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Product Placement Research

2006-11-16T15:37:00.000-05:00

Nielsen Media Research Wednesday released the findings of a study showing a high correlation between the two types of TV brand exposures. The top line finding touted by Nielsen was that more than half (57.5%) of viewers recognized a brand when viewing a product placement in combination with a commercial. That's considerably higher than the 46.6% of viewers who recognized a brand when exposed only to a TV commercial for that brand.

The study, which was conducted in conjunction with 14 charter subscribers, including Magna Global, MediaCom, OMD, PHD, Zenith Media, and a variety of TV networks, was touted as the "largest of its kind," spanning a nine-month period between October 2005 and June 2006. However, the study was not based on live TV viewing, but on the results of more than 10,000 people who screened programs containing commercials and product placements at a Nielsen testing facility in Las Vegas.

The findings are likely to spark a new round of debates on how to measure the effectiveness of product placements and on how to determine the best way to plan them with conventional TV commercials and other forms of advertising.

- Joe Mandese, Thursday, Nov 16, 2006

Did Heroes Go Too Far?

2006-11-13T10:41:00.000-05:00

How do you know if a product placement is successful? Well, we leave that to your own internal metrics, goals and analysis. Sorry, there are no simple answers, but of course, feel free to peruse the Magnetic Alliance blog for the best and worst of product placement and promotions.

Today, we turn our attention to a funny and interesting legal story developing on NBC's surpise hit, "Heroes".

NBC has been sued by a garbage disposal maker that claims the network’s new hit show, “Heroes,” casts its product in a negative light.

The first episode of “Heroes” shows one of the characters, a cheerleader who has the power of indestructibility, sticking her hand into a garbage disposal, getting it mangled. A few seconds later her hand heals. The brand name of the machine, InSinkErator, is visible in the scene.

Emerson Electric was not happy with the inadvertent product placement, and sued NBC Universal in federal court in St. Louis on October 2, 2006.

Emerson claims that NBC used Emerson’s trademark without the company’s consent and that the show “implies an incorrect and dangerous design for a food waste disposer.” The company added in its complaint that NBC’s depiction of the InSinkErator “casts the disposer in an unsavory light, irreparably tarnishing the product.” It is asking the court to order NBC to remove Emerson trademarks from future broadcasts of the show and also reward Emerson damages as a result of NBC’s acts of “unfair competition, trademark infringement, and trademark dilution.”

NBC says it will edit the episode. “While we do not believe there is any legal issue with the episode as originally broadcast, we nonetheless have decided to edit the episode for future uses,” said an NBC spokesperson in a statement. Presumably, that means rebroadcasts on NBC’s sister cable networks like USA and Sci Fi, broadband viewings (the show is available on iTunes), and any DVD release of the first season and possible syndication.

The story and information is compliments of Manatt

On the Set with James Bond

2006-11-10T10:40:00.000-05:00

Check out the latest commercial- "Waiter" for TV, internet and cinema, now showing on www.heineken.com/casinoroyale. It features Eva Green from the film - with her Heineken mission and is filmed on the actual Bond film set. Very cool stuff!

It is also the only time that lead Bond actors feature in a brand advertising campaign linked to Casino Royale. In addition to the appearance of Eva Green, in character and costume as Vesper Lynd, the original Bond themed music is featured in the Heineken commercial.

Brand Placement in the New York Times

2006-11-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

The article in today's New York Times highlights many of the exciting things that are happening in our industry. From advertisers custom webisodes to tv integrations to BudTV. If I had to give an alien interested in entertainment marketing one article to read..it would be this one.

Brands Produce Their Own Shows - By LOUISE STORY

Marketers have found a new way to try to keep viewers from tuning out: offer them TV shows, movies and online programming created by the marketers themselves, often with help from their advertising agencies.

These new offerings, the marketers hope, will be entertaining enough to endear viewers to the brands behind them.

Burger King, for example, is making a feature-length film that may star — no surprise here — the “King” character of its ad campaign. Office Max recently created a show on the ABC Family channel. Anheuser-Busch plans to start a seven-channel TV network online, called BudTV.

“It’s the exploration of sort of a new world,” said Doug Powell, chief integrator of Maiden Lane, an advertising agency. “Clients would love to have a way for customers to be able to participate with their brands more often and not have to rely on the traditional media world.”

Marketers have become alarmed as consumers increasingly bypass commercials using digital video recorders like TiVo, and spend more time flipping among a wide array of television networks, Internet sites and video games.

These companies are by no means giving up on traditional advertising — rather, they are simply adding to their marketing strategies. “What we’re trying to do is find new ways to continue to be relevant to teens and to young adults,” said Vic Walia, the senior brand manager for Snickers, a Mars brand that created an online show called “Instant Def” with its agency BBDO New York, part of the Omnicom Group.

The “Instant Def” home page looks like a video game for teenagers. Four hip-hop performers — played by actual hip-hop stars will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap — pose in front of a gritty urban scene. A fluorescent Snickers sign blinks atop a tower in the background. A Snickers factory played a vital role in the first episode, when a candy-mix explosion gave the stars superhero powers.

So far, about one million people have visited InstantDef.com, where the five episodes are available.

Advertiser-produced content — often called branded content — is a nascent trend. Companies commonly pay to place their products in TV shows and movies, but only a few dozen have created content from scratch. About 25 national companies produced online films this year, up from 5 last year, said Matt Wasserlauf, chief executive of Broadband Enterprises, a New York company that helps companies like Warner Brothers and AT&T circulate their videos on the Internet.

On TV, only a handful of such shows and movies have been shown. The cable networks MTV, ABC Family and TNT have run shows created by advertisers. Other networks, including broadcast networks, say they have been approached by advertisers pitching shows, but have not run any.

Advertisers say they are prepared to give the shows to networks free or in exchange for commercial air time; such offers could appeal to networks looking to control costs. But some network executives voiced skepticism that advertiser-created shows would draw much audience and said, for now, they do not expect to run many of the programs.

“The networks are reluctant to give their programming air over to advertiser-funded content,” said Guy McCarter, the director of branded entertainment at OMD. “If the TV marketplace softens, then I think there’s going to be more receptivity.”

Part of the reason more advertiser shows are put on cable, ad executives said, is that cable networks often feature shows on niche topics that appeal to specific types of customers. Procter & Gamble’s show, “Home Made Simple,” based on home-making tips available on the company’s online magazine, is on TLC, for example.

When Office Max decided it wanted to produce a show, company officials approached Disney because they had already committed themselves to advertise on Disney networks. Disney put the program, a reality show about preteenagers getting ready for high school, on ABC Family. On TV, about one million households watched the show, which featured several Office Max products. It was viewed more than six million times online.

William Bonner, a spokesman for Office Max, said the show gave viewers “content they could appreciate and interact with more than a 30-second commercial.”

ABC Family worked with Office Max and its ad agency DDB Chicago in developing the show, but “Schooled” was largely driven by Office Max and its agency’s vision, said David Rolfe, production director of content for DDB Chicago. Laura Nathanson, executive vice president for ad sales at ABC Family, said “Schooled” was a special case, and the cable network did not have immediate plans to do more shows with advertisers.

“We’re in the business of original production,” Ms. Nathanson said. “Anything that’s going to go on our air, we’re going to shepherd.”

