GenDigital

Oops, Another Event, More Uproar From Boston

What the heck is it about Boston and event marketing these days? At this point, if I was a brand marketer or media company exec about to execute an event marketing program, I would make sure three times over that absolutely nothing would be going in Boston, because, quite frankly, they're lame. Without going into too much detail, Cadbury Schweppes-owned Dr. Pepper was running a multi-market sweepstakes/scavenger hunt-type promotion whereby contestants using clues provided by Dr. P were searching for a coin they could then redeem for $1 million. Cool, right...wrong, in the case of Boston. As the story goes, one of the clues lead contestants to the Granary Burying Ground, the final home of some seriously important historic figures like Paul Revere and John Hancock, among others. Well, anyway, contestants started showing up at the gates (although there are conflicting reports on how many people showed up) so the city said they were forced to shut it the whole place down. Dr. Pepper reacted immediately amending the Boston portion of the sweeps and issuing a very quick statement of apology to the city. Certainly they learned something from the whole Cartoon Network debacle, but I have to think at this point, that it is just better off for marketers to stay away from Boston, it's more trouble than its worth.

Time, Inc Continues Strategic Push Lead By SI

I admire what Time, Inc is doing. I have a couple of friends and former colleagues who work in sales/sales management for some of the larger magazine companies and its been somewhat funny to hear them talk about how they are all trying to transform themselves from old school mag publisher relying on ad pages and merchandising credits to multimedia company of the future. Most of them say the shifts in strategy are a double edged sword. They go and pitch their clients to buy "beyond the page" (Remember beyond the banner four or five years ago? This is essentially the same thing). They talk about looking at their magazine as a multi-tiered media property with more than one channel and ultimately more than one touch point to reach the consumer. But when push comes to shove, they're still selling ad pages in magazines and lots of other extras end up getting shut out, because after all, they are magazines. When it comes to Time, Inc however, they are serious about expanding and building out some of their marquee brands. Just in the past couple of weeks they've announced an acquisition of a web-based sports technology outfit and now comes word they are expanding into the video on demand category as well as video production. First up is SI On Demand, which will be carried by sister company Time Warner Cable. Along with the foray into the VOD world, the company is also creating a video production unit dubbed Time, Inc Studios which will produce video content for its stable of magazine properties. Real smart moves coming from a company that is not just talking the talk of the digital age but actually placing real bets in the digital future of the media world. 

Think About Cartoon Network Debacle As A Case Study

With the recent Cartoon Network/Aqua Teen Hunger Force marketing debacle beginning to settle (mainly because corporate parent Turner is footing a $2.0 million bill going to just about everything and everyone in Boston...some how the number went from $500K to $2.0 million in a couple of days, but clearly, Time Warner, the parent of all wants to get this over and done with asap). But, I for one don't want to see this go by the wayside too quickly, because I think there are a couple of things we can all take away from this. First, as an eternal optimist, I hope what happened doesn't become too much of a black eye on a marketing segment that has already validated its ability in the past several times over, as a valuable alternative to traditional media channels to reach young people. Second, I hope youth-focused marketers don't get to scared off by what's just happened and instantly scratch the idea of ever planning a guerrilla or alternative effort because of the recent event. Look, truth be told, Cartoon Network and the agency who executed the program made some mistakes. They should have at least inquired about getting the necessary permits and perhaps could have been a bit more strategic on their advertising vehicle of choice, perhaps something that looked substantially different than a bomb. But even with some of those mistakes taken into consideration, the fact remains, that problems occurred in only one market out of ten. It just so happened that the one problem got big really fast. But, come on now, how many of you responsible for advertising and marketing programs dealing with multiple partners don't run into a problem in, let's say conservatively, one out of every four/five partners/vendors/media outlets. Some really smart person should write a case study on this while referencing several other guerrilla type programs executed over the past couple of years. Take this as a learning experience, don't close the door on the whole channel, it would be a mistake.

Early Indications on Super Bowl Commercials: They Sucked

We are in the midst in fielding our quarterly Top Ten List Report this week. As a supplement to the Top Ten List Report, which surveys a portion of our proprietary panelists on various popular culture categories, we asked them to also tell us what they thought of this year's Super Bowl commercials (if they watched the game/and at least some of the commercials) and if they had a favorite. We just started getting results back late yesterday, but after briefly going through them this morning, it looks like the cast of characters who bought into the single biggest television event of the year did not make a very strong impact on the younger viewing audience. Off the top of my mind, I recall a few panelists being "freaked out" by the GM part/machine thingie that jumps off a bridge, and the Snickers spot that had two men kissing. The Bud spots were the only ones that received consistent positive feedback from panelists, and if you read USA Today or one of the other top nationals newspapers, they pretty much echo the comments from our audience. More to come on this, but for the most part, I think of theme of the spots not living up to expectations (which quite possibly weren't tremendously high to begin with, just looking for a quick laugh among most) will continue as more panelists turn in their surveys.

