Chrysler's Ram Truck division has rolled out a new version of the pickup called the Outdoorsman, designed for people who hunt, fish, camp and are more likely to bring a bowie knife than a camera into the boonies. They are, therefore, likely to need storage bins, a good towing capacity, chargers and a rugged-looking vehicle. The Chrysler LLC division is getting that point across with a new integrated campaign that includes TV spots via Ram Truck traditional-media AOR The Richards Group, Dallas, and an Internet program via SapientNitro. While the TV ads offer vignettes of guys in the woods roughing it and doing things like using a bow and arrow to stop a bird from tweeting in the middle of the night, the digital effort includes online ads and centers on a microsite positioning the truck as Father Nature. Alan Pafenbach -- creative director at SapientNitro's Boston office, which services Ram Truck -- says the Outdoorsman project began last fall, "and we did an initial online ad campaign to set up the Father Nature idea and followed that up over the winter and then developed this microsite." Pafenbach says the overall strategy for the site is to parallel Ram's goal of keeping the brand fresh by introducing new products on a fairly regular basis "and to ... target very specific interests of potential customers. So you will continue to see these specialized products brought out on a regular basis addressing different audiences." The idea behind "Father Nature" is that people likely to be interested in this truck are those who go out and participate in nature not as observers, but as "part of the food chain," he says. "It's oriented toward the sportsman and to people who live in areas where there is still a fair amount of hunting and fishing." The microsite at RamTrucks.com puts the truck in the woods with the consumer gazing at the truck at grass level (and each blade of grass seems to move independently). The viewer can use a compass at the bottom of the screen to view the truck from different angles. Each perspective launches a discussion about a specific feature of the truck, with a gruff voiceover that ties it to the sportsman lifestyle. The section on the truck's seat fabric involves the guy talking about how he likes to grab his dog and head for the hills to clear his head. The 360-degree experience also changes to reflect the time of day where the viewer is seeing the ad. The agency redesigned the Ram Web site as well so that it has a lot of video and computer graphics-based content. One element is a Rambox Bass Fishing Challenge (referring to the storage bins within the sidewalls of the Ram flatbed) that launches a separate experience in which site visitors can virtually fish by directing a rod back and forth. The game has a running scoreboard of everyone who is playing. There is also a "World of Father Nature" page driven by Google Maps that shows one's local region for things like fishing areas and Ram dealerships. Pafenbach says the look of the new site, which has textures in metals and wood found in the truck, offers more functionality. "With lots more video content and Flash movies that let you look at different parts of the truck," it is made to illustrate how Ram vehicles are being redesigned. "We made it much more visual and interactive with things like a new colorizing feature where the fit and finish of the vehicles and the quality should come through. That was our assignment." SapientNitro's Miami office handles digital for Dodge and Chrysler, and the Toronto office handles Jeep.
"Box office blockbuster" has been a trusty phrase for more than a half-century, but it's going the way of bricks-and-mortar Blockbusters as a true measure of a movie's footprint. When, if and who will see boffo profits from the newest distribution venues, however, await another's morning's reviews. The major headlines today go to Google's YouTube, which is said to be close to signing agreements with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers that will allow it to stream their movies. Sharon Waxman of The Wrap broke the story. Currently, YouTube's feature film pickings are slim, although it maintains in a statement, "We've steadily been adding more and more titles since launching movies for rent on YouTube over a year ago and now have thousands of titles available." And that's all it would say about the current "rumors and speculation." The deals "would give the streaming service a shot in the arm as it tries to compete with Apple's iTunes, Amazon.com and Netflix," write Brooks Barnes and Claire Cain Miller in the New York Times. "YouTube has been trying several strategies to keep people on the site for longer periods as it tries to poach viewers from TV and attract ad dollars." Forrester analyst James L. McQuivey tells the Times that Google has a unique advantage: It can provide information on how many people have searched for movies, as well as the terms they are using to find them. "That's just a marketing chain of cause and effect that nobody else asking movie studios for rights to rentals can show," he points out. "You don't necessarily need to show that a rental has been blockbuster successful to show a movie studio that it's an avenue worth pursuing." The Wall Street Journal's Michelle Kung and Amir Efrati write that the deals are part of a larger overhaul as YouTube attempts to expand from just distributing homemade videos into "professional entertainment content and position itself for the rise of Internet-connected televisions that allow people to easily watch online video in their living rooms." Its revenue model reportedly will be more like the movie-rental service in Apple's iTunes Store, which charges $3 to $5 for 24 hours' access to its fare. Netflix, on the other hand, lets