Shows and movies on Turner Entertainment “first and foremost have to fit our brand,” said Linda Yaccarino, executive vice president for ad sales and marketing at Turner, which recently ran a series of mini-shows on TNT that were produced with Chase Card Services, which is part of J. P. Morgan Chase.

Advertisers are also making movies. Nike has produced several, including a documentary on CBS about Lance Armstrong’s training for the Tour de France. Grey Goose paid for a six-part documentary that ran on the Sundance Channel and featured pairs of stars like Robert Redford and Paul Newman chatting. In both cases, the companies’ brands were not emphasized.

Last December, Mountain Dew, a PepsiCo brand, produced a movie about snowboarding that ran in theaters nationwide. Though Mountain Dew produced the movie, the soft drink was not featured in the film and only “MD Films” appeared in the opening credits. Mountain Dew and PepsiCo were thanked in the closing credits, but viewers had to be in the know to associate the movie with Mountain Dew.

Nicole Bradley, a PepsiCo spokeswoman, said the approach worked well. “Focusing on product placement would have only been a distraction,” she added.

The line between commercialization and entertainment is a tricky one, ad executives said. Before a Unilever-produced show called “The Gamekillers” was shown on MTV last spring, the network promoted it as a TV show and Unilever held off running ads related to the show. Only after the show ran were characters from it included in ads for Unilever’s Axe deodorant, said John Shea, executive vice president for integrated marketing and brand partnerships at MTV. “The last thing anyone of us wanted was for the show to feel that it was, in fact, an ad,” Mr. Shea said.

Ad executives say they expect more TV networks to accept their shows. BBDO North America is creating two shows it will pitch to networks, including a 13-episode series, said Brian DiLorenzo, the executive director of content. “Brands have potential to be good characters,” Mr. DiLorenzo said.

But persuading TV networks involves a bit of “arm wrestling,” said Jon Kamen, chief executive at @radical.media, which produces films and TV shows for advertisers. “It’s critically important that the broadcast networks and cable embrace this shift now rather than resist it,” he contended, adding they must be wary of forcing “advertisers to go elsewhere — because there is elsewhere to go.”

Anheuser-Busch is investing heavily in creating content. The beer company, known for its funny commercials, plans to put online a seven-channel televisionlike network called BudTV in February. It will feature reality shows, comedy skits, sports programs and user-generated content.

“If we do it right, then we’re going to have a pretty attractive demographic group,” said Anthony T. Ponturo, vice president for global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch.

Ad executives said BudTV might be attractive to other advertisers as well.

“If BudTV can garner the right audience relative to that male 24 to 32 middle-income demographic in flyover states, there will be other advertisers that are going to want to reach that audience,” said Doug Scott, executive director for branded content and entertainment at Ogilvy North America.

Networks, magazines and sports associations like the N.F.L. have already approached Anheuser-Busch to talk about partnerships, Mr. Ponturo said. BudTV’s content, though, will “serve one master,” Mr. Ponturo said, “and that’s ourselves and our brands.”

The Ford Motor Company is filming a documentary tracking its effort to turn itself around, and is showing the film online. Since it began appearing in June, a million unique visitors have visited the Web site, said Whitney E. Drake, a Ford spokeswoman.

Consumer brand companies have been using the Internet to promote their messages through their own online magazines and blogs for several years. “The advertiser has a direct link to the consumer now,” said Nick Law, the chief creative officer at R/GA, at the Boards Summit in New York last week. “They don’t have to use an agency or production company.”

The next online phenomenon could be created by a consumer brand company, said David Droga, creative chairman of Droga5. Online hits “don’t have to be brought out by people in a garage,” he said.

It is unclear, of course, if advertisers will be able to produce shows that will hold consumer attention. “We are living in a world now where it’s harder and harder to capture somebody’s undivided attention,” said Linda Kaplan Thaler, chief executive for Kaplan Thaler Group.

Ms. Kaplan Thaler recently created a campaign for Dawn that included online shows, traditional commercials, a contest, and Ellen DeGeneres as a celebrity spokeswoman. She said advertisers had to do it all these days. “Ubiquity is the new exclusivity,” she said.

A Product Placement Agency for YouTube?

2006-11-02T22:20:00.000-05:00

We found this great post on ZDNet. Worth the read:

But for those You Tube video creators who might want to make some cash, I have a business idea that could work.

Someone-ideally a new media ad agency but maybe a dedicated service that would place products in You Tube posts of YT creators who would be fine with that notion?

Here's how this would work. Agency solicits clients who want their product(s) featured. The same agency assesses applications from YT content creators who would be willing to participate.

As part of the application process, the creator's historical YT views patterns would be assessed.

Then, if a contract is struck and the product included in the video, a threshold, or "floor" number of views would be established. If this floor- say 5,000 views a day- is exceeded, the agency- through the advertiser- would pay the content creator or producer. YOuTube (or Google, once the acquisition of YT is complete) should be cut in as well. Heck, it is their servers, you know.

In tern, the content creator would get a percentage of that payment.

I know you purists out there who hate most product placements will spurn the idea.

But if all parties are willing, doesn't this idea make sense?

The Special Sauce

2006-10-31T19:50:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite people is teaming up with the Food Network. No, its not a trendy chef or a classic television personality but instead a Philly musician.

G Love is sharing his "special sauce" with the Food Networks audience and is partnering to promote his new album "Lemonade". You can buy lemonade, learn how to make lemonade or just experience G Loves passion for music and cooking.

We love this partnership because it is so unexpected, but it seems to make both G Love's brand and the Food Network's brand bigger.

Check it out here

What is Product Placement?

2006-10-29T20:12:00.000-05:00

We asked some of Magnetic Alliance's favorite producers and marketers for some thoughts:

Product placement is hot.
Product placement is "so yesterday".
Product placement makes money
Product placement makes brands relevant.
Product placement makes brands feel that they are no longer just a brand.

Magnetic Alliance believes that product placement is a term that needs to evolve with the industry. It needs to be more than placement. It needs to be more than product. It needs to be an alliance based on a viewer's passions.

American Express "gets" product placement. Every TiVo addict understands that American Express means access - access to future Lost scenes or Prison Break. The ability to use their card product (for membership access) in a meaningful way to connect with a targeted and passionate audience.

Maybe product placement means nothing more than entertaining people with your product. Or maybe product placement is just a term as overused as "advertising".

YouTube Owes it All to the Boys of SNL

2006-10-18T16:55:00.000-04:00

Wow! Can you believe how much those founders of YouTube just made.

That's a ton of cash!! A lot more than those groups of lottery winners pull in...combined.

The one news article that we hasn't surfaced is the branded content event that really put the brand on the map. Remember "Lazy Sunday"?

Watch it and learn how a brand can organically create an online hurricane. The clip starts with "an SNL Digital Short" card. This is how you make your brand relevant - and make the founders of YouTube some serious dough.

ABC Integration

2006-10-17T15:31:00.000-04:00

WPP'S GROUPM is co-producing "October Road" with Touchstone Television for ABC. The show focuses on a famous novelist who returns to his hometown.

Group M will get an undisclosed amount of ad time--not necessarily in this show--but across other ABC prime-time programs. For ABC, the deal takes a certain amount of first-quarter scatter prime-time inventory out of sale, which helps to tighten any potential soft marketplace. For GroupM, it helps secure first-quarter inventory for its clients at a pre-arranged price level.

Two years ago, MindShare Worldwide, a GroupM agency, fully financed and produced the six-episode series "The Days" for ABC. ABC and MindShare each owned half of the inventory in the series. MindShare clients, such as Sears Roebuck and Unilever, owned the ad inventory in the summer series.

But unlike that deal, neither MindShare or other GroupM clients have as yet made a deal for inventory or for an equity stake in the show, says Rino Scanzoni, chief investment officer of GroupM's media agency, Mediaedge:cia.
"This deal is independent of our clients," says Scanzoni. "It makes it less risky for them." In addition, as opposed to other advertiser or agency deals for TV shows, the deal in no way was tied to any branded entertainment or product-placement deal components.

"We are not telling ABC that they have to put certain products in the show," says Scanzoni, who adds that there are plenty of other places where clients can secure product placement and branded-entertainment deals.
While the GroupM's approach--versus MindShare's deal with "The Days"--limits risks, clients can choose to come on board for the show later. "If we are successful, then we can make our asset available to them," Scanzoni says.

Did Amex Get Lost? Or Get Lost?

2006-10-11T17:26:00.000-04:00

Amex's Lost Opportunity
By Cory Treffiletti

This television season has seen quite a bit more references to the Internet than ever before, as the networks are finally starting to understand the concept of supporting their core programming with interactive supplements. But I'm still surprised at the lag in thinking when these models are applied.

Let's take "Lost," for example. Last week was the season premiere and I paid close attention, with a very keen eye, intent on identifying every little detail that might help me understand the episode and be able to develop new theories as to what was actually going on. I was certainly not disappointed with the show, until of course the very end when there was a mention of visiting www.ABC.com/Lost, which was being sponsored by American Express. The ad stated that if I went over to the site, and if I was an American Express cardholder, that I would be able to unlock footage, decipher inside meanings, and supplement my "Lost" viewing experience.

As any avid fan would have done, I went to the site immediately after the episode instead of visiting the Lost Forums on other sites, usually my first stops after the show. The experience I had with the ABC.com site was poor at best. When I linked through to the site, I discovered a message that stated I should "come back tomorrow to unlock valuable content," or something like that--I'm paraphrasing. Doesn't anyone know the Internet is an immediacy medium? If you tell me I have to wait, chances are you've lost me!

As a marketer, I had high aspirations for the Amex sponsorship. I was quite impressed by the idea of supplementing the viewing experience and how Amex was sponsoring this unique content. I knew from the last two seasons that half the fun of "Lost" is venturing to the Web to see what everyone else saw and what I may have missed or didn't pick up on in my first viewing. However, I was completely let down by the experience, more than a little bummed that such a great idea on paper was executed with such flaws.

I did venture back to the site the next day and was equally unimpressed with what I discovered. Though I thought the login feature for cardholders was great, the content I found was not. The site rehashed the obvious elements from the show, so I spent about four minutes there, total. Conversely I visited the Lost Forums on another site and proceeded to waste slightly under an hour reading through the theories, fantasies and postulations of the audience, amazed at how much time some of these people seemingly have to have discovered what they did.

The Forums are about immediacy and in-depth analysis. The sponsorship for Amex could be about the same thing if the company understood the most basic tenet of the Web: a click or a visit signals a request for immediate information. By asking me to visit and to "come back later," you are risking my attention and wasting my valuable time.

I still have high hopes for the Amex sponsorship, as I am guessing it lasts the remainder of the season. I hope that Amex unlocks this content immediately and learns the lessons from this wasted effort.

The Entertainment Integration Pyramid

2006-10-09T21:32:00.000-04:00

How much should I pay for entertainment? For product placement? For promotions?

The answer is clearly…(hold on)….unanswerable.

It’s like asking how much you should pay to make a movie like “Titanic”. You can make “Titanic” with the video recorder on your Moto cell phone, a few neighbors and a bathtub...or you can make a multi-million dollar replica of the boat, the jewel, and the disaster. Hey, it cost James Cameron $200 million dollars to make his version of the “Titanic” but he did make over $1.9 billion at the box office.

So how should you spend your shareholders’ money on entertainment?

Think of integration, favorability, promotion, and press as all critical components of our industry’s pyramid. You need each component to build the perfect pyramid. Everything else…doesn’t matter.

Integration: Although Magnetic Alliance has been responsible for literally hundreds of on screen integrations, we continue to reinforce to our clients that it is not the integration that drives success. It is everything that connects the integration to product (or service) sales. Does seeing an iPod in a Tuesday television show make you want to buy it? How many cars have you seen on screen? Is the fact that your favorite Jersey mafia man drive a Chevy make you want to buy a Chevy? But, integration is clearly critical to activating your successful partnership. It is truly the foundation of each one of your strategies so be sure to not end your partnership on-screen.

Favorability: Favorability, association, character marketing, etc., are all integration strategies that play a significant role in changing your consumer’s perspectives on your brand. How you employ them to drive sales is the key. Now take that same Jersey mafia man, and think about him buying his lovely wife a new SUV. Now, the key is his reason why he is doing his action. Is he buying it to get in his wife’s good graces? Or is he buying it because he has a good deal. The power of favorability is often the hardest part of the deal to activate as it relies on script integration. If you can, try to start your partnership early, so the writers and producers understand your dream favorability scenario.

Promotion: A direct driver of sales! Promotion connects the integration and the favorability while giving consumers a “reason” to buy now. Simple promotional execution…get exclusive content from our brand now. Get a deal just because you like the content or the characters. Get a deal because this product is now “special”. Imagine the Jersey mafia guy giving you a special code to get a great deal on that perfect HDTV. Maybe it “fell off the back of a truck”. Make the deal mean something to the consumer by enabling them to experience the product.

Press: The top of the pyramid. Never do a deal without figuring out how the story can best be told. And of course, how you are going to share your story with not only your boss, consumers and partners but also with your employees. No one does this better than NASCAR. They know that sponsors’ love to show off their auto sponsorships to their employees. Show off your entertainment strategy to everything. Even if it is a series of movie passes, special internal website or unique promotion, you can truly make all of your stakeholders bigger fans of your brand.

The ABC's of Advertising Product Placement

2006-10-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

We are often asked, as experts in this field, how can media and advertising agencies get the most for their clients in the world of entertainment marketing, product placement and promotions. Well, the answer is both very simple and very complex. So...here we go:

Q) How to find content that is best suited for your client and feel confident that you can make a deal that will be worth your time?

A) Overcommit to managing your client's expectations and do your best to work with your client on several projects at a time. The content production business is too unpredictable for an agency to risk their "capital" on a single project as good deals often fall apart for the most unforeseen reasons. So instead, use a system like Magnetic Alliance to find and select a range of content opportunities that fit your client's objectives. And most importantly, use hard facts and don't get seduced by the bright lights of Hollywood.

Q) How do you know which content is right?

A) The best you can do is to match your brand/product creative objectives and target demographic with those of entertainment content. For example, a flower delivery service's creative brief may match-up well with the "chick-flick" positioned "organizing a wedding can be difficult, help me make it simple" inherent theme in an upcoming "License To Wed" film from Warner Bros. Just about every creative brief can be well-matched to an upcoming project within film, TV, gaming, music and other pop culture content.

Q) How do we best work with content providers such as film studios?

A) Know what you bring to the table, and be prepared to commit to a deal early. Nothing is worse than spending your time and theirs on a program only to realize that you don't have the support from your client to make it happen. And take a really hard look at what your client has to offer. Remember, studios are not in the business of generating revenues through product placement fees, they are in the business of content distribution. For them, IT'S ALL ABOUT BUTTS IN SEATS, AND SUBSEQUENT DVDS OUT THE DOOR. For you, it's all about influencing the purchasing behavior of your target customers. They want access to a brand's measured media as well as direct mail and other promotional support to help raise their opening weekend and DVD sales numbers. And you want to leverage the equity of their content along with the endorsement of their celebrity, to drive your product out the door. Just consider their perspective, on a $50MM film budget with a $20MM marketing spend, what's more beneficial, a brand writing a $200K check for product placement fee, or committing $5MM in media that's a 25% bump to the studio's original spend? And remember, it's media dollars that your client was spending anyway, not an incremental increase.

Why We in Product Placement Need to Start Acting Like Google

2006-09-27T21:23:00.000-04:00

“RELEVANCY” is the key to entertainment integration. You can target your placements to your favorite shows and characters, but the true win in placements is the relevancy your brand has with the content. The article below summarized the eternal debate between relevancy and targeting and the reason Google is worth billions.

So don’t just target your placements because it makes sense…connect your brand with partners that makes it relevant. Think of all the greatest successes in our industry: James Bond and BMW, Tom Cruise and Ray Ban, even Coca Cola and American Idol. They all make sense…the characters fit the brands, the brands fit the content thematic and they all live in targeted content. So, do what Google does…focus first on relevancy and then address the targeting.

Brand Advertising and Google: Relevancy vs. Targeting
by Joe Marchese, Monday, Sep 25, 2006 6:00 AM ET
THE RECENT SES CONFERENCE IN San Jose included a panel called "Meet the Search Ad Networks." The panelists seemed to have broad ideas about the identity of their ad networks, which is likely why Emily White of Google recommended that the panel simply be called "Meet the Ad Networks," citing the increasing number of media (including radio, print, etc.) and advertisement types distributed by the companies represented on the panel.

First and foremost is the issue of targeting versus relevancy. When an audience member asked if Google would continue to provide highly targeted advertising opportunities over the new mediums served, the response was: "Targeting has always been, and will continue to be, a basic tenet for Google." We all know that targeting is important, but the core of what Google provides is relevancy--namely, relevancy of search results and relevancy of advertisements.

There are infinite reasons why Google has been successful, but the most basic is that it has always focused first on relevancy. This has allowed the company to capitalize on the concept that ads are actually part of the content, not simply a negative externality. Ads served with search results on Google are in some cases more valuable to the searcher than organic results. Ads served by Google on a publisher's Web page add value to the publisher's content through relevancy.

What exactly does relevancy mean? It means that value is added to all members of the advertising ecosystem. The user receives value, the publisher receives value, and ultimately, the advertiser receives value--although none of them have complete control over the process. The question remains; how can you apply this to brand advertisements?

The proposed distribution methods for brand advertisements across vast publisher networks revolve mostly around site targeting and demographic targeting. This is because contextual relevancy/distribution does not apply to brand advertisements in the same way that it applies to transactional advertisements.

Ads on television are 30-second spots between content. Ads online are part of the content. Even more so than on television, online page content "bleeds" onto the brand ad, and in turn the content of the brand ad "bleeds" onto the page. Allowing the advertiser to target gives too much and not enough control at the same time. It says "forget if this is going to add to or detract from the user experience.."

Media Buyers May Become Product Placement Buyers

2006-09-20T11:28:00.000-04:00

According to the PQ Media Global Product Placement Forecast 2006, global paid product placement spending surged 42.2% to $2.21 billion in 2005 with double-digit growth expected to continue in 2006 and beyond. Product placement spending in TV, film and other media is expected to climb another 38.8% to $3.07 billion in 2006, driven by the continued shift toward a paid placement structure from a barter and added-value model.

The US is by far the world's largest paid product placement market at $1.50 billion in 2005, up 48.7%. Additionally, in 2005:

Brazil ranks second with paid placement spending at $285.3 million
Australia at $104.3 million
France ranks fourth
Japan, fifth

Product placement is going non-profit

2006-09-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

"The Wine Makers" on PBS is a battle among 12 individuals for the chance to launch their own label and will find a home on-air in 2007. However, the producers will need to secure 350-plus public-television stations, since the national PBS arm isn't involved.

Top-tier sponsors are being offered a five- to 15-second spot before and after the half-hour show. So far, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, which promotes wine produced on California's central coast, is onboard. Producers are searching for up to three other marketers.

The sponsorship model for "The Wine Makers" is reflective of the new PBS. The network has traditionally relied on underwriters and image advertisers, but with funding sources drying up and competition from cable--for viewers and differentiated content--intensified, bottom-line considerations are key. Pre- and post-roll spots are gaining traction as the inveterate "brought to you by" tags may be losing steam.
Plans call for the eight-episode series to begin with 12 contestants--which will be trimmed to nine in the first episode, and then to six in the next.

The six finalists will then battle it out over the remaining six episodes. The contestants will live together like other reality series, and a rotation of judges specializing in different aspects of the wine business will make the cuts on each episode. Contestants will be tested on the soup-to-nuts of the wine business, from vintage conception to sales and marketing. Producers hope that an insider's view of the industry will be an additional attraction to the competition.
The winning label will be distributed at Whole Foods stores and via Wine.com.

Money is Moving to Entertainment

2006-09-11T12:46:00.000-04:00

The 2006 edition of the Communications Industry Forecast being released this week by Veronis Suhler Stevenson, states that branded entertainment, event marketing and experiential marketing - have emerged as the fastest growing segment of the media economy, outpacing advertising.

At Magnetic Alliance we see firsthand how marketers have changed their definition of media by expanding beyond traditional formats into branded content and product placement. Clearly more clients are seeing the benefits of aligning their brands with entertainment content in every media.

"A lot of the marketing services sectors in the new marketing area are really targeted toward the 18- to 34-year-old. That's where we see the growth in dollars really going forward," says Leo Kivijarv, vice president-research at PQ Media, which helped VSS compile the report. Kivijarv says the new "vehicles" include things like "guerilla marketing, word-of-mouth, experiential media, branded entertainment, product placement and some of the smaller things like mobile marketing and webisodes."

2006-09-06T16:47:00.000-04:00

Wow. GoldenPalace really really gets it. Check out this video for “Lose Control” to see product placement at its best.

Who is the star behind the video? The one and only K-Fed. That’s Mr. Spears for all of you who don’t read US magazine.

In the video, which has been viewed over 250,000 times on YouTube, there is a sudden close up shot midway through the video of a dancer wearing a GoldenPalace.com t-shirt. An online casino in a rap video. You got to give it to GoldenPalace for the interesting and bizarre factor on this one.

