by -- Rashidi Barnett
This post is in reply to a blog written by Jeff Hilimire, President of Spunlogic. Click Here to see read his blog.
Media is now being consumed in a much different way than it was just 10 years ago. Marketers have not changed the way they speak to consumers to reflect this change. Marketers are shifting dollars to the web to decrease waste by more effectively and efficiently reaching their target market. Additionally, tools of the web, such as, cookie based tracking and site analytics, allow for more quickly optimized initiatives to meet the companies success metrics. I feel that making better television commercials is important, but I also feel that relevancy and developing an integrated marketing approach is also part of the equation.
Marketers have trained consumers to associate the Super Bowl with new and potentially exciting commercials. However, during the other 364 days, consumers associate commercials as disrupting their experience. Marketers must find ways to create and develop integrated marketing approaches to speak to consumers.
My all time favorite Superbowl commercial aired sometime in the early 90’s or late 80’s. The commercial break was over, so I thought, and the broadcast went back to the game. A female newscaster is standing near the side line giving a re-cap of the current status of the game. She is about two sentences into it when a she gets tackled by a football player. When the camera pans over to get an up close shot of her lying on the ground, she is holding a Doritos bag. The Doritos tag line flashes across the screen. The broadcast goes back to the game, and it’s the same newscaster standing in the exact same position wearing the exact same thing. Undoubtedly this took a tremendous amount of coordination to execute on this integrated marketing approach. Not only do I remember the commercial but I remember the brand. Some commercials are extremely creative; however, the brand can be lost in the creativity of the commercial. This shows that there must be a balance between getting the message across and having a creative execution.
Another great integrated strategy, as of lately, is the campaign for the movie, “300” in conjunction with MySpace. Users are now able to add 300 total photos to their MySpace pages. (Yes, feeding the MySpace beast) Previously, users were only able to upload roughly 8-12 pictures depending on the size of the file. To get the ability to have 300 photo’s on one’s profile, one must visit the “300” MySpace page and watch the movie trailer before they are able to upload additional pictures to their profile. Additionally, once this is done, there is a small banner on the top of one’s picture catalog that states, “300 – build your army with photos”. Once a user clicks on this icon they are taken to the “300” MySpace page. I randomly clicked through my personal MySpace friends list, of about 332 individuals, and the individuals I clicked on have “built their army with photos”. Hopefully, there will be some white papers and success stories coming out after the movie debuts in March. This integrated marketing approach potentially created a win-win situation for both the site and the advertiser. MySpace is now going to add Flickr like functionality in the next few weeks. Users will be able to tag, and create albums on their profiles. This has given value to the consumer, while they digest the marketing message.
My final thought is that if consumers felt that marketing efforts were more relevant, they might pay more attention to the marketing message. Online marketers are shifting dollars into search because the consumer is requesting the information. The marketing message is relevant to them based on the keyword search terms used. It also is the only marketing medium that can take a consumer from the consideration phase to the purchasing phase. As web technology comes to the television, marketers will be able to use the same metrics and methodologies to target and measure their initiatives. My hypothesis is that marketers will use these tools to provide more relevant marketing messages to the consumers. Relevancy isn’t necessarily the silver bullet, but it can help change the perception of commercials in the mind of the consumer. Additionally, it is important to cast a wider net in some regards to attract consumers that would otherwise miss the marketing message. It may not be relevant at that point; however it might possibly be down the road.
Creative, integrated, and relevant marketing initiatives are all variables in solving this marketing conundrum. Theories and methodologies will have to constantly evolve and be evaluated to keep up with changing trends and consumer mind sets.
It is my prediction for 2007, that we will see more integration of television marketing with online marketing. This will take advantage of user generated media, allowing consumers to take control of their commercials by editing and sharing with their friends.