member watch an unlimited number of movies for a flat monthly fee, but they tend to be older titles. Sources tell the Los Angeles Times' Dawn C. Chmielewski that Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney are holding back from cutting a deal with Google because they fear that not enough has been done enough to deter piracy of their content, but discussions are reportedly ongoing. "The biggest challenge [YouTube faces] is a brand perception challenge," EMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna tells Chmielewski. "They are so synonymous with user-generated content.... How do you turn a ship that is so big and has so much momentum in one direction?" Blockbuster, meanwhile, is not to be counted out -- at least as far as Netflix is concerned. It writes in its annual letter to shareholders (Shira Ovide reveals in the "Deal Journal" blog):
"Over the past 12 months, both Hulu Plus and free video on Amazon Prime have launched. We also think Dish Networks is likely to launch a substantial subscription streaming effort under the Blockbuster brand. Our competitive strategy relative to other streaming services is simply to grow as fast as we can, so we can afford more content, more marketing, and more R&D than our competitors."Dish completed its deal to acquire Blockbuster last night. "Analysts say Dish coveted Blockbuster's video-on-demand service to complement its own sat-TV offering and is likely to market its own services in Blockbuster's remaining stores," Mark Harden reports in the Denver Business Journal. Funny that the Netflix letter should also mention Amazon, which has been a somewhat sleepy presence in the game but probably won't remain so. Until I received an email promotion Saturday, in fact, I didn't even realize that I had "free" access to more than 5,000 streaming videos on Amazon.com by dint of my Amazon Prime membership. Then there's Apple, whose "iTunes Cloud Could Be Free At First, But Will Eventually Require A Fee," as the head atop Sam Oliver's AppleInsiderpiece reads. "The long-rumored iTunes cloud will allow users to stream their music and media to Internet-connected devices, negating the need for content to be stored locally on a connected device like an iPhone or iPad," he writes. While Oliver's story focuses on Apple's dealings with the music industry, who amongst us thinks that Steve Jobs and the gang in Cupertino isn't also looking to cut deals for movies, TV shows and "media yet-to-be-invented," as all of the contracts I've seen recently put it. I imagine that someone researching old media some day may be reading this quaint piece as a 3D hologram beamed directly to her temporal cortex. And I don't expect I'll get a mill in royalties.
TV station groups are starting to see lower financial results -- partly due to off-year periods with no Olympics or major elections. Dallas-based Belo Corp.'s total revenue decreased 1.9% in the first quarter of 2011 versus the previous year to $151.5 million, dipping to a net loss of $4.3 million versus a net profit of $13.5 million. "Belo's spot revenue excluding political was up slightly in the first quarter of 2011 despite difficult comparisons to the first quarter of 2010, which included significant Olympics and Super Bowl revenue," stated Dunia A. Shive, Belo's president-CEO. Olympics and Super Bowl revenue from the first quarter of 2010 totaled $10.7 million. Total spot revenue, excluding political, was up 0.4% with a 2.1% increase in local spot revenue and a 2.7% decrease in national spot revenue. Much of the same lackluster activity will continue in the coming periods. Shive said: "While pacings currently reflect a higher-percentage growth rate, we are currently estimating spot revenue excluding political to be flat to up to low-single digits in the second quarter of 2011, compared to the second quarter of 2010, due to the uncertainty surrounding auto supply in the second quarter. "While we have not yet seen a significant change in the overall pace of our business related to ongoing events in Japan," she added, "we do expect some level of disruption in the second quarter, particularly in the automotive category."
TV operations at McGraw-Hill continued to benefit from automotive advertising and more informercial business during the first quarter. The company's broadcasting group revenue grew by 10.2% to $20.6 million in the first quarter, compared to the same period last year. Net income at McGraw-Hill's Information and Media Group -- at which its TV operations are located -- was up 34.5% to $37.4 million. In addition to higher automotive and service time sales (infomercials and other direct-response business), the company says there was an increase in retrans revenue. McGraw-Hill says this will offset usual off-year declines in political advertising. Overall, the company witnessed 16.2% higher net income to $120.0 million, with revenue up 7.7% to $1.3 billion -- due to continued strength from its financial publications and services. The company's biggest revenue generator, financial-ratings service Standard & Poor's, picked up 10.4% in revenues to $442.9 million -- with net income up slightly, 0.8% to $190.4 million. Its new division, McGraw-Hill Financial, had a 16.2% rise to $324 million, with net income 35.3% higher to $96.3 million. The group includes TheMarkets.com, and research and desktop financial software tools. Conversely, McGraw-Hill Education continued to suffer -- it was down 4.6% in revenue to $302.7 million, with 22.2% deeper net losses to $75.5 million. The company said there was declining revenue from educational products, coupled by ramped-up investments for digital infrastructure and product development. Foreign exchange rates added $2.6 million to the operating loss for the first quarter.