2006-09-05T15:33:00.001-04:00

In today’s AdAge, there is a great article on Warner Bros entering the content creation and ownership business. The move by one of the original “content creators” and called ‘Studio 2.0” is being helmed by award-winning ad-industry veteran Rich Rosenthal, who has spent years at Young & Rubicam.

Studio 2.0 will draw from Warner Bros. resources, including on-air and behind-the-camera talent, and Mr. Rosenthal will act as a sort of talent scout. "We view this as a natural extension of what we do every day as content creators, and we're adapting to the digital environment," said Bruce Rosenblum, president of Warner Bros. Television Group. "Since advertisers were intimately involved in the early days of television, it makes sense for them to be involved in this arena, too."

There's no deal in place, but logic suggests programming could be distributed on sibling AOL, and licensed to websites and wireless providers. There's no blueprint for how the partnerships will work, Mr. Rosenblum said, nor is there a business model for financing the programming, though it's expected marketers will help foot the bill through sponsorships, integration fees or co-financing.

2006-09-05T15:33:00.000-04:00

2006-08-31T10:19:00.000-04:00

General Motors Votes Itself "Off the Island"

GM has decided to yank its advertising for the program's upcoming new season. A GM spokesperson said this decision was made around three months ago and that it was not based on the format of the new season which determines its four tribes based on racial lines. GM further stated that sponsoring Survivor just doesn't fit the automaker's business objectives any longer, as it was hard to market automobiles on an island setting. Recent controversy about the show's planned segregation has been leveled at CBS and Survivor creator, Mark Burnett.

Sponsoring controversial programming has always been a hot button for our brand partners but integrating a brand into a show that segregates contestants is clearly a dangerous business decision. However, this decision was probably made in the upfront before the show content had been decided.

Let's see what the viewers decide.

2006-08-28T20:16:00.000-04:00

The successful implementation of “Character Marketing” can help marketers minimize their entertainment integration risks while maximizing their success potential.

Why? Because there is no guarantee of “expected success” on any entertainment project.

For example, “Snakes on a Plane” had huge word-of-mouth buzz but didn’t deliver at the box office. Who would have known that Mel Gibson’s (ha ha ha) “Passion of the Christ” would have been one of the biggest movies ever? Could you have predicted that “Titanic” would have grossed over $1.8 billion or that “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” would make Windex into a celebrity product?

So what can marketers do to protect their investments (investments = $$, time, resources, company standing & ego)?

They can pick projects with characters and themes that fit their marketing strategies. For example, in our last post we discussed how GAP and Pepsi have aligned themselves with stars from the hit HBO show, “Entourage”. So, hypothetically, if the show was a flop….the character’s attitude, looks and fashion would still be of value to the brand.

In another example, Will Ferrell’s character in the NASCAR themed “Taladega Nights” is featured in Sprint stores (if Will likes the phone, we’re sure you will like it too). Life-sized cutouts of Will are sure to sell a phone or two right? The fact that he also took his “character marketing” onto the late night talk circuit is a testament to his relationship/deal with these marketing partners. His branded race suit is a great illustration of using star power before audiences have their box office vote.

Sam Waterston has taken his good-guy persona from “Law & Order” to pitch TD Waterhouse. The fact that his “character marketing” brand has meant so much to his loyal audience is not lost on the trading company’s ethical claims in their commercials. He replaced former L&O castmate Steven Hill as TD's spokesman so the show is also historically aligned with the brand. If it is good enough (or honest enough) for the District Attorney of New York, then it must be honest enough for you.

So what can we learn?

Before you finalize your entertainment marketing partnerships make sure that you are maximizing the role of “character marketing”. So even if the film is a flop, you still will have a job.

2006-08-23T15:11:00.000-04:00

The New York Times features an article today on the power of aligning a brand with a hit show's characters.

A term we call "character marketing". **Disclaimer -we just made up the term but it seems to fit as the public knows little about the actors but "gets" the characters. Can you actually name 4 actors from Entourage?

The HBO series, which completes its third season on Sunday, is not a breakout hit, like its network siblings “Sex and the City” and “The Sopranos.” But the attractive cast, the glamorous show-business story lines and the show’s popularity among men have made “Entourage” — about the picaresque adventures of a young movie star and his posse — appealing to marketers.

Cast members like Kevin Dillon and Jeremy Piven are appearing in campaigns for brands like Diet Pepsi and Gap. Cingular Wireless and HBO produced “mobisodes,” mini-episodes for watching on mobile phones, that feature the cast. And Hyundai Motor America has introduced a minivan called Entourage (although the company calls it a coincidence).

The attraction of marketers to “Entourage” speaks to the continuous interplay between advertising and popular culture. From the so-called golden days of radio to the dawn of network television to today, successful shows have served as a talent pool for potential product peddlers.

Another example is the ABC series “Desperate Housewives,” which is returning for a third season on Sept. 24. Cast members like Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and Nicollette Sheridan are being featured in campaigns for brands like Diet Pepsi, 7Up Plus and Vive from L’Oréal Paris.

2006-08-22T11:51:00.000-04:00

Anheuser-Busch is launching its own in-house film and TV production company. The division will focus on creating short-form programming intended for the web and cell phones. The company has previously developed content for the National Football League preseason games for the St. Louis Rams. The division will be run by VP-Creative Development Jim Schumacher.

Why is this significant? Because the king of beers has a very large wallet- $1.56 billion. We also assume that the company is probably pitched a hefty load of new projects every hour by every content person on the planet. Let’s face it..anything to do with humor, wit, men or sports makes sense for the company's brand so this new department will have to really focus on paying off the company’s communication goals.

2006-08-21T09:16:00.000-04:00

Copywriter Jeff Greenspan created this video for the Huffington Post. The video watches as "the head-writer of FOX's new show goes up against the corporate powers-that-be in an attempt to preserve his creative integrity."

But really, the video features a bottle of Johnson's Baby Sampoo, a bottle of Coke, the scrubbing bubbles guy, an M&M and Jesus as they bicker and bitch about the finer points of product placement. Ahhh..bickering...product placement....and Jesus.

It's Bar Mitzvah Time for Product Placement

2006-08-16T16:43:00.000-04:00

A PQ Media report, scheduled to be released today, predicts that marketers will remain enamored with placing products wherever they can: in movies, television and radio shows; on Web sites; in video games; in lyrics; in newspaper and magazine articles; and even in the plots of novels. Product placement is all grown up.

The New York Times refers to this phenomenon as "ad creep" in which pop culture grows increasingly commercialized. They also report that the practice is gaining popularity overseas.

Spending on paid placements worldwide will reach $3.1 billion this year, the PQ report forecasts, compared with $2.2 billion in 2005. The United States led last year with $1.5 billion in paid placements, the report says, followed by Brazil, Australia, France and Japan.

Is this surprising? Absolutely not.

The value of entertainment integration grows every time a user skips an ad. And if you have a tivo device (I’m sure you do) then you probably skip a lot of ads. Integrations, if done right, are proven to be powerful, malleable, engaging, measurable and just simply....smart marketing.

So the question is how do you find a placement that makes sense for your brand? The answer....identify every opportunity, speak to the producers (see how malleable the content is) and start to brainstorm.

We find that the best ideas are typically not the first ideas. Remember that everyone wants a deal that makes them look like a hero to their stakeholders.

"What do we call Ourselves?

2006-08-07T14:40:00.000-04:00

Over the past five years in our industry - we have truly enjoyed watching the "in" words evolve and chance.

Is it entertainment marketing, product placement, brand integration, branded content, or branded entertainment that we do?

People have such strong feelings about each term. "Are we more than product placement but less than entertainment marketing but past branded content?" So we decided to check the source....Wikipedia.

Here are the only two definitions we found:

Branded entertainment is the combination of an audio-visual programme (TV, radio, podcast, etc.) and a brand. It can be initiated either by the brand or by the broadcaster. The purpose of a branded entertainment programme is first to entertain. The other purpose is to give the opportunity for brands to echo their commercial benefits and the positioning they want to defend.

Originally, branded entertainment started some 50 years ago under the name of "soap operas". Now they have become the way for advertisers to let their messages come across in a "not so commercial" way. This development is one of the consequences of the fragmentation of media and the fact that the traditional 30-second TV spot has become less and less effective to reach consumers fragmented over hundreds of channels and the Internet.

Product placement (PPL) is a promotional tactic used by marketers in which a real commercial product is used in fictional or non-fictional media, and the presence of the product is a result of an economic exchange. When featuring a product is not part of an economic exchange, it is called a product plug. Product placement appears in plays, film, television series, music videos, video-games and books, and is a relatively new idea (first appearing in the 1980's). Product placement occurs with the inclusion of a brand's logo, or a favorable mention or appearance of a product. This is done without disclosure, and under the premise that it is a natural part of the work. Most major movie releases today contain product placements.

Will Ferrell Makes Friends With Brands

2006-08-03T13:46:00.000-04:00

In "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," the film's stars, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Sacha Baron Cohen, are everywhere on-screan and off wearing their favorite brand logos.

They are featured on the talk show circuit, the MTV Movie Awards, movie trailers, posters, print and Web ads and TV commercials. Ferrell even stars in uniform in commercials for Sprint Nextel, sponsors of NASCAR's Nextel Cup series.

None of the brands had to pay integration fees for their placements -- an increasingly common occurrence as brands seek more prominent roles in entertainment content. With Ferrell and "Talladega" co-writer and director Adam McKay writing Wonder Bread, Perrier and dozens of other brands into the script to poke fun at the over-the-top corporate sponsorship in NASCAR races, the filmmakers needed the brands' involvement just as much, if not more, than the brands wanted to be in the film -- a rare occurrence in the branded entertainment space.

"We needed to borrow their equity, too," Sony Pictures executive vp worldwide consumer marketing George Leon said. "Creatively, (the product placement) worked for the film. We benefited from it as well on many levels."

According to a Sony Pictures representative, the studio never asks for integration fees on its films but instead seeks backend promotions. In the case of "Talladega," Wonder Bread's parent company, Interstate Bakeries, committed to an in-store and on-pack promotion in tens of thousands of supermarkets nationwide. Old Spice did a full-scale promotion, spending about $2.3 million on TV spots, print ads, online banner ads and activation around NASCAR racetracks.

From Hollywood Reporter

Inside the World of Tech Product Placement

2006-08-01T19:08:00.000-04:00

Tech brand owners are like many others in seeing the demise of traditional TV and print advertising. But, says Jo Best, they have some magic dust when it comes to product placement.

Kiefer Sutherland uses a Cisco phone. Sharon Stone prefers Mitel. No coincidence, of course - both companies have invested time and more than a few quid to make sure the right, perfectly manicured fingers are wrapped around their handsets.

According to Nate Elliott, analyst at JupiterResearch, the advent of PVRs - devices such as the TiVo, which allow individuals to record vast amounts of TV easily to a hard drive - means more and more of us are skipping traditional ads, forcing marketers to find new ways of getting their products into our glazed eyeballs.

Read the full article

Jessica Simpson is Going HP

2006-07-31T10:29:00.000-04:00

HP is the star in Jessica Simpson's new video A Public Affair for an estimated $200,000. So you want to know what $200,000 gets you?

Word is that HP computers and accessories appear three times during the four-minute music video. Simpson's music video features a string of celebrity cameos. Andy Dick, Ryan Seacrest, Eva Longoria, Christina Applegate and Christina Milian all appear alongside the singer.

Product placement in videos has been a challenge to marketers. MTV has often blurred logos that were too commercial. Even rapper Nelly had to change his "Air Force Ones" video because MTV wouldn't air what it felt was a commercial for Nike.

Shaken Not Stirred for Smirnoff & James Bond

2006-07-26T13:27:00.000-04:00

One of our favorite brand building franchises of all time belongs to the super secret himself, James Bond. And, Smirnoff Vodka is in with the agent himself. Again.

In the Casino Royale film debuting Nov. 17., Smirnoff will be included in TV ads, online, and bar promotions.

“The James Bond and Smirnoff brands have gone hand in hand for more than 40 years, and throughout our rich history together, we have both remained true to our roots—clearly original,” James Thompson, president of Smirnoff global marketing, said in a statement.

Smirnoff first appeared as Bond’s ingredient of choice in 1962’s Dr. No. The brand credits Sean Connery’s bar call as helping shift the primary martini ingredient from gin to vodka.

$$ is Rolling to the Video Screen

2006-07-24T09:48:00.000-04:00

There are 132 million teen and adult gamers in the U.S., with nearly half of all households having a game console. According to the Boston based, Yankee Group, spending on in-game advertising and product placement will reach $730 million by 2010.

So what is behind this trend and does it replicate the movement we see in Holywood?

Activision, Electronic Arts and other companies spend as much as $20 million to develop a blockbuster video game. They can recover some of these cost from in-game product placements. But most deals are now moving to the CPM model. For reference, a videogame ad costs $30 per 1,000 people reached so clearly there are no BMW-sized deals occuring in the industry. Yet.

Our new favorite model is from Moola. Where consumers play against each other for real money for free. Similar to a TV game show, Moola relies on sponsors to enable millions of people to vie for serious amounts of cash and prizes. Sponsors give small amounts of money to millions of people, and then Moola allows those people to compete against one another so that individuals may win more or less, depending on how well they compete.

Simply put, Moola is brilliant. The next generation of advergainment. Try it today.

Billions $$ for Placement

2006-07-21T16:41:00.000-04:00

PQ Media published its new estimate of the total value of product placement in TV and film - an estimated $5.7 billion in 2006 which is nearing the $9.1 billion spent in the annual TV upfront.

That number is an increase over its estimate of the value of product placement in 2005, which was $4.48 billion.

Beware, that this figure is an estimate of equivalent value, not an estimate of money actually spent.

Are they out of whack? Our feeling is it doesn't matter as long as brands and content producers are getting what they need out of their partnerships.

The Meow Reality Show

2006-07-19T16:17:00.000-04:00

Cat food brand Meow Mix has created "the world's first reality show starring cats."

Ten homeless felines from shelters across the United States were flown to New York, where they lived together in a custom-built house in midtown Manhattan from June 13 to June 23. The cats then competed in a series of tongue-in-cheek challenges, including a climb-a-thon and a purring contest, as they vied for a job as 'feline vice president of research and development' at Meow Mix."

