Lights, camera, and action! shot on a video camera phone. Motorola plans to throw the weight of its brand behind a digital short film competition at the Toronto International Film Festival taking place from Sept. 6 through Sept. 16. Motorola will sponsor: the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival Talent Lab MotoFilm project for emerging Filmmakers; Motorola Trailers, a 30-second trailer filmed on Motorola handsets that runs at the start of select movies; and the Motorola/MTV "For The Reel" short film competition aimed at youth. TV and Web ads in Canada promote the Motorola and MTV partnership, highlighting the fact that Motorola phones offer video and music capabilities, as well as Web access. Talent Lab is a four-day workshop that provides emerging filmmakers with the opportunity to learn from some of the industry's top moviemakers. Participants will make movies with Motokrzr K1m handsets featuring the latest video capture technology. Motorola has participated in the event for three years, but this is the second time the film festival will select some of the mobile shorts created by Talent Lab participants to feature as pre-rolls on every movie screening at the festival. Three years ago, the original intent to sponsor the film festival had been to put Motorola devices in the hands of consumers and moviemakers to create awareness for the products, admits Colleen McClure, director of marketing, Motorola Canada. "Talent Lab lets filmmakers experience a non-traditional way to capture video and in turn, they give Motorola feedback on limitations and benefits of the product," she says. This year, mobile movies created by director Matthew Swanson and producer Amy Belling, as part of their self-portrait Talent Lab project of 2006, will show as trailers at all gala and special presentations at the festival. Swanson's Tic Tac Toe, filmed on a Motorola handset, premiered at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival and was chosen to appear as part of the Toronto International Film Festivals' official programming for 2007. Jamie Tedford, who recently left Arnold Worldwide to start the ad agency Brand Networks, says Motorola's connection with an international film festival speaks to the company's creativity and free spirit. "If nothing else, the consumer comes away with the perception that the quality of the video camera in the phone is worthy to become a prime tool in making movies," he says. "From a branding perspective it makes sense." Film festivals fight for recognition and funding to offset costs--even the best known, such as Robert Redford's Sundance, which Tedford helped promote while at Arnold Worldwide. But Motorola, Nokia and others are trying to connect with a new generation of moviemakers through promotions with hip festivals and music stations. As part of this year's Toronto film festival Vanguard program, Motorola hooked up with MTV to launch the "For The Reel" contest, in which moviemakers were invited to send in a script idea with an edgy theme. Ten story ideas made the cut. Each winner was given a Motokrzr K1m handset, with one-touch video capture technology and multiple exposure settings. Selected short films were featured online for viewers to cast their votes. The winning video and a selection of the best submissions are featured on mtv.ca/forthereel. Greg Gorbatenko, a telecom and media analyst for Jackson Securities, says the difficulty for Motorola has been finding success that compares with the "Hello Moto" campaign, which he thinks has begun to fizzle, along with sales of the Motokrzr. "I don't think participating in the film festival is a huge needle mover for the stock, but they're probably trying to get some positive momentum to move products off shelves," he adds. "Nokia and Samsung recently took market share from Motorola after it tried to put lipstick on the Razr and sell it as a Razr2." Analyst firm Oppenheimer & Co. expects Motorola to report $36.8 billion in revenue this year, down from $42.8 billion in 2006. Some think cozying up to a moviemaker could work to Motorola's advantage and increase sales and revenue by giving consumers firsthand experience with features on their mobile phones. "I don't think it's a branding issue that hurt Motorola in the past, but rather [it was] not having the products to take advantage of branding and marketing efforts like film festivals," says James Faucette, senior research analyst at Pacific Crest Securities. "Their product lineup is relatively weak right now." Faucette says cellular handset makers will continue to improve the quality with faster processors and high-quality imaging sensors. Bringing these types of capabilities to film festivals will help consumers become more familiar with products not widely used on phones.
With the U.S. Open in full swing, Bacardi is launching a new ad campaign for its Grey Goose Vodka, its first since buying the brand from the late Sidney Frank three years ago. The effort, "Discerning Lifestyles," debuts in conjunction with the ongoing U.S. Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., in which Grey Goose Vodka is--for the first time--a promotional partner. The advertisements will surround broadcast coverage on the USA Network and will also appear on target outlets such as the Golf Channel, ESPN, and HD Networks and in print outlets such as BlackBook, Departures, GQ, Golf Digest, Travel + Leisure, Vanity Fair and Wine Spectator. Produced by New York-based @radical.media, the effort is a departure from the brand's existing creative, which depicts bottle and cocktail images. In four different print ads and three broadcast spots, Bacardi aims to capture moments, people, places and events in the lives of Grey Goose consumers, revealing their lifestyles of "discerning taste," the company says. Monsell Darville, vice president/Group Director of Grey Goose Vodka, tells Marketing Daily the new ads reflect the company's acknowledgement of "the growth of the brand and how the consumer has grown with us in a dramatic way. Thus, we believe it is important to evolve the advertising campaign beyond a visual experience in terms of the existing ads that portray the bottle and add more elements of a discerning lifestyle that reflect our consumers' way of life." The theme of the advertising platform further supports the brand's commitment to represent more than just a spirit, but a luxurious lifestyle brand. The print composites expose the back stories of Grey Goose drinkers by depicting images ranging from an enjoyable round of golf to a spontaneous late-night dinner with friends. These snapshot moments suggest that a Grey Goose drinker's inherent eye for detail leads them to seek refined subtleties in more than just their vodka--but in all aspects of life. As a U.S. Open partner, Grey Goose has brand exposure in Arthur Ashe Stadium, branded cocktail bars on the tournament grounds, and its signature cocktails is available at all restaurant and bar venues. A specialty cocktail called "Honey Deuce" was created exclusively for the championships and is available for purchase in a souvenir cup featuring previous U.S. Open champions. "Sip responsibly" brand messaging is on the video boards and throughout the grounds as well. The two-week championship event ranks as the highest annually attended sporting event in the world, with more than 650,000 spectators in attendance.
Turns out Ben Franklin really had something there with that "healthy, wealthy, wise" stuff. Exceptionally fit people have exceptionally high household incomes, and are also exceptionally savvy about spending all that dough, according to a new study profiling these health-conscious types. Fit consumers--defined as those who exercise at least three times per week and also participate in at least one sport "every chance they get"--are 50 million strong, and wield an "astronomical" aggregate household income of $2.2 trillion, reports Packaged Facts, a division of Marketresearch.com. And they're not going to stop till they reach $3 trillion in 2011 (if then). These consumers are adventurous, love to reward themselves with cars, trips and personal services, and "will go to any lengths to preserve what they see as an ideal lifestyle," notes PF publisher Tatjana Meerman. "But they are also very savvy about what they indulge in," she adds--meaning that they are careful about how they spend all that dough accumulated as a result of their "workaholic tendencies." For one thing, they are more informed about their finances and investments, and significantly more inclined than couch potatoes to take responsibility for their financial security in retirement. They shop and bargain-hunt a lot. They are more aware of brands than other consumers (more likely to notice them in movies and TV shows), and more likely to stick with their favorite brands and shop in specialty stores because these carry a wider selection of brands, including the "best" brands. (Yet, 66% said they'd shopped in Wal-Mart within the last 12 months, 47% in Target, 34% in JC Penney, 26% in Sears, 25% in Kmart and 23% in Kohl's--and club stores, Old Navy and Dollar General also had double-digit percentages.) They are more likely to keep up with the latest fashion trends, yet more inclined to say they have conservative dressing styles, stick with classics, and value function and comfort in choosing clothing. All in all, they buy more clothes of all kinds--including suits and blazers but also, of course, athletic shoes, workout clothes, sunglasses and other active wear. They do more shopping online than other consumers (books, music, apparel and travel tickets are their biggest categories), and are more likely to make online purchases totaling $500 or more. They also buy more frequently from catalogs, and by mail-order and phone. Still, the fits are more likely to say that they value time over money. As one might guess, they use more personal products and sunscreen, make healthy eating a cornerstone of their lifestyles, and take a lot of vitamins. Interestingly, fit consumers also drive more, and are more inclined to view their cars as tied to their self-image and being important to supporting their active lifestyles. And they're more concerned about having safety features in their cars, perhaps, as PF notes, "because they drive faster than other people." (A flaw, at last!) Fit consumers also have a positive view