The simple practice of displaying an official program hashtag at the beginning of a television show can increase the social conversation by nearly two-thirds. According to the social analytics and monitoring company Brandwatch, viewers tweet about a particular program about 1,200% more when the show is airing and are twice as likely to use the official hashtag on broadcast day. Combined, the two statistics amount to a 63% greater likelihood that programs publicizing their official hashtags will become part of the Internet conversation. The study from the U.K.-based company analyzed Twitter conversations about five of the top U.S. and U.K. television shows during 2012. Three shows -- the U.K.’s “The Great British Bakeoff,” and U.S. shows “The Voice” and The “Biggest Loser” -- stood out by consistently engaging with their audience before, during and after the programs aired with the clear use of their official hashtags. (The study also broke down leaders by category. “Glee” in the U.S. was the leader among dramas, while “BBC Question Time” in the U.K. led factual programming. The U.S.’s “How I Met Your Mother” led comedies, while the U.K.’s “Hollyoaks” led the soap category. For sports programming, the leaders were “Soccer AM” in the U.K. and “SportsCenter” in the U.S.) Consumers are increasingly using multiple media at the same time, particularly when watching television. According to a recent poll of 1,000 U.S. consumers from KPMG, 42% of the respondents said they watch TV and access the internet via a laptop or PC at the same time. Another 17% said they watch TV while using a smartphone. Just over a fifth (22%) said they were using these devices to access a social media site while watching TV. To capitalize on this growing trend of “dual-screening,” the Brandwatch study reveals that there are a few simple steps programmers can take to increase the conversation around their shows. Among the most successful programs in the Brandwatch study, 83% used their official hashtag in most or all of the tweets they issued, and 61% regularly tweeted during the broadcast time to keep the conversation relevant.
Century 21 is joining the trend of showing off its Super Bowl TV spot before the big game. Super Bowl ads shared before the game get 600% more views (according to YouTube research). So the realtor is revealing its Super Bowl spot, along with three 30-second pre-game ads at century21.com/superbowl. Selected by Century 21 Real Estate LLC system members via an online voting process, the final 30-second ad titled “Wedding” will air in the first commercial break of the third quarter and is part of a campaign with a comedic twist incorporating the theme “Is there a Century 21 agent in the house?” All four ads portray Century 21 agents assisting home buyers and sellers during life-changing milestones like getting married, having a baby, sending a child to college or even winning the lottery. The spots will be seen nine different times throughout the day on Super Bowl Sunday. In addition, Century 21 will sponsor a full one-hour pre-game show and a video segment to be aired on Game Day entitled "Home Town Heroes." The spots are part of a cohesive campaign with a comedic twist that depicts Century 21 agents assisting home buyers and sellers during life-changing milestones: Getting married, having a baby, sending a child to college and winning the lottery. The campaign reminds viewers that no one is better qualified to help bring the dream of homeownership to life than a Century 21 real estate professional. "Our agents are at the heart of our business and their customers rely on them during critical times in their lives," said Bev Thorne, chief marketing officer, Century 21 Real Estate LLC, in a release. "These commercials celebrate our agents' dedication to customer service in a fun, creative way and will keep the Century 21 agent top-of-mind with consumers in advance of the spring home buying and selling season."
Gearing up for the spring fashion season, the Tommy Hilfiger Group says it intends to set sail, taking the whole wacky family sailing in an effort called le vöyãge seafãr-iüs. This time around, ads focus on the new collection for men, women and kids, including plenty of nautical stripes and breezy cruisewear, with the webisode set to British singer Estelle’s “Do My Thing,” a collaboration that features Janelle Monáe. The campaign, now in its sixth season, “remains the ultimate personification of the preppy heritage and irreverent spirit of the Tommy Hilfiger brand,” the PVH-owned company says. The video was shot on location in Sag Harbor, N.Y., photographed by Craig McDean, and directed by Trey Laird of Laird + Partners. The company also says this voyage marks a spending departure, “with investments in the digital space more than doubling since Fall 2012.” A social component asks fans to answer, “What's your thing for 2013?” with the hashtag #doyourthing, which earns them a free download of the featured song. The brand is owned by PVH Corp., which also owns Calvin Klein, Van Heusen, IZOD, ARROW, Bass and G.H. Bass & Co., and Hilfiger has been a strong performer. In its most recently reported quarter, the Tommy Hilfiger business, on a constant currency basis, had a 6% increase in revenues and a 25% jump in operating income for the quarter.