You can vote on your favorite, read their bios and check out their feline kitchen.

Product Placement on the Dinner Table

2006-07-18T19:13:00.000-04:00

As I watched the final, final episode of "Six Feet Under" on my HBO on demand, I couldn't stop focusing on the stuff on the table. Although the show was one of my all time favorites, I wondered what wine were they drinking for the occasion? And how did they get that particular wine on the table. Was it the director, the actor or even the boss at HBO?

I researched it and found that it was from the Turnbull Wine Cellars, a Napa Valley wine or an "elegant, special occasion kind of wine."

At the Clos du Val winery in Napa Valley, officials have been pursuing product placement for about five years and calculate appearances of their wines on TV and movie sets have yielded thousands of dollars worth of publicity, said Holly Myers, vice president of marketing.

A successful placing was in the movie "The Terminal," in which Tom Hanks orders a Clos du Val cabernet sauvignon for a romantic dinner.

"It's not something where we're on a major TV show Thursday night and Friday morning our phones are ringing off the hook," Myers said. "For us, it's there as a process, getting your wine into the hands of the right people. Word will kind of spread."

Keeping Product Placement Score at Home

2006-07-17T20:30:00.000-04:00

We just found a new web resource called Brand Hype designed to foster informed debate about product placement in the movies. The site even has a feature called "Movie Mapper," a searchable database of product placements in the movies. Users can search by actor, film title, brandname, etc, to get a full list of product appearances drawn from this growing list of movies.

We typed in Chevy, and ended up at the site for "Orange County". Yeah, the movie with Tom Hank's son and Jon Black but no mention of the Chevy brand (but a Ford mention). Still, for all of us in the business, it's fun to use. Here are my results:

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Orange County (2002), US

The following brands appear in this movie.

At 00:01:00 Stanford University is mentioned by a main character (Shaun Brumder) for 1 seconds. (Shaun Brumder (played by Colin Hanks) is a senior high school student who dreams of going to Stanford University’s English department. Due to an error in his transcript Shaun is not offered admission to Stanford. The plot of the movie revolves around his many attempts to be accepted at this university. Throughout the film this institution is mentioned by a variety of different characters and praised as one of the best schools in America. )

At 00:13:00 Nokia is seen with a main character (Shaun Brumder) for 3 seconds.

At 00:19:00 Nissan is seen behind a main character (Shaun Brumder) for 5 seconds.

At 00:19:00 Porsche is seen behind a main character (Shaun Brumder) for 4 seconds.

At 00:20:00 Fed. Ex. is seen behind a minor character for 4 seconds.

At 00:35:00 Tylenol is mentioned by a minor character for 1 seconds.

At 00:36:00 Stanford University is mentioned by a minor character for 6 seconds. (Shaun is meeting with one of Stanford's board members. The meeting goes catastrophically bad and Shaun is not offered admission to the University. The member of the board of tells Shaun that "Stanford is for the best and the brightest; the future leaders of America. You will never go to Stanford as long as a have a breath in my body".)

At 00:51:00 Ford is seen with a main character (Shaun Brumder) for 4 seconds.

At 01:16:00 Goldfish snack is seen with a minor character for 2 seconds.

Check out some denim - go to a free movie

2006-07-13T08:17:00.000-04:00

Marketers are having a difficult time reaching kids during the summer. So how do they solve it? They align their brand with a theatre chain.

American Eagle Outfitters is promoting their new back to school line with free AMC tickets for trying on their denim. The retailer is offering one free movie ticket to AMC Theatres to the first 1 million customers who try on a pair of the brand's jeans at select American Eagle Outfitters' stores.

Branded Content Mobile Style

2006-07-12T11:05:00.000-04:00

Current TV will be the first network to feature cell phone video content with the launch of Current Mobile. Adding to its viewer created content, Current Mobile will become a regular showcase on the network and it will be sponsored by Sony Ericsson. The content will be short and will capture moments or events instead of full stories. "Phonojournalists" are encouraged to shoot video via their mobile phones and upload the items to Current's online studio.

Who Wants to Manage A Baseball Team?

2006-07-11T11:01:00.000-04:00

Live Planet, MSN and Schematic (intereactive marketing agency) are teaming up to produce a reality baseball site entitled, "Fan Club".

"FAN CLUB: Reality Baseball," is a site all about the Schaumberg Flyers--a minor league baseball team based in Chicago. Users can vote on coaching decisions, including the team roster, the batting order, pitching rotation, trades, and free agent deals. The site will include videos of the Flyers' season, player profiles, game highlights, and behind-the-scenes footage about the players' and coaches' lives. The site will include display ads and streaming video ad placements.

Keith Quinn, executive producer of the interactive series, said that, as things develop, fans will get to vote on more decisions such as ratifying a trade or filling the roster.

"We're going to let the fans do as much as we can," Quinn said. "But we won't have players playing positions they can't play -- like a catcher playing shortstop or centerfield."

What brand will own this opportunity?

Get Real by A&E Television

2006-07-10T17:46:00.000-04:00

That real person in that real show on A&E is really holding a real product.

A&E is going all out in product placement. One of the tattoo artists on "Inked" will get a new Dodge Caliber to replace his beloved but beat-up older Dodge. The character, Dizzle, gets kidded about his old Dodge, leading to the idea of having the head of the tattoo parlor give him a sharp new ride. Dodge supplied the car while A&E supplied the viewers.

Dodge also will be the sponsor of the show's premiere episodes and get category exclusivity in them. The network will create special promos for the Caliber episode using footage from the show, and Dodge will be tagged on TV and print tune-in ads.

KFC will also get category exclusivity as sponsor of premier episodes of "Driving Force," - the family will eat KFC at home and brand the car with KFC.

So, is product placement better in reality programming or is it just easier? Only sales will tell.

Can Your Brand Stay Up Late?

2006-07-06T17:34:00.000-04:00

As most players in the product placement field continue to focus on prime time, morning shows and soaps for integration, some brands are choosing to stay-up late.

Yamaha musical instruments is the most-seen brand on the three late-night shows tracked by TNS Media Intelligence: CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman, NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. I guess it does pay to give musicians free gear.

Pontiac, Coors, Toyota and Nike sneakers are also omnipresent in the world of late night placements (Pontiac and Coors sponsor musical acts on Kimmel, and Toyota has done the same on Leno).

And lets not forget Letterman's Hello Deli which recevied more name mentions than the number 1 soft drink in the world.

Think Like A Marketing Genius - Act Like A Celebrity Chef

2006-06-29T19:12:00.000-04:00

Watching the Early Show on CBS this morning, I realized that celebrity chefs are great marketers of themselves.

Yes, Batalli, Emeril, Ray, and Flay all know how to get themselves on the tube. Not on the nightly gossip shows with the Pitts or the Spears, but on morning news programs. They are successfully able to integrate their personal brand into daily news content. From this platform, they are able to market their restaurants, their cookbooks, their products and anything else they can think of selling. Even Rachael Ray has taken her brand into Oprah land.

So the next time you want to launch a product or get some free television exposure, think what Flay, Ray, Emeril or Batalli would do.

World Cup Sex Toys?

2006-06-22T20:46:00.000-04:00

We are firm believers in using the power of content to drive product sales so we had to bring this to our audience.