Keith Olbermann, set to serve as the anchor -- in more ways than one -- in Current TV's strategy to grow visibility, will make his debut June 20 in the prime-time lead-off spot. His week-nightly show, "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," will air at 8 p.m. Olbermann has been off the air since leaving MSNBC, after years of offering left-leaning commentary. Current, where Olbermann is the chief news officer, has much less distribution than the NBCUniversal channel. Current is in about 60 million U.S. homes, versus MSNBC's 100 million homes. When the announcement was made that Olbermann would be moving to Current -- where former Vice President Al Gore has a stake -- he stated: "Nothing is more vital to a free America than a free media, and nothing is more vital to my concept of a free media than news produced independently of corporate interference." Joel Hyatt, one of Current's founders, stated that Olbermann will "be back, speaking truth to power." Current chief Mark Rosenthal added that a heavy digital presence will be created for Olbermann. Olbermann's show will serve as a lead-in for a new documentary-style show airing in the 9 p.m. slot. "4th and Forever" focuses on a Long Beach, Calif. high school with a venerated athletic program, but suffering from other issues, partly due to its location.
Paving the way for more online activity, 99.4 million U.S. households will be online by the end of 2016 -- of which 97.9 million will have broadband services -- according to a new forecast from Interpublic Group's Magna Global. As of the end of the fourth quarter of 2010, about 84.7 million homes -- or 71.5% of the total -- were online, while 90% of these homes accessed the Web using broadband services. Magna now predicts that 61.9 million U.S. homes -- or 50% of the total -- will subscribe to DVR services by the end of 2016, which would be up from 39.2 million -- 33.5% -- at the end of last year. By 2016, Magna expects that Video On Demand -- which it now defines as all Over-the-Top services -- will reach 70.1 million households, or about 57% of all TV-viewing households). This compares with 52.5 million VOD households -- 45% -- at the end of the fourth quarter of 2010. Overall, the "increase in broadband access and DVR/VOD penetration means consumers are still watching TV. They're just doing it differently," says Alex Feldman, a manager at Magna Global. "The Web is supplementing traditional TV and at the moment, we're not seeing the Web and DVRs take away from the sheer volume of traditional TV consumption." For a number of reasons, Feldman insists that DVR and VOD do not threaten the Web. "Pros for DVR usage include size and quality of the screen and more limited premium content options available online," he says. "The pros for Web viewing include limits to DVR box storage space and consumer's ability to catch up with content he or she may have forgotten to record." Last week, Magna predicted that U.S. advertising sales would increase 1.8% in 2011 -- less than last year's 3.2%. Meanwhile, online media spending will show an 18.7% gain this year, Magna said. Earlier this year, Magna said it expected digital display advertising to grow by 11.6% on a normalized basis during the year. Standouts should include mobile advertising, which Magna saw soar by 60.1%, along with paid search, which it estimates will grow 11.1% this year. Overall, however, Magna suggested that growth remains hampered by "continuing weakness in unemployment ... the absence of a meaningful pick-up in the overall economy and constrained deployments of capital among businesses of all kinds."
Station group Young Broadcasting, which emerged from bankruptcy last year, has tapped board member Tony Cassara as CEO. The company also announced that Vincent Young, who founded the company with his father in 1986, has left the board. Vincent Young had been the chief executive for years before the bankruptcy proceedings. President and company veteran Deborah McDermott will continue to have the stations report to her; she reports to Cassara. The company owns 10 stations, including the San Francisco MyNetworkTV affiliate KRON, where financial trouble helped spur the bankruptcy. Other properties include the ABC affiliates in Nashville and Richmond. Young Broadcasting said KRON was profitable last year. Cassara stated that company-wide "local, national and political revenue grew exponentially in 2010, and company margins topped those of our publicly traded peers, including Nexstar, Sinclair, Lin TV, Gray TV and Belo." Tom Sullivan is the board chairman replacing Vincent Young, the company said. Cassara was a director at Univision from 2005-08 and worked with the company in an advisory role for years at Chartwell Partners, helping launch the TeleFutura network. He was president of Paramount Pictures station group from 1993-2000, where he expanded it from six to 20 stations. Earlier in his career in 1977, he became the youngest general manager of Los Angeles station KTLA and with KKR, helped lead a leveraged buyout of it from Gene Autry. It was sold to Tribune in 1985 for more than double the buyout amount of $245 million.
The rural Minnesota and North Dakota hospitals that recently banded together under a group named Essentia want to reassure consumers that just because the name has changed, the quality of care at the hospitals remains the same. Via a print, television and digital marketing campaign, the Duluth, Minn.-based hospital system (formed in late 2010) uses the work of three accomplished photojournalists to demonstrate the network's commitment to patient-centered care. Rather than use traditional doctor/patient photography found in most hospital advertising, Minneapolis agency Russell Herder took the work from three photojournalists (Joe Rossi, Becca Dilley and Britta Trugstad) to capture images from the clinics, hospitals and communities they serve. The intention is to demonstrate the network's understanding of its patients' lives in ways that other organizations can't. One video spot depicts photos of people playing in the snow, gathering for coffee at local restaurants, and other iconic shots from the communities they serve. "It's true what they say -- 'There's no place like home,'" goes a voiceover. "And that's why at Essentia Health, you're a neighbor, not a number. After all, we live where you do, giving you our best, no matter what, no matter when. So if you're looking for a home for health care, there's no place like Essentia Health." The spot concludes with the campaign's tagline, "Here with you," as a message underscoring the network's commitment to and understanding of the communities it serves. "At Essentia Health, 'Here with You' is far more than a marketing phrase. It's a belief system. We are truly engaged in helping patients and families achieve active and fulfilling lives in the large and small communities where they live," said Kris Olson, Essentia's vice president of marketing and physician services, in a statement. "The visual imagery in this campaign captures the core of our region and its people; from children in Fosston to fishing in Detroit Lakes, seniors in Ada to sledding in Fargo. We are more than physicians and nurses; we call this home as well."
The recovery in consumer magazines is proving to be somewhat uneven, as Meredith Corp., a leading women's interest publisher and broadcast TV station owner, reported that total revenues slipped 3.4% to $341 million in the first quarter of 2011. This was attributed to lower ad revenues at its national media group, which includes Meredith's major magazine brands. The decline was offset somewhat by increases at the company's local media group (representing its broadcast TV properties), as well as its integrated marketing and brand licensing divisions, which are also counted as part of the national media group. Meredith's total ad revenues, across all its divisions, fell 6.7% to $185.9 million. Total revenues at the national media group declined 5.3% to $270 million in the first quarter of 2011, reflecting an 11% drop in ad revenues to $122 million. Meredith executives attributed the decline to weakness in key categories, including food and beverage, DTC and non-DTC pharmaceuticals, and home furnishings -- all categories where the publisher over-indexes compared to the rest of the magazine industry. Meredith's local media group, representing broadcast TV properties, saw total revenues increase 3.2% to $71 million, with non-political advertising revenues growing 5% to $64 million. This was due to increases in eight out of 10 major ad categories, led by automotive, retail and media. Brand licensing revenues, which are included in the national media group, grew 15%, while the integrated marketing division saw revenues rise 8%. Meredith didn't provide specific dollar figures for either of these subdivisions within the national media group.
Edge Shave Gel is hitting the airwaves for the first time in at least three years with a new TV spot via AOR JWT. The ad -- intended to appeal to regular guys, versus super athletes and the elite -- started Tuesday night on cable networks like Comedy Central, History, MTV, Spike, TBS, ESPN, and Versus, and goes on Fox later this week. The new spot uses a "ready room" theme that has the main Edge spokesperson, played by actor John Behlmann, walking through different environments -- a locker room, garage, and vestibule before a wedding -- where guys get ready "for whatever it is they're getting ready for." Jeffrey Wolf, senior brand manager for Edge, says the timing of the new campaign is in part to mark the second anniversary of parent St. Louis, Mo.-based Energizer Holding's acquisition of Edge and Skintimate from S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. $275 million. "Their focus had been driving volume in the short term versus equity building. We are trying to drive brands. The good news is since Edge is still seen as a pioneer out there, brand awareness and equity are strong," says Wolf, who adds that the company discovered from its own study via Millward-Brown that the Edge brand is in good health, "but we can't rest on our laurels because of the competitiveness of the segment." Wolf says the idea is to create a single brand voice and be true to the "Edge guy," who he describes as more "every day" than the celebrities, athletes and the like who traditionally populate ads for men's grooming products. "What you will see from Edge now through summer is a heavy TV presence that will be the lead communications vehicle," says Wolf. "Right now it's one ad, but we are hoping to evolve over time and make Behlmann our brand spokesperson." Since the company acquired the brand, it has been doing equity-building programs starting last year around social media and sponsorships. The company did a campaign in the social space that called out the Edge's equity as a solution to irritation, extending the definition from the epidermis to day life. "We have also tied to the [Ultimate Fighting Championships], which is an example of how we are in passion points as a way to build equity and break through to consumers," says Wolf, who adds that the most recent such effort, "Ultimate Shave, Ultimate Games," involves Edge (and sibling brand Schick and Quattro) brand integration in Sony's PlayStation and games like "Killzone" and "Gran Turismo 5" that offers free upgrades.
The TV networks named by consumers as their most favorite may not be the ones they actually watch, according to TV measurement companies. A new study from Syosset, NY-based Beta Research reveals that consumers' top 10 "favorite" channels are: Discovery Channel (57% of the respondents); History (55%); Food Network (54%); Investigation Discovery (52%); HGTV (51%); National Geographic (51%); History International (50%); Cooking Channel (47%); DIY Network (47%); and Science (47%). Nowhere in this top group are top-Nielsen-rated cable networks: USA Network, TNT, ESPN, TBS, or Fox News, and no broadcast networks made the list. Beta also asked viewers about the increased likelihood of buying products advertised on a particular network. Here, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, and HGTV each grabbed a 31% number. Boy-targeted channelDisney XD had 31%; Food Network, 29%; ESPNU, GAC, and Planet Green were at 25%; ESPN2, ESPNEWS, MTV, and Science were at 24%. The study was conducted online in January 2011 among a national sample of 5,959 cable subscribers. Respondents were asked whether specific brand attributes described specific networks. Percentage numbers are based on viewers age 18+ for each measured network. Beta says the study measured basic cable networks with over 50 million total subscribers and the four major broadcast networks. A total of 59 networks were evaluated.
TV Guide Network will launch two shows looking to capitalize on the seemingly endless celebrity fascination. Based on the Web site "Gossip Cop," an eponymous series will examine whether the tabloids have it right, while another unnamed show will take a "comedic look" at celebrity fashion. "Gossip Cop" executive producers include former VH1 executive Michael Hirschhorn and Dan Abrams, a co-founder of the namesake Web site, who also works as a legal analyst for ABC News. A third new show, serving as a guide to entertainment, will be produced by Michael Davies, who was behind the one-time phenomenon "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." The TV Guide Network, which is in 80 million homes, is planning to drop its traditional bottom-screen scroll from all homes. The network, which airs re-runs of "Weeds" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," will also offer a four-part mini-series in the celebrity crime genre. It carries the working title "Hollywood Crimes and Misdemeanors" and examines crimes ranging from Winona Ryder's shoplifting to the murder of Lana Turner's husband and the OJ Simpson case. The mini-series is scheduled for an August debut. Also coming this fall is the four-part mini-series "Icons and Innovators" (working title), in which TV Guide Network and TV Guide magazine team up to cover TV's favorite icons of the past with their contemporary counterparts. It's history-in-the-making when the stars of current TV series sit down with the TV legends who inspired them to get into "the business." The network and magazine have separate owners. A third mini-series also scheduled for the fall, currently called "Moments That Changed TV Forever," focuses on "milestone events" in TV history such as Ellen's coming-out kiss.
As networks search for ways to build engagement through Facebook, Turner's truTV has a novel tactic: a bonus episode. After receiving a major uptick in "Likes" for the show page, the network will offer visitors an added episode of "Operation Repo" late Wednesday. The Turner network challenged viewers to boost the number of "Likes" to more than 500,000 by the end of April. With the number now at close to 540,000, truTV will make a new episode accessible on Facebook, after the first part of "Repo's" eighth season ends. The network said it has created the full episode for the page. It was not clear if it would also air on the network or be available on its Web site. Full episodes of "Repo" are available at truTV's Web site. TruTV uses the Facebook page as it would a show microsite -- with available clips and other content ripe for interactivity. The Facebook stunt was an "example of how truTV is able to activate its very loyal and engaged fan base," stated Mary Corigliano, senior vice president of brand strategy and digital content/multiplatform development. "Repo" follows a repossession team that will confiscate items -- from luxury boats to planes -- if an owner fails to make payments.
NBC's aggressively marketed new singing competition series "The Voice" hit a big note -- the best-rated premiere of a new show this season. The two-hour show, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. -- an "American Idol" wannabe, according to critics -- muscled a big Nielsen 5.2 rating/13 share among 18-49 viewers. "The Voice" numbers were the best for any new show going back to February 2010, when CBS' "Undercover Boss" had a strong opening, thanks to its premiere after the Super Bowl. Better news for NBC -- in its efforts to climb out of fourth place overall, it bested other big Tuesday night shows: Fox's "Glee" running a special 90-minute episode from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., which saw a 3.4/10, down from a 3.8 rating the week before; ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" result show turned in a 3.5/9 -- up from a 2.9 rating the previous week. The extra 30 minutes of "Glee" at 9 p.m. to 9:30 pm. -- along with "Stars" -- gave "The Voice" its lowest half-hour of the night, a 4.6 rating/12 share. Both "Glee" and "Stars" each earned a 3.4 rating during that time frame. During the 10 p.m. hour -- with little competition -- "The Voice" grew to a 5.5/14. Next was ABC's "Body of Proof," which landed with a respectable 2.3/6 -- down a bit from the 2.4 a week before. NBC also had a good story to tell with "The Biggest Loser: Couples" at 8 p.m., which earned a 2.7 rating/8 share versus a 2.1 rating its last time out. CBS, in rerun mode for its two "NCIS" shows, suffered a bit. "NCIS" was at a 2.0/6 and "NCIS: Los Angeles" at 2.0/5. Both were down versus last week's reruns, where "NCIS" was at a 2.4 rating and "NCIS: Los Angeles" was at a 2.2. NBC easily finished first for the night among 18-49 viewers with a 4.3 rating/11 share, up from a 2.4 rating a week ago. Fox was second at 3.0/8, two-tenths of a rating point higher than a week ago. ABC came in third at 2.8/7 versus a 2.1 rating, with CBS in fourth at 1.9/5, against a 2.2 rating. Univision was at 1.4/4, the same as the week before. Telemundo was at 0.8/2 and CW at 0.6/2 week-to-week.
More executive departures at the CW: Its senior marketing executive Rick Haskins is leaving. Haskins, executive vice president of marketing and brand strategy, will be leaving the network in August, according to executives close to the situation. A CW spokesman had no comment. He came to the network in January 2006, just at the time of CW's launch, the result of merging the assets of the former WB and UPN networks. He follows Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment for the CW, who announced her departure some months ago. Ostroff will be replaced by Mark Pedowitz, who will name his own head of marketing shortly. Haskins was instrumental in a number of on-air and digital marketing campaigns -- including the somewhat controversial OMFG campaign for "Gossip Girl" and the Catch VD campaign for the network's hit "Vampire Diaries" series. He was also responsible for a number of digital marketing efforts to pump up Internet airings of "Gossip Girl" and other shows. Many of CW's viewers watch online. Haskins also pushed the early development of social media efforts on Facebook and Twitter for CW's shows. His most recent efforts include the "TV to Talk/Text/Blog/IM About" campaign. A former Lifetime EVP, he worked closely with Ostroff, who was executive vice president of Lifetime's program development.
Sometimes we think we know something about a subject only to discover, as William Goldman once said about Hollywood, "nobody knows anything." Such may be the case with creativity, the necessary but missing element in our MediaTech business. We hear the word all the time, usually in reference to an ad that grabs our attention (and too often without recall of the brand that's paying for the ad, but that's for another discussion). But we seem to dismiss creativity as the purview of others and, as a former U.S. Secretary of Defense once said in a different context, as something "unknowable." If that's true, it is not for lack of attention. Folks have been writing and theorizing about creativity for as long as folks have been writing and theorizing. We've studied the neurobiology of creativity, developed the metrics of creativity and described the creative process. There are countless books on the subject, including techniques for how YOU TOO can become more creative. Contrary to Goldman's belief, it seems that at least a few think they know at least something. But as long as most view creativity through the single prism of a single ad's words and pictures, we're limiting our own ability to leverage its greater potential, which is to solve problems. We've got challenges in MediaTech today. And we have, in equal measure, opportunities. Our best chance for success is to broaden our view of the application of creative thinking, and to think of its practitioners as including each one of us. The word, creativity, itself comes from the Latin word creo, to create or to make something. Once thought to be a result of divine inspiration, it has evolved to a more modern interpretation, i.e., the very human ability to improve something, to add value. Whatever its genesis, we need to think creatively today in all aspects of our business and our lives. I recently thought about creativity as problem solving when (talk about chaos theory) a natural disaster in Japan caused a misguided comedian to use a modern communications device to tweet some unfortunate comments about the victims. And shortly thereafter, Gilbert Gottfried, the voice of the Aflac duck, was fired. Event though it's hard to dispute that firing Gottfried was the right thing to do, it left an unforeseen hole in the middle of an iconic and very successful multichannel communications effort. Very quickly however, Team Aflac turned lemons into lemonade by devising and promoting a very creative initiative to discover who would be the next voice of their duck. Problem turned to opportunity. I think about creativity in the context of a business model that has recently propelled Netflix beyond Comcast in number of subscribers. And of the initiative begun but not yet completed to bring cross-platform measurement to reality. Our key challenge today does not revolve around a better execution of the same model. Our challenge and our greatest opportunity involves reinvention. Our individual creative processes need to focus on connecting a new consumer dynamic with new functional capabilities, sometimes by integrating formerly discreet disciplines. When we talk about data and its application as "the new creative," and about ROI accountability, we cannot ignore the special skills and approach that the direct marketing community brings to the discussion -- even if they would like us to. Creativity is an everyday and an everyone requirement, and it demands two things of us. First is clarity, a laser-like focus on the outcome we seek. And second is responsibility, that characteristic that leaders at every level of an organization display, that says I've got this one, whatever it takes. Maybe you can take a moment to think about it today. How do you become a Creative Director?
NBC has enough problems. Now, with the potential presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, the future of one of the network's decently rated shows, "Celebrity Apprentice," could be in jeopardy -- and other marketing issues could come up as well. Trump has been a fixture on "Celebrity Apprentice" for the program's entire history, and his candidacy would push competing candidates for the top U.S. government job to ask NBC for equal time. It's not as if "Apprentice" by itself is likely to get the network back to being somewhat competitive. But ongoing, relatively low-cost, reality programs like "Apprentice" can be a key utility player for any network, and will be si for NBC especially after "Sunday Night Football" ends in the fourth quarter. NBC ran into this problem before -- but to a lesser degree. When Fred D. Thompson entered the race for the Republican nomination in 2008, he quit his role on series "Law & Order." To insure that no competitors would claim equal time on the network, NBC also stopped airing reruns where Thompson appeared. But on the flip side, NBC could surely use the attention of a Trump candidacy -- especially if, as rumored, he announces his intention to run on the May 22nd season finale of "Celebrity Apprentice." Trump's talk about running may be drawing more viewers into the Apprentice's orbit. If Trump goes ahead, NBC may just give "The Apprentice/Celebrity Apprentice" a small break -- say sitting out the spring 2012 time slot. Spring has been its usual seasonal starting place. But it could be back by that summer. Early in 2012, in the heart of primary season, Trump"s fate could be sealed if he is far behind, registers a few quick primary losses, and pulls out. But it's not just lost rating points that are a concern. "The Apprentice/Celebrity Apprentice" continues to be a big proponent of branded entertainment -- like NBC's other big reality show, "The Biggest Loser." "Apprentice" continues to be a big friend of marketers looking for that extra piece of on-air and off-air viewer engagement. Those kind of deals can evolve into bigger advertising/marketing deals that span across the whole network. Losing Trump, the "Apprentice" and a proven TV marketing platform will only make NBC's job harder on whatever road back it has planned.
Little surprise here: In the future, entertainment promotion -- from all participants -- won't be an option. Today, we find tweeting somewhat of a fascination. But with entertainment options multiplying almost every day, the need to get ahead of the noise becomes more important. Twitter as an entertainment marketing tool becomes more necessary. Increasingly, tweeting isn't just now and then. More and more TV performers can be found tweeting and lately more are doing so during the broadcasts of their shows -- including Jeff Probst during CBS' "Survivor" and Oprah Winfrey during a Sunday night OWN program. All this makes sense. But some believe it's only the start. Probst believes specific tweeting chores might be written into performers' contracts. Especially given lower ratings for broadcast shows, talent may be pushed -- or told -- to do more promotion/marketing. Cable shows -- especially on mature networks with greater investment in original shows -- may go the same way. It wasn't long ago that some movie actors wouldn't participate in studios' requested marketing efforts -- certainly not in brand entertainment marketing efforts for consumer product companies that supported movies. But all this has changed. And now social media -- the current marketing darling of the entertainment business -- has made consumer access way easier, delivering at times almost a one-to-one marketing message. Probst's thinking is that live tweets, by adding a dimension that viewers can't get from time-shifting, are an important connection or "engagement" -- something of big value to TV marketers. Immediacy of entertainment assets has been given greater importance of late. This isn't to say that TV networks and media companies don't also want to monetize future consumption of entertainment without social media elements. Maybe there's more to come. Anything to slow down eroding viewership of certain shows -- or fractionalization of other entertainment properties -- will be looked at seriously in the future. Right now those messages of 140 characters or less will help out.
In last week's column I wrote about the television industry's continued search for supplements to -- and ultimately, replacements for -- the dead weight (i.e., the "Bernie" of "Weekend at Bernie's") of traditional media measurement: age-sex demos. This week I want to show you why more and more buyers and sellers of media are moving away from using current currency by itself and toward more actionable set-top-box data paired with other types of data: behavior-based, and -- for our purposes here -- purchase-based. Because if you take a close look at a single product category, and compare the story told by ratings indices derived from Purchase Ratings Points (PRPs) to that told by Plain Old Ordinary Ratings points (from age-sex demos, hereafter referred to as POOR points), you'll be shocked by how differently they end. So let's dig in, to yogurt. Yes, yogurt -- a $210 million television-advertising market. But have you ever thought about who the target audience is for yogurt marketers? Go ahead, guess. If you said -- based perhaps on Jamie Lee Curtis' Activia-driven comeback -- that most yogurt buyers are women, you'd be right. So historically, marketers have spent that $210 million targeting women 25 to 54. End of story for the POOR points. But as there are many types of yogurt-eaters, so too are there many types and brands of yogurt. And in order to find the right audience for your particular brand and type of yogurt, you need to understand a few things about your audience. POOR points might tell you what your audience is like, but who are they as individuals? Where are they? What do they like to do (besides watch television)? What do they like to buy? The chart below shows which prime-time shows actual purchasers of two types of yogurt were most likely to tune into last week, as PRP-based indices (a relative measure). If you're looking for a Greek-yogurt-buying audience, the strategy is clear: Go with "30 Rock." But if you're selling Yoplait? You might want to spread your spend around a bit more: "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Brothers & Sisters" are also great bets. POOR points can't tell you that. POOR points by their very nature introduce waste into your media plan, and that costs you money. This money can be redeployed to programs that offer you the right audience: viewers who actually buy the products being advertised. And that's what the new generation of industry solutions does. They deliver actionable information based on real data, and that's why they're fast becoming the providers of the new industry vehicle for media buying and selling. That's why networks, advertisers, and marketers looking for a renewed level of accountability in their media strategy are turning away from POOR points and in the direction of metrics like the PRP-based indices above. That's not to say that POOR points are -- for lack of a better term -- pointless; they're still relevant insofar as they will continue to provide validation of your data-driven approach. But to understand how a program rates for a particular type of purchaser, you need actionable data, and you need accountability. You're not going to get that from the POOR guys.
