved capitalist culture, is all about selling things – stuff, experiences, ideas, values and opinions.

In today’s world of fragmented audiences and media access practically anytime or anywhere, promotional creative should always have a hook around an offer that’s relevant to the audience and the environment. There needs to be the ask…and an ask in return for something of perceived value.

Here’s how it pans out.

Coke runs one of their big budget :60s in theaters. Somewhere in the ad…and I’m not talking a ticker tape or super at the end of the spot, but threaded throughout the spot’s narrative, there are repeated calls to text a short code…to enter to win, to get a clue, to get a bar code that can be redeemed at the refreshment counter for a deal – you get the idea. Think billboards, taxi tops, store windows, guys in gorilla suits…oh the possibilities! It could be low-budget too…with the text-to-get-something calls to action embedded within the trivia game – before all the ads even start. And it could be a simple super at the end of the spot too…it would be a start.

To me, what’s being created out there now is just thinking inside the box…a very big box, no less, with the biggest, baddest screen at their creative disposal, 3D, IMAX, 24-speaker Digital Surround Sound, Smellorama and popcorn that costs the same as a filet mignon – popcorn bags…great place for a text-to-win, don’t you think?

Portfolio Work - Music, T-Mobile and Vitamin Water

Working in the music space certainly provides multiple hooks that make sense for brands. Music is experience. Music is passion. Music is conversation. And for brands, connecting to consumers and their passion points is often best routed through the emotional connection of music.

Here are just two examples of some of our work with music and major consumer brands, leveraging the Rolling Stone and Rhapsody music brands, and working with promotional partners such as AEG, Live Nation and Superfly, we built out these multichannel programs to meet client objectives and get the brand into the minds and hands of consumers, across multiple touch points.

Vitamin Water @ Bonnaroo Music Festival: Vitamin Water was already locked up with the live event, so we leveraged this exiting relationship and extended their brand presence to a digital program, with extensions on RollingStone.com and Rhapsody.com.

Check out the Hub here:

http://rollingstoneextras.com/vitaminwater/

Working with both agency and T-Mobile brand team, our group rolled out a series of 3 convergence media programs around live music. The example shown here showcases our integrated strategy for T-Mobile at Austin City Limits Music Festival. Playing on T-Mobile's theme of self-expression, we captured content from the fans at the festival, as well as performance photos and video. Our RollingStone.com 'crib' in Austin provided T-Mobile with an endemic venue for experiential marketing, while also double as our production facility for band interviews, photo shoots and intimate acoustic performances captured in high def video - all brought online and promoted throughout our music properties.

Check out the hub here:

http://www.rollingstoneextras.com/tmobile/

Coors Light Cold Activation Program - Cool Program for Ice Cold Beer!

Over the years I was fortunate to work with the Miller Coors team at Avenue A on the Coors Light brand. Beginning with a sponsorship of distinct independent music performances that we taped in studio, and then brought online, the Coors team expanded their scope in support of music year after year. Obviously, it works.

This year the crackerjack account team of George Carney and Staci Parlari parlayed their solid relationship with the Coors team into a season-long series of music initiatives and impactful media programs. Starting back before Memorial Day weekend, this year’s program included a live event with full content capture in Los Angeles, featuring notable jam band, OAR headlining at the Wiltern. This event coincided with the launch of Coors Light new packaging initiative, the ‘Cold Activated Window’, allowing consumers to ‘see’ if their beloved beer is at optimal consuming temperature.

The stellar project management team, led by music maven Gina Perino organized content capture at the event, where select tracks from the band’s performance were brought online and housed on a Rhapsody.com Hub. Check out the content here:

http://www.rhapsodyextras.com/coorslight/

At the event, Coors Light flowed on tap, while LA music fans enjoyed a free music experience from our friends at Miller Coors - experiential marketing consisted of Coors street team, signage and a distinct branded presence that made it all seem seamless.

Media included site takeovers on key Coors Light dates, including, Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, with a focus on music and entertainment lifestyle properties, including Film.com [shown here].

This was a great example or thinking beyond digital and into the minds and hearts of consumers in environments that best suit the brand and what it’s about.

Now, if you're reading this and it's after 5:00pm isn’t it time to enjoy some Cold Activated freshness yourself?

Smart Mobile Marketing Gone Very Wrong

Since Tuesday August 31, the Michele Bachmann for Congress campaign has been targeting ads in mobile apps to people visiting the Minnesota State Fair. As reported on Clickz, September 2, 2010, these hyper-targeted attack ads with their uber-relevant creative, tell fair-goers that a vote for the Democratic challenger, Tarryl Clark is a vote for taxing fair-goers beloved corn dogs, deep fried bacon and [GASP] beer.

Of course our Republican brothers know how to dig right into the deepest fears of middle America and are sure to pull the 'a vote for Tarryl Clark is a vote for Satan' card soon.

According to stats 61% of the ads served were to iPhone and Android devices. No surprise really, as these devices deliver optimal mobile creative to an arguably higher percentage of influencers - ie peeps with enough disposable cash or ego to have the latest and greatest handsets.

The ad's creative features an announcer, Jim the Election Guy challenging the fair fiends. "So if you see Tarryl Clark while you're at the fair just ask her what's up with voting to tax my beer?" The ad refers to a vote Clark made to raise sales taxes, which would apply to food items bought in restaurants or from food vendors - including those greasy goodies available at the state fair.

"Once we saw the ad we thought, this would be great to market it to mobile phones at the fair," said Eric Frenchman, chief Internet strategist at Republican consulting firm Connell Donatelli, which is working with its associate digital firm Campaign Solutions on the Bachmann campaign.

In addition to pre-roll video ads and YouTube promoted video ads, the campaign also involves display ads in Google’s content network targeted to the 6th district, which is near the fair.

This is a really brilliant tactic. You have to hand it to those Republicans...they sure know how to throw the dirt...and the corndogs.

The campaign is set to run until the end of the fair on September 6.