of life (they're more likely to say they're happy with their lives just as they are, for instance) and tend to be spiritually oriented. They retain their taste for adventure and risk-taking as they age, and are even more focused on maintaining a youthful appearance and being attractive to the opposite sex than the rest of America. They're also more interested in other cultures, international events and the arts than the average bear. They're better educated, more tech-savvy and more likely to be professionals and managers. They're more likely to believe that they try to be nice to people as much as they can, and to say that it's important to feel respected by peer, and have a circle of close friends and lasting relationships. More say they enjoy spending time with their families. And, yes, they are also more concerned about the environment. Naturally, they exercise more. Fit consumers under 30 are heavily into action, snow and team sports. Men dominate shooting, fishing, golf and team sports, while women dominate aerobics, jogging, water sports and other fitness-oriented activities. But wait ... Those of you now fighting an urge to run to the vending machine to relieve their feelings of inferiority, take note: Fit consumers are only slightly less likely than other people to report having had an ailment of any kind in the past month. And although fewer of them have actually had hypertension and high blood pressure, their most common complaints are the same as everyone else's: the two just-mentioned conditions, plus backaches. However (you knew this was coming), they are significantly less likely to be at least 30 pounds overweight. Finally, fits are 99.9% more likely than others to keep their New Year's resolutions. Importantly, fits are ambivalent about advertising. More than other consumers, they say they dislike advertising and view it as a waste of their time, and claim that they don't base buying decisions on it. Yet, they're more likely to remember advertised products when they're shopping and to value the informational function of ads. Looking at media habits, fits' greater use of the Internet for information and entertainment has caused them to show greater declines in reading print news and magazines and watching TV. They buy more flat-screen TVs, but relatively few consider TV to be their main source of entertainment, or consider themselves TV "addicts." (ESPN is the favorite channel of the men, Lifetime the favorite of women.) However, fits are still more likely than non-fits to be regular newspaper readers and more likely to rely on magazines to keep them informed. And they are more inclined to listen to radio on a daily basis and use it for quick news updates. Also of note: Not all fits are equal. PF identifies two fit subgroups. "Extreme fit consumers" are those who "agree a lot" with the statement, "I exercise regularly." But believe it or not, they also seem to exhibit most of the attributes above to an even greater degree than mere fits. (Sort of like a fit consumer "on steroids," though steroids were most definitely not among the lifestyle habits cited in the research.) "Wannabe fit consumers" do exercise at least three times a week and participate in a sport as often as possible, but do not express strong agreement with the "I exercise regularly" statement. Clearly, they are paying for falling short on the iron man mentality: Their mean household income is just $82,000, versus $97,000 for extremes (and $87,000 for fits overall).
With the product-placement universe continuing its growth, the Nielsen Co. says it has devised a way to deepen its ratings of how viewers react to seeing brands embedded in their favorite TV shows. Now, in addition to measuring how many people recognized and remembered a brand's placement on TV shows, it is also measuring how positively they felt about the product, and whether they are more likely to buy the brand as a result. For June, the first month using the new ratings system, Sears and Chevrolet's Camaro cleaned up. The Sears placement on ABC's "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" had the top product placement score on broadcast network television, based on brand recognition and positive feeling, with 58.1% of the audience able to recognize the presence of the retailer's brand, as well as having a warm-and-fuzzy feeling about it. "This is a show that really tugs at people's heart strings, and it's got a very loyal following," says Annie Touliatos, director of product development and marketing for The Nielsen Co. "There's a lot going on with the program that creates a good feeling in people." NBC's "Deal or No Deal" came in second, with 48.8% recognition and positive feeling for the Miami Heat basketball team. In cable, TLC's "Rides" was June's big winner, with a 63.0% audience recognition and positive feeling score for the Chevrolet Camaro brand. MTV's "Pimp My Ride" scored second, with a 58.2% recognition score for Honda. The rating service, Place*Views, also combines the product placement reaction with audience ratings, to estimate both size and quality of the placement. Touliatos says Nielsen began research over a year ago to tease out what elements make for most powerful placements, building a database of more than 10,000 responses, so that it can predict winning placement combos. Among the year's most effective placements so far, she says, are The Home Depot's placement on an episode of "The New Adventures of Old Christine," and Coca-Cola's placement on "American Idol." From January to June, Nielsen's Place*Views measured more than 285,000 product placements.