Guerrilla Marketing Effort Goes Sour For Cartoon Network

If Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network was aiming for lots of unpaid publicity they sure have it. From the early morning radio shows like Opie and Anthony to the front page of newspapers like the Boston Globe and New York Post, Turner has quickly popped up on the mayor of Boston's shit list. I've read a couple of the articles about how the whole sequence went down yesterday, and I am almost left with more questions than answers. I am sure everyone will have an opinion on this subject. So here's the deal from a couple of different sources in print and on television. To promote the upcoming release of the first ever Aqua Teen Hunger Force feature film which premieres next month, parent company Turner enlisted the services of Interference, to create guerrilla marketing program in 10 markets, Boston being one of them. The program itself consisted of these somewhat strange LED boxes that featured images of Aqua Teen Hunger Force characters. Obviously if you're not familiar with the show the boxes will not make an inkling of sense. So, one would assume that Boston, as a whole, has the lowest awareness levels. Seriously though, here's where it gets a little tricky and sticky. The LED boxes were placed in, shall we say, circumspect locations alongside roads and bridges. Ok, back to the time line. Here's the deal, the signs have been up in all 10 markets for upwards of 2 weeks, but yesterday was the first time anything happened with regard to the program, and the only action/follow up taken by law enforcement was in Boston, no action was reported in the other nine markets which include New York by the way. I would have to imagine that a police officer or two had to see these boxes previously. But, that is not being addressed. Yesterday thought, the shit hit the fan when Boston police treated the boxes as potential bomb threats closing bridges and roads and even a portion of the Charles River. Realizing that they were the cause of the very big misunderstanding, Turner execs swiftly acted, but that was not before the Boston Mayor and local congressmen issued some terse statements directed at Turner and its marketing agency. Clearly, there are lots of questions that still need to be answered...like did the marketing agency get the necessary permits? why did no other city react they way Boston did? and the why heck did it take two weeks for anyone to say something? Anyway, definite lessons to be learned by us all concerning the possible ill effects of guerrilla marketing. The thing is, in our opinion guerrilla marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach young people, but I have a feeling this brouhaha will cause Turner and other blue chips to close the door on these types of marketing efforts for a long time. So, what do you think? Is this a good effort that just went bad and everyone is over-reacting or, did Turner/Interference cross a line, and whatever "punishment" happens next, is just?

A Couple of No Brainers

There are several blurbs out today dealing with Gen Y and some of their much discussed generalized personality traits. First out is a report from consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers reminding all of us, in case we needed a refresher that it is important for marketers to "strike up a conversation with young consumers as soon as possible." The second report, which is getting some major pick ups today, is a study from the online research giant Harris. The report concludes in so many words that today's generation of teenagers have become increasingly materialistic and less generous. Interesting stuff, and certainly validated from some of our own work in the past year tracking the adoration and consumption of luxury goods and accessories by college students and recent grads.

Hearst Acquires Tier Two Teen Sites

In an effort to bolster its digital offerings aimed at teenagers, Hearst, the home of Seventeen and CosmoGIRL has snapped up a couple of tier two teen Internet properties, including eCrush.com. As arch rival Conde Nasty gets ready to launch their own teen platform, Flip (which, early indications tell us that Flip is likely to flop), Hearst had to feel somewhat compelled to do something in the space. According to eCrush's web site, the site attracts upwards up a million uniques a month, 90% of which are between the ages of 13 and 19. You know, the whole thing is really kind of ironic. Who would have thought as little as two years ago that the bastions of teen print: Hearst and Conde would be investing in interactive properties. Right now, I would have to give the edge to Hearst, since they are essentially buying traffic and confirmed data as well as a few brands with some recognition among the user base as opposed to CN which is building from scratch.

That Advertisement Smells So Good

To distinguish themselves in a crowded, ever-fragmented marketplace, consumer packaged good brands are turning to aroma-enhanced packaging and other aroma-technology to kick it up another notch. Some examples include M&Ms spreading a "chocolate aroma" throughout its M&Ms World retail outlets. (I would have guessed the stores would already be pre-disposed to smelling like chocolate). The aroma technology is also being used in branded advertisements. To promote its diet black cherry vanilla cola called Jazz, Pepsi used a black cherry vanilla aroma inside a magazine insert that appeared in People, which by the way is the second most read magazine among teen and college women. So the inevitable question pops up, is this just the advertising fad of the moment that no one will remember this time next year, or is this a legitimate channel-enhancing strategy?

Generational Traits Define Today's Celebs

If you've been regular reader of the Gen Digital blog or are a Youth Trends client you're probably aware of Rachael Ray's growing popularity among Gen Y, especially the older segment of college students and young independents (18 to 26). They're watching her cooking shows (30 Minute Meals is a top 15 show for college women), buying her knives or many cookbooks (or receiving them as a gift) and now even watching her syndicated talk show (which we told they would do back in August). Rachael is in the news again today, she gave a talk at the American Magazine Conference and AdAge just named her "Everyday With Rachael Ray," the magazine launch of the year. So, what is it about Rachael that has lots and lots of young women (some older women too, and even some men for that matter) so into her even though she has lots of critics out there saying not such nice things (she's been called a clumsy cook on several occasions, too loud is also frequently mentioned, among other things). The answer is simple: she coincides perfectly with the times we live in. At her essence, her mantra is time. When is the last time you caught up with someone or had a lunch or dinner with someone and gave the obligatory "how are you?" Let me then ask, did anyone respond saying they weren't busy of late? Right.  Gen Y, like many of us are the supposed masters of the multi-task. There is nothing they can't do together with five other things. If you couple that lifestyle trait with the fact that as a celebrity Rachael Ray comes off as authentic and down to earth (a refreshing change from the personalities of Fox, MTV and VH1) you have a winning combo. Whereas Oprah is far away the biggest personality and influence on Boomers with her "rah-rah, self-empowerment" shtick, which apparently hasn't lost its luster after how many years, I would argue that Rachael Ray does exactly the same thing with Gen Y. She connects with them, speaks to them the way they like to be spoken to, and at the end of the day, the advertising buzz words of the past century highlighted: "she gets them."

Why Dove Resonates With Young Women

In case you're wondering why the Dove Campaign For Real Beauty has resonated well with the majority of young women who are barely 24 but already sick of the stress and tension revolving around the everyday looks and weight. In this ad on YouTube Dove does a really slick job of portraying the "opposite" of real beauty.