World Cup-themed sex toys and apparel are here. At Beate Uhse, Germany’s erotic superstore, the company is selling six “sporty vibrators,” tight-fitting soccer jerseys for women and an “erotic energy drink,” guaranteeing “an erotic home game that is a lot more exciting than any football tournament.”

And did we mention that they have also taken a dabble into branded content?

A specially filmed "World Cup Porno" DVD consists of the following plot: A group of men have been stricken by football fever and are neglecting their girlfriends, who promptly solve the problem by slipping on sexy football shirts to make themselves irresistible once again. The film's main star, 'Manuel', is a real football player from a regional German division, boasts the retailer.

Got to love the World Cup!

The Treasure is the Text Message

2006-06-19T12:43:00.000-04:00

Last night's two hour premiere on NBC for "Treasure Hunters" was full of product integration. Motorola ROKR phones, Ask.com, Orbitz, and Genworth Financial to name a few. Magellan GPS systems were also featured on the homepage. The show, like the upcoming "Gold Rush" on CBS and AOL allows and encourages viewers to play at home.

In this fast-paced adventure reality series, multi-player teams try to stay one step ahead of each other as they are mentally and physically challenged in their quest of a promised hidden treasure. The teams must avoid elimination as they travel to historically significant locations where they must decipher cryptic codes and puzzles, each with a clue leading them closer to solving the ultimate puzzle, and obtaining the coveted grand prize.

Our favorite is a play to win your own treasure for $10,000. During the Treasure Hunters broadcast, watch for the prompt to enter. Then, type 51515 with your answer to the on-air question.

Looks like they are taking a page out of the "Deal or No Deal" book in which the producers and network make millions off a simple text promotion.

Bob, is the Price Right for My Brand?

2006-06-14T22:31:00.000-04:00

Great posting on Adjabs on how to figure out product placement on The Price is Right.

Some of the product placements on the show are paid for by the manufacturer, but they can't fill all the grocery slots with paid placements. Because of this, some products are just bought by staff members at local supermarkets.

So how can you tell which is which? TPiR fan site Golden-Road.net helps break the code: if the announcer mentions the product's name and has a descriptive paragraph, it's a pretty safe bet that the vendor paid for that plug. If he reads a short sentence and the product is not named, it was bought in the supermarket.

Hard Cover Product Placement

2006-06-12T21:19:00.000-04:00

Beinggirl.com & Cover Girl have struck a marketing partnership with the publishers of "Cathy's Book," in which the Cover Girl product is integrated organically into the story. The story is about an aspiring artist who is trying to find out why her boyfriend broke up with her.

The authors, Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman, had already written “Cathy’s Book” when their agent showed the manuscript to Maurice Coffey at Procter & Gamble (who own Cover Girl).

Although we have found very little activity in the world of adolescent hardcover product placement, this book, aimed at female adolescents, could raise serious questions about the target audience.

Beinggirl.com will begin promoting the book in banner ads on the site in August, with links to cartoons drawn by Cathy's character. Will the audience embrace this story and its product or will parents pressure the marketer to stop?

Just a World Cup Thought

2006-06-11T10:31:00.000-04:00

With the explosion of World Cup Soccer this summer, why aren't any of the studios or independents launching their own soccer films?

Companies are expected to spend more than $1 billion on advertising -- not including sponsorship fees, and marketing and hospitality -- during the 2006 World Cup. "There is no real sporting event like this in the world in regard to massive global exposure," says Salvatore Galatioto, president of Galatioto Sports Partners, a New York investment firm. "It's going to spur sales of all kinds."

Germany's Adidas-Salomon (ADDYY) is shelling out close to $200 million, while Oregon-based Nike (NKE) is spending more than $100 million on various campaigns to peddle sneakers, soccer boots, jerseys, soccer balls, and T-shirts.Soure: Business Week

Clearly with this amount of money flowing into the world of soccer, there is an opportunity for a smart brand to develop a tv or film property to capture the passion of every soccer fan.

NASCAR GOES PIXAR

2006-06-09T15:01:00.000-04:00

This weekend the Piston Cup will be bigger than the Indianapolis 500.
The Piston Cup is the big race in Pixar's new movie "Cars," which hits thousands of theaters across the nation today.

"Cars" should be very good news for the auto racing industry, which admits that it has challenges attracting young fans the way other sports do. Even though NASCAR has become the second most popular spectator sport in the country, its officials admit they have a disadvantage competing with other sports for the attention and loyalties of kids.

Has Trump Lost His Product Placement?

2006-06-07T21:24:00.000-04:00

Great post on AdJabs and MediaPost on how 'Apprectice' integration is now on the clearance rack. Mark Burnett Productions has a unique deal with NBC where it gets to sell the product integration packages and keep the revenues.

According to sources, producers have cut the price from $2 to 3 million down to $1.5 to 1 million. But will advertisers still pay? In a media world where brands always want 'something out of the box', will the sixth season set in Los Angeles find enough advertiser love? Our bet is that smaller brands will enter as the marketing innovators will put their funds into newer shows.

New Dating Product Placement

2006-06-04T14:22:00.000-04:00

PerfectMatch.com & Lifetime are partnering together for the new comedy 'Lovespring International'. The show involves a dating service who is constantly losing clients to PerfectMatch, a fact that gets frequent mentions in the episodes.

The deal is for the entire 13 show with separate ad purchases for both partners. PerfectMatch has bought ad time during the show and Lifetime will run ads on PerfectMatch's website.

Read more in New York Times

The TV Clutter Problem

2006-06-01T21:49:00.000-04:00

In a new article entitled, "Product Placement Fueling TV Clutter, Brands Now Present More Than Half The Time," marketing messages account for 35 percent of every hour in prime time. In the first quarter of 2006, an average hour in prime time included more than 17 minutes of commercials and over three minutes of product integrations--accounting for the 35 percent figure, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

Reality shows on average had more than triple the product integration time of dramas and comedies. On average, unscripted shows devoted seven minutes and 39 seconds to branded integration, while scripted programs came in at two minutes and eight seconds.

Brand Appearances, Advertising Per Network TV Hour

-----Minutes:Seconds Per Hour------

Brand Ad Brand/Ad

Appearances Messages Total

Network Prime-Time Average 3:22 17:38 21:00

Unscripted Programs 7:39 18:06 25:45

Scripted Programs 2:08 17:31 19:39

Network Late Night Average* 8:41 22:46 31:27

Source: Source: TNS Media Intelligence, First quarter 2006. Ad messages include network and local commercial time, promos and PSAs. *Includes "Leno," "Letterman," "Kimmel."

Top Shows In Terms Of Brand Appearances/Ad Clutter

-----Minutes:Seconds Per Hour------

Brand Ad Brand/Ad

Appearances Messages Total

Oscar Countdown (ABC) 31:28 17:50 49:18

Price Is Right/Million Dollar (CBS) 28:08 16:25 44:33

Biggest Loser (NBC) 22:48 17:56 40:44

American Idol (Fox) 21:29 18:57 40:26

Get This Party Started (UPN) 18:38 18:35 37:13

Amazing Race 9 (CBS) 17:32 16:27 33:59

King of Queens (CBS) 10:56 17:03 27:59

Yes, Dear (CBS) 10