When reports surface about a company's breach of sensitive customer information such as credit card numbers, the focus tends to be on what it's going to cost the company to remedy the situation and how their stock prices will be affected. But there's an unquantifiable loss as well. Companies that have violated their customers' trust have seriously eroded their brand's equity and integrity, says David Puglia, vice president/marketing for Tablus, which commissioned a survey of consumers' views on brand equity in relationship to data breaches. San Mateo, Calif.-based Tablus, a leading provider of content loss prevention solutions, found that 87% of the 400 consumers surveyed lost respect for businesses that lost sensitive customer information. In the digital age, companies are faced with a new challenge that greatly affects their brand equity; the protection of their customers' sensitive information. News reports of data breaches experienced by some of the world's largest companies, such as T.J. Maxx's loss of more than 45 million credit and debit card numbers that were stolen from its IT systems over an 18-month period, have made consumers keenly aware of the risks involved in trusting their information to companies that do not have a content loss prevention solution in place to monitor for data loss or misuse. While many customers said they would stop doing business with a company that lost their data, perhaps even more damaging was the assertion by 82% of the respondents that they would warn others from doing business with a company that exposed its customers' personal information. About 93% of respondents said that businesses have an obligation to protect sensitive content, while 95% of respondents felt there was no excuse for a company to expose a customer's confidential information. Not surprisingly, 85% of respondents would prefer to do business with a company that has never experienced a data breach. While many breaches are due more to a poor security policy rather than maliciousness, 94% of respondents said if there was a technology that could prevent the loss of confidential personal information, then all businesses handling this information should use it--while 88% of respondents felt that companies that provided better protection of their customers' confidential information have better reputations. "It's a problem that has evolved over time," Puglia says. While data used to be compromised due to hackers, now there could be innocent losses such as an employee sending unencrypted data via e-mail to their home e-mail address so they can work on a project over the weekend. The first step in safeguarding information is for a business to take careful inventory of where their sensitive information is kept and what is being done to safeguard it, Puglia says. Some companies aren't even aware there are now automated systems available to track information and how it is being accessed relatively simply. For companies that have exposed sensitive information, the first step to repairing the relationship with the affected customer is showing them that a secure process is being put into place to keep what happened from occurring again, he says.
Here's a kid's dream come true: Oreo Dessert Pizza from Domino's. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based pizza company is teaming with Northbrook, Ill.'s Kraft in rolling out the new product nationally this week for a limited time. Pie in the sky, you say? You're right! The idea came from Domino's annual team member recipe contest called ... Pie in the Sky, during which members are invited to submit their most creative recipe ideas for new pizzas or side items. Oreo Dessert Pizza was a finalist in the 2006 competition. "We loved the idea of the pizza so much that we put it in our consumer test marketing process for consideration for a future national roll-out," says a Domino's spokesperson. "Customers loved the pizza in our test markets." The product is the first nationally available dessert pizza in Domino's 47-year history. Here's how it's made: A thin crust is layered with vanilla sauce and covered with Oreo cookie crumbles. Fresh from the oven, a sweet icing is drizzled on top. The pie costs $3.99 with any purchase. The product will be supported with a national ad campaign that begins Monday with TV commercials on broadcast and cable in English and Spanish. The dessert pizza is also being promoted at dominos.com. Domino's and Kraft together will host a press event next week in New York, where it will also do some sampling.