An automaker's Web site is intended to entice shoppers to take a closer look at a brand and maybe even get people into showrooms. That's a tall order, but does it work? Yes -- a new study on Web site effectiveness by J.D. Power and Associates says OEM Web sites can influence vehicle consideration and get people to take action. That is, if auto shoppers find it easy to get information on a Web site -- and like how it aligns with a brand. According to the firm's 2013 semiannual Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study, which measures the usefulness of automotive manufacturer Web sites during the new-vehicle shopping process based on information/content, navigation, appearance and speed, new-vehicle shoppers are more likely to test drive a vehicle following a satisfying experience on an automotive manufacturer’s Web site on either a desktop or tablet. The study finds that among automotive shoppers on desktops who are “delighted” with their experience on a manufacturer’s Web site, 72% are more likely to test drive a vehicle after visiting the manufacturer Web site, compared with only 25% of “disappointed” shoppers. Based on consumer responses, Daimler's Smart brand Web site ranks highest in overall satisfaction. Jeep ranks second, followed by Lincoln and Acura. In addition to good multi-screen scalability, automakers have to have a site that is both efficient and brand-relevant. “While there are some common elements across all Web sites, each site should have a unique look and feel and align with the brand’s image,” said Arianne Walker, senior director of media and marketing solutions at J.D. Power. While tablet ownership has risen 23% since mid-2012 among consumers who evaluated a site, consumers still would rather see info on "old-fashioned" desktop formats. Automakers who use their tablet sites as portals to desktop sites find this works better than those tablet sites that direct shoppers to a mobile Web site: on a 1,000 point scale, satisfaction among users who do the firmer is at 820 versus 798 among those who are directed to a mobile Web site. And consumers using a tablet also favor viewing the OEM site itself in desktop format. The study also finds that shoppers are more likely to access automotive information while at home (37%) than while shopping or running errands (16%). "Car seller with car buyer looking at tablet photo from Shutterstock"
Both Barbasol and Axe are out to dial up America’s measure of manliness, breaking comical campaigns that leave little room for whining (not to mention wimpy professions like lifeguard or firefighter.) In the biggest ad endeavor ever for Barbasol, launched in 1919, a new campaign tells modern sissy-boys to “Shave like a man.” Ads compare the endeavors of sturdy ancestors to what today’s men are up to: “We’re on the Oregon Trail. And you’re on a … juice cleanse? If you’re not going to eat like a man, could you at least shave like a man? And stop talking about kale.” Agency GSD&M in Austin developed the campaign based on research from Perio, the Dublin, Ohio-based company that owns Barbasol, which revealed that while 91% of its target users (primarily those in the 18 to 59 age group) say they respect “real men,” 84% also agreed that “it is hard to be a real man today.” “Everything men have today, things like juice cleanses and remote controls, are great. But deep down, we think all guys want to feel like real men,” Ken Waldron, Perio’s VP/advertising, tells Marketing Daily. “You do think back on your forefathers for what that means. And between the funny stuff being done by brands like Dollar Shave Club and Old Spice, we felt like there was room to do something comedic in shave creams.” While advertising on the Super Bowl was beyond its budget, he says the company will air radio versions of the campaign on Super Bowl broadcasts, and “because there is so much focus on ads online leading up to the big game, we thought this was a perfect time to launch,” he says. TV spots are planned throughout the year on TNT, Comedy Central, ESPN, NFL Network, and Spike. The campaign also includes a Twitter component, with chiding tweets from the past aimed at today’s wimpier version of men: “I hope your list of conquests is at least half as long as your coffee order,” says one. “In my day, verbs were actually verbs: Chopping. Harvesting. Pillaging. You can keep texting and loling for yourself,” sniffs another. Or, “Unless it's actually carved out of a mountain, your 'man cave' is just a living room.” In debuting its new Apollo line, Axe is also cranking up the he-man angle by taking its message into orbit. A 30-second commercial, called “Lifeguard,” is set to air on the Super Bowl and conveys the simple truth: Lifeguards may punch out sharks and rescue drowning babes in bikinis. But guys in spacesuits? Now, that’s hot: “Nothing beats an astronaut,” ads are tagged. The campaign, which Unilever says is the biggest effort in Axe’s 30-year-history, also includes a contest to send one lucky winner into space. A version featuring a firefighter began airing earlier this month, and has already driven more than 150,000 contest entries. The spot is scheduled to air during the third quarter, and will encourage viewers to go to its microsite and register for the “Leave a man, come back a hero” contest. The brand will also send Axe Astronauts to tour New Orleans leading up to the game.
Jaguar -- which introduced the F-Type, its first sports car in about half a century at last year's Paris Auto Show -- is launching a social media campaign to tout the convertible. The car is meant to compete with both the less expensive BMW Z and Porsche Boxster and more expensive Porsche 911. Jaguar also focused on the car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit with an event the night before, in which the company talked about the coupe as a way to bring a new kind of buyer into the brand. The F-Type is also the least expensive car in Jaguar's lineup, at about $65,000. The #CaptureAJag online photo contest invites social fans, influencers, amateur photographers and Jaguar enthusiasts to submit their best photo of a Jaguar car for a chance to be among the first to test drive the new vehicle. The company has rolled out a complete social media campaign with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram and FourSquare accounts. At the Detroit show, the company -- a division of Tata Motors -- revealed big plans to expand the Jaguar and Land Rover brands worldwide. The company, which said it increased global sales 30% last year, also announced that it will increase its global dealer count by around 25% with over 3,000 sales points in four years. The focus, as is the case with a lot of automakers, will be on the BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China), said company executives. In the U.S. the company has done fairly limited marketing for the F-Type -- a tactic that makes sense, given the minuscule number of people who can afford the car and want a ragtop coupe. The company last year launched a short film featuring actor Damian Lewis, called "Desire," with co-stars Jordi Molla and Shannyn Sossamon. The film and other info about the car also appear on a new site, www.ftype.com.
What is this princess fighting for? Find out in today's Super Bowl edition of Out to Launch.
My son is 23. Thank goodness he isn't ten. Just a year before he turned ten, Mark McGwire had his record-setting season. The year my son turned ten, Lance Armstrong was on his way to winning the Tour de France. Roger Clemens led the pitching staff of a World Series-winning Yankees team. Tiger Woods was on the verge of seven wins in the Majors. If you liked sports as he did, it was a great time to be a kid. How, then, to explain what has happened since? Sure, sports heroes have always had feet of clay. Not everyone is Lou Gehrig or Jackie Robinson or Gil Hodges. Joe DiMaggio was cheap and nasty. The Mick was a drunk. Orenthal James Simpson is truly in a class by himself. There have always been skirt chasers and cheaters in every sport. But what’s happening now seems unprecedented. If you’re a Penn State alum, do you want to send your son to school in a Penn State sweatshirt? If you're a fan of the Irish, how do you explain the current Manti Te'o controversy? You may have wanted to “Be Like Mike.” But do you want your son to be like Tiger? I remember many years ago, Charles Barkley did a Nike commercial in which he said, “I am not a role model.” He finished by saying, “Just because I dunk a basketball, doesn't mean I should raise your kids.” I wish it were that easy. No, son -- you shouldn't get excited when your favorite player hits a homer, dunks a basketball, scores a touchdown, has a hat trick, or sinks an impossible putt. You see, the truth is, he abuses women/is a child molester/uses drugs/is an ignorant liar. See if those words come out of your mouth when you've spent a glorious day at the ballpark or the arena. See if you can puncture that innocent adoration. Go ahead. I dare you. As we approach the Super Bowl, the crowning glory of our sports calendar, I’m reminded of perhaps the greatest Super Bowl commercial of all -- Mean Joe Greene trading a Coke for a jersey. The look on that little boy's face when he says, “Thanks, Mean Joe!” speaks volumes about our sports culture and what we've lost. I don't advocate that journalists go back to the “gentleman's agreement” and hide the bad behavior of “heroes.” And certainly, parents should encourage their children to admire scientists and artists and those who crusade for a better world. But damn it -- if you’re going to wear a uniform that stands for an entire college or city or region, if you’re going to sign autographs and yes, endorsement contracts, and if you're going to benefit from the fortune that goes with fame -- you might owe something to somebody. Like maybe the marketers who pay you, the consumers who believe you actually like the product -- and most of all, a ten-year-old boy.
There is no denying it: the marketing funnel has had a good run. But after more than a hundred years of guiding marketing decisions, it’s time for this centenarian's grip on marketing to loosen. In the 21st century, the funnel framework fails because: