MediaPost had major media luminaries onstage Wednesday for a lively discussion about media at -- appropriately -- the New York Times Center. Holding forth on everything from screen sizes to ad revenue were Mark Cuban, Martha Stewart, Bob Garfield, and New York magazine founder Milton Glazer as well as venture capitalist and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman; Rob Norman, worldwide CEO of Group M Interaction; Susan Whiting, EVP of The Nielsen Company; and Judy McGrath, CEO of MTV Networks. And with Cuban, the Dallas-based media billionaire and owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, holding forth, coffee wasn't even necessary. The heavy hitters were at the second annual panel to prognosticate about the future of media, and Cuban made the point early on that this very conversation could have been moved back 15 years and nobody would have been the wiser. MTV's McGrath said that -- more than the proliferation of screens and "atomization" of content -- for the kids and teens who make up a big chunk of the demographic for MTV and its properties, "we have the advantage of a brand, and we have relevance, which has always been the name of our game." New media, she said, is opportunity: "Social media, mobile -- these are opportunities for more people to fall in love with Jon Stewart." She also made the compelling point that comedy, perhaps more than music, has become the defining marker of who young people are. "Comedy Central is one of our properties. We are still finding ways to monetize that experience." And that means more than mere advertising. Recent campaigns include a launch program for Microsoft's Bing that allowed people to see an extra two minutes of "The Daily Show" and fast-forward through ads to do so. "It's a great time to find out how to connect to consumers and monetize content," she said. Martha Stewart said that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has not changed its business strategy to fit new media. "We still have the same business we developed 17 years ago; it still works. At the center of the model is content directed to consumers." She said that while the Internet has always been a part of that model, "[the fact] that we haven't monetized the Internet is a challenge, but the model works. We are a brand trusted by the consumer, who is all-important to us, and we want to make that connection with the advertiser." Mark Cuban made the point that when content becomes free, the legacy of a perceived value in it drops to nothing, and that an assertion that new media means smaller, more portable screens is a fallacy. "For me, the Internet is becoming stale. So, what's next?" He followed that rhetorical question with another one: What was the most memorable thing about the Dallas Cowboys game in their new stadium? "The No. 1 thing was that seven-story-high, 70-yard-long screen. You couldn't take your eyes off of it. Would you pay 20 bucks to watch U2 on a seven-story-high screen? "If marketers focus solely on the Internet, they are missing the good stuff." To wit, digitally enabled platforms that enable better social experiences. "Watching TV on a PC is last century. That's why free is such a big issue. Because it's so mature. The opportunities are elsewhere." Bob Garfield was not so sanguine. "I can see the way forward," he said. "In the very near future, everyone in this room will be in the fetal position, whimpering. Never mind what technology offers; never mind high-quality content. There will be nobody to pay for it." He said the fundamental problem is fragmentation and ad avoidance. "There's a glut of supply, and it will destroy the critical mass to produce high-quality content. The DVR, Craigslist and the Internet have newspapers and broadcast." Garfield noted that two of the top four broadcast networks are talking about becoming cable outlets. "That's smart," he said. "Cable has much better prospects than broadcast in the way that it's much better to have multiple sclerosis than Lou Gehrig's disease." Both Cuban and Group M's Norman said big screens have a future, and a potentially brighter one than the Internet window. "We think there is still a premium to be paid for richness and quality of image, and volume of reach for an audience at any given point in time," said Norman.
Altoids is partnering with Fox Mobile Studios to produce an original branded comedy series available for streaming or download on mobile, as well as Web-based, platforms. "Brainstorm," a scripted series that marks Fox Mobile's first foray into branded entertainment, follows the adventures of an art director and his co-workers as they try to save their fictional, struggling ad agency (dubbed Yogurt) by landing and impressing a new client: Altoids. The series will be available on Dailymotion.com and www.brainstormtheshow.com as of Sept. 28. Starting Oct. 7, it will also be distributed on online and to mobile destinations, including MySpace, Yahoo Video, YouTube, Veoh, blip.tv, Break, eBaum's World, Howcast, Imeem, Metacafe, Sevenload, StupidVideos.com, Viddler, Vimeo, AT&T, Sprint, Nokia devices and Jamba/Jamster. Making the series available to fans "on the go" via mobile phone (depending on their specific device and wireless capabilities), as well as on their computers, "furthers the evolution" of branded entertainment series, Michael Wallen, VP and creative director for Fox Mobile Studios, tells Marketing Daily. Fox Mobile Studios is the creative engine of Fox Mobile Group, which develops and produces original content and Fox-derived content for the mobile medium. The content is also "ready-made for commercial exploitation across multiple platforms" worldwide, according to Wallen.
Brands that survive in the "new normal" will, like the Boy Scouts (but without having to tie the knots) be perceived as reliable, fair, steadfast and trustworthy. No surprise, therefore, that Toyota Motor Sales has launched a new ad campaign that seeks to reinforce the link consumers have been making for years between the brand and those very virtues. The effort, via long-time U.S. consumer ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, LA, focuses on Toyota as a product leader that excels in dependability, quality, reliability, efficiency, safety, and innovation. The "Product Leadership" campaign doesn't feature engineers, crash-test dummies, or futurist elements. Rather, the ads show people in situations that reveal their insecurities about things like protecting their kids or having their house renovated and finding out that quality didn't go in with the new plumbing. One spot trumpeting Toyota's safety reputation has a mom gearing up her kid with football helmet, mouth guard and a combination of hockey, motocross, football and baseball body armor ... for a game of tennis. "No other automaker has won more top safety pick awards than Toyota. So it's okay to be overprotective." Another of the TV spots touting Toyota for quality has a guy driving up to his under-renovation house in a Toyota RAV 4. The workers greet him, oblivious to the fact that they have done an incredibly shoddy job. Mark Turner, chief strategy officer for Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles, tells Marketing Daily that the campaign is intended to be empathetic. "Over the past 12 months, consumers have gone through massive changes; simply put, people are far more discerning about how they spend money, and they are expecting a lot more from what they buy." He said the campaign is, in effect, the first multi-vehicle campaign in years. "This was a wonderful opportunity to re-establish leadership in core values that resonate today, that Toyota is built on quality, reliability and fuel efficiency." Turner says the larger issue is that trust and authenticity have become much more important since the economy tanked last year. "This is the age of authenticity; brands have to behave transparently and need to remain true. And all of these qualities we are representing reinforce that we are a brand that can be trusted and relied upon," he says. The six 15-second and three 30-second TV spots break this week on network, cable and sports channels. There are also print, out-of-home, and interactive elements. The TV spots will run on premieres of shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters." Third-party endorsements from the likes of R.L. Polk, the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration and AutoPacific are central to the ads. Among the assertions in the spots are that Toyota is rated the highest in dependability among all automakers; Toyota has won more Total Quality Awards than any other automaker; 80% of Toyotas sold in the last 20 years are still on the road today; and Toyota is the most fuel-efficient full-line automaker today. Turner says the ads are integrated with deep online media buys for ads demonstrating and expanding upon the claims made in the TV spots.
Consumer spending in the coming holiday season is likely to be flat compared to last year, predicts Retail Forward. But there's evidence that people -- mighty tired of reining in purchases -- will spend on the categories that mean the most to them. "When it comes to toys and gifts for children, as well as gifts for immediate family members, those categories are still somewhat sacrosanct," says Frank Badillo, senior economist for the Columbus, Ohio-based consulting company. "Consumers continue to be very focused on deals, so they'll likely buy that great toy from a discounter, not Toys R Us," he says. "They're still looking for the best value, and trading down in many channels." But as the months of recession have worn on, he says, there is also an eagerness to start spending again, with many saying that when the economy does improve, they will finally take the vacations they have been delaying, for example. "And the fact that August's declines were softer than those in recent months signals a growing confidence among households," he says. "Shoppers are getting tired of the recession, and looking to add back in some small luxuries." Badillo doesn't think these purchases will creep back into household spending impulsively, however: "Consumers will be looking to add these back in a very thoughtful way." Still, the prediction of a flat year is hardly good news, especially after the decline of 4.2% in last year's holiday spend. "It will rank as the second-worst holiday in 42 years," he says. In some categories, Retail Forward is predicting further declines, including a 2% dip in apparel and accessories stores, compared with a drop of more than 9% last year, and a 2% decline in home goods, compared to a 7.4% decline last year. "Consumer electronics stores will experience the biggest decline in part due to Circuit City's exit," the forecast says. And while home-improvement retailers are also likely to see a 2% decline, they are most likely to see improvement if real estate continues to show signs of new life.
Visa is launching an educational video game as part of its goal to reach 20 million people worldwide with financial literacy information by May 2013. The financial company introduced the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup game at the Clinton Global Initiative Conference. Last year at that event, Visa pledged to reach 10 million people with personal finance education within five years, and at this year's conference the company announced its plan to double that goal. The game -- known as Financial Soccer in the U.S. or Financial Football overseas -- is geared toward both children and adults. It combines the world's most popular sport with a financial literacy curriculum. The game will be promoted in 12 countries in the months leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It debuted in Brazil on Sept. 15 and is now available for U.S. players at www.financialfootball.com and www.financialsoccer.com. Financial Football is comprised of multiple-choice money management questions. When answered correctly, players advance down the field for a chance to score a goal. Financial Football offers single-player and head-to-head game play options and is being translated into a dozen different languages. The free game features three difficulty levels and has companion lesson modules for classroom use. Players learn key concepts about saving, responsible spending, budgeting, and the wise use of credit. Jason Alderman, director, financial education at Visa, says the company is buying some online ads to reach teachers or parents who might be searching for this type of educational tool. "We're also using our existing Web-based channels, such as the Visa corporate site," Alderman tells Marketing Daily. The game will also be hyperlinked at the company's flagship education site, practicalmoneyskills.com, which gets over one million page views per month, he says. Visa is also relying on its partners, who are creating customized versions of the game and co-branding it to pass on to customers, Alderman says. Those include the New York Stock Exchange and the National Disability Institute. In every country the game launches in, Visa is finding partners to work with. For example, in Mexico, the company is working with the Mexican consumer protection institute and other financial institutions to get the word out on the game. As part of the game's U.S. launch, Visa Chairman and CEO Joseph W. Saunders rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange Sept. 23. Saunders was joined at the bell ringing by NYSE Euronext CEO Duncan Niederauer, U.S. national team captain Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy and World Cup veteran Brian McBride of the Chicago Fire. Before the bell ringing, copies of an NYSE-themed version of Financial Football were distributed to each trader on the exchange floor. The NYSE will also use the game as part of its ongoing financial literacy outreach with teachers across the country. Following the bell ringing, Visa hosted a Financial Football clinic with Donovan, McBride and Mexican soccer legend Jorge Campos at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Manhattan to give students a preview of the game and teach them the fundamentals of money management. Financial Football is part of "Practical Money Skills for Life," Visa's free financial education program. The program contains comprehensive money management resources and lesson plans tailored for use at home and in the classroom. Financial Football comes on the heels of Visa's financial literacy video game developed with the NFL and NFL players. That game has been distributed thus far by 23 state governments to every public high school in those states.
Change is underway at Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., which this week announced a new SVP and global CMO, Kevin B. George. George, who will assume the new role as of Sept. 28, joins Beam after 13 years with Unilever and prior to that, seven years with Seagram Americas. He is credited with having established deodorants as Unilever's fastest-growing U.S. business, in part through the innovative launch of Axe Bodyspray, which has became the leading male deodorant in the market. Beam Global President/CEO Matt Shattock cited George's experience in "developing innovative strategies to connect with consumers" as being among the strengths he brings to the position. George succeeds Rory Finlay. Shattock credited Finlay with developing Beam's "brand-building vision," sharpening its focus on consumer insights, implementing new ways of marketing and helping to develop and launch successful products such Red Stag by Jim Beam, Sauza Margarita in a Box and DeKuyper Burst Bar Shots during his nearly three years with Beam. Beam Global also announced this week that the Jim Beam brand will not extend its five-year NASCAR Spring Cup Series sponsorship of Robby Gordon Motorsports beyond 2009. The company said that, after an extensive review, it decided to focus its resources on "new alternatives to fuel growth" in 2010. No specifics were provided other than that the new platforms are ones that "directly impact the end consumer." One of the latest cross-brand marketing efforts from Beam Global, which saw sales dip by 3% in this year's first half, is its "Bourbon Personality Quiz," created to mark September's designation as "National Bourbon Month." The quiz, located on Facebook and accessed for age-screening purposes through beamglobal.com/cs/quiz, invites legal-age consumers to discover which of several Bourbon cocktails made with Beam brands -- which include Knob Creek, as well as Jim Beam -- best fits their personalities/styles. The quiz is being promoted through Facebook and other social media sites.
Moving further into the branded entertainment/reality TV show genre, The CW and U.S. airline Virgin America are launching a new reality TV show called "Fly Girls." The series, which will launch mid-season, will focus on young women and their high-flying travels around the globe. The premise matches The CW key core demographic: young women 18-34. A reality TV series focusing on an airline has been done before, with "Airline" on the A&E Networks. The show, which ran from 2004-2005, focused mostly on customers, and secondly on the employees/ pilots of Southwest Airlines. Granada Television was the producer; "Airline" was based on a UK show. "Fly Girls" will take place over eight half-hour episodes, looking at the on-the-go lives of five Virgin America flight attendants who jet to locations such as Las Vegas, Miami and New York. Although the Virgin America brand is dominant and visible in the series, a spokeswoman for the airline says: "This is not a branded entertainment show, but rather a docu-series that happens to follow the lives of Virgin America in-flight teammates." One of the CW's major shows, "America's Next Top Model," a reality TV competition show, has many branded-entertainment extensions by TV marketers in the series.
Top 10 DMAs in which reside adults who purchased beer at a stadium or arena in the past month: 1 St. Louis 2 Phoenix 3 Milwaukee, Wis. 4 Boston 5 Kansas City, Mo. 6 San Antonio, Texas 7 Buffalo, N.Y. 8 Chicago 9 Green Bay/ Appleton, Wis. 10 San Diego, Calif. Source: Scarborough Research, www.weknowthelocals.com
As consumers continue to adopt new mobile habits and increase usage of smartphone technology, it's critical that brands take the initiative to evolve with them, creating effective, easy-to-use mobile sites that enhance the on-the-go consumer experience. This has never been clearer than when I began reviewing Interbrand's list of top 100 brands for 2009 on my phone. Loading its websites one by one, I discovered that only one in three of those brands has a mobile Internet presence that is usable and easily accessible, meaning that the primary website automatically detects the consumer's phone and directs it to the appropriate mobile optimized website. Many brands don't realize that a regular website looks terrible on a mobile phone's browser, if it works at all. With eMarketer recently reporting that 26.3% of North American mobile phone subscribers regularly use the mobile Internet, brands cannot afford to ignore the quality of their mobile Internet experience anymore. But, it seems that they don't know or don't care, or maybe they have considered that the number of people using phones to browse their websites is insignificant. Wrong. Mobile site adjustments are really very simple to do. Companies simply need to redirect their mobile web surfers from the primary website to a mobile, customized version automatically. This is especially important for those brands that have flash-heavy home pages as no phones on the market today will display flash. Additionally, beyond the cosmetics, brands must consider the needs of the on-the-go consumer. For example, take Toyota's mobile site. On the mobile home page, there is a store locator to find the nearest dealership. This is arguably a very important feature for the consumer. Good customized mobile internet sites create a big difference in the user experience.Scoring the Top 100 on Mobile Internet Experience Interestingly, with one third of the top 100 brands having a mobile website which is easily accessible, it is on par with the 26.3% of mobile phone subscribers who have Mobile internet access. And, if we look at just the top 10 brands, 60% of the brands have an easily accessible mobile internet site. Only two brands did not have a mobile internet presence for their core branded property. Brand Value ($m) Website Mobile website 1. Coca-Cola 68,734 www.coca-cola.com No mobile site 2. IBM 60,211 www.ibm.com Has mobile site and redirects to it 3. Microsoft 56,647 www.microsoft.com Has mobile site and redirects to it 4. GE47,777 www.ge.com No mobile site 5. Nokia 34,864 www.nokia.com Has mobile site, but not discoverable 6. McDonald's 32,275 www.mcdonalds.com Has mobile site and redirects to it 7. Google 31,980 www.google.com Has mobile site and redirects to it 8. Toyota 31,330 www.toyota.com Has mobile site and redirects to it 9. Intel 30,636 www.intel.com Has mobile site, but not discoverable 10. Disney 28,447 disney.go.com Has mobile site and redirects to it You can see the full top 100 list at http://bit.ly/top100web In both cases for Coca-Cola and GE, we can justify the fact that their websites don't have a mobile version because their primary sites are corporate sites, not really their primary brand sites. We all know that Coca-Cola implements many mobile programs to reach consumers. However, if you look in the top 100 companies, very notably we have four mobile-technology companies Nokia, Intel, Apple and Samsung who have not built a mobile Internet experience in place of their website. See below the Nokia experience and contrast this to the fantastic experience offered with Toyota's mobile Internet site. A poor experience offered by Nokia. It doesn't redirect from its primary website to a mobile Internet site. What does it say to the consumer when companies like Apple and Nokia don't direct users to an optimized mobile experience? Do they not understand that the mobile web is different from your everyday internet experience? I'm pretty sure Apple's argument for avoiding a mobile site is that the iPhone offers a full-browser experience. But does this really cut it? Apple has not created a customized version of its site for smartphone users. Not acceptable. EMarketer recently predicted that the mobile Internet penetration will grow to 43% of phone subscribers by 2013. Hopefully, by then, the top 100 brands will all have a mobile Internet presence.