These jobs aren't forever, Katie Couric told David Letterman recently. That message will be confirmed this week, when CBS is expected to announce her departure as head of "The CBS Evening News" (she just announced the news herself, actually.) Being the main anchor of a big TV news broadcast used to be akin to a Supreme Court judgeship -- you held the job until basically you couldn't do it anymore. CBS' Walter Cronkite held the job for decades; so did Dan Rather. Couric? Just five years. We know her remarks to Letterman had a point. Those early evening newscasts aren't what they once were. Not that TV news executives haven't tried to change things. When Couric came aboard, CBS had been touting that its news brand would be aggressively extended -- to online, social networks and mobile devices. But has that been enough? News producers owned up to the fact they bit off more than they could chew -- looking to make big changes, getting away from what CBS does best. Through it all -- even with some personnel losses -- CBS has still gotten its share of news scoops. But that's not the measure of a good TV show anymore. With the fractionalization of viewers -- and news consumers going into many directions to get what daily news they need -- ratings and subsequent ad dollars mean much more. So do personalities. Even cable news has quicker changes, such as the recent departures of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Fox News' Glenn Beck's. Now Couric looks to go elsewhere -- most likely to syndication. While that might allow Couric to do more of what she does best -- one-on-one interviews -- the syndication business has been no easy street. Think about Oprah Winfrey, who is leaving after 25 years. Though she could have gone on for perhaps another couple of decades, money and afternoon viewership for syndicated shows have been tough to come by. Cash license fees for Winfrey's show and others have been on the decline for years. It is also no picnic for any former big TV broadcast network personality to make the transition. Jane Pauley, anyone?
Almost 30 years ago, on July 29, 1981, 750 million people worldwide tuned in to watch Prince Charles and Lady Diana tie the knot -- mostly through quaint old live television. If you missed it, there were news programs rerunning endless highlight reels, and maybe you had a VCR, a kid in AV club, and a blank tape. Chances are, you didn't have cable yet -- MTV, the cable station that brought cable subscriptions to a new level with their "I want my MTV" campaign, would debut just three days after the Royal Wedding. Archive interviewee Linda Ellerbee covered that wedding and had this to say: "I was lucky enough to work in television news when nobody ever asked you how much did you spend on the story, they only asked you, did you get the story and did you get it right, fast and first? There were about 90 people full-time in the London Bureau of NBC, and yet we sent over another 90 for the wedding of Diana and Charles, just to make sure that we were fully covered on this story. I was one of the people that went over. I had a great time. Let's face it, when you come right down to it, being a journalist is like being paid to have a front row seat on history. I don't know that it was all terribly serious, and as it turns out, the wedding lasted; the marriage didn't. But we spent gobs of money on it. Television loves a costume story." A generation later (sorry, Linda) television still loves a costume story. And this time, in this economy, money is an object for some of the old standard-bearers of TV news. This time we'll see a lot of smaller outlets producing usable content -- the equipment has become affordable, user-friendly, and efficient, and social media sites are ready and willing to host the content. Not only will the audience numbers be a lot higher for this iteration, there will be more content from this much-heralded event -- both professional and amateur. As people in each time zone wake up to their first cups of coffee, for better or worse, social media outlets will be trending higher and higher with royal commentary and perhaps a record number of streaming video recaps will be available. Leading up to the big day, even T-Mobile's brilliant viral "T-Mobile Royal Wedding" spoof video has had over 10.5 million pre-wedding streams on YouTube alone. Whether or not a spectacle like this is deserving of worldwide coverage will always be debated. In fact, we're still debating whether Tiny Tim's 1969 marriage to Miss Vicki on "The Tonight Show" starring Johnny Carson was a big deal -- even though it garnered a spectacular 50 million viewers. One thing's for sure, Prince William will not be tiptoeing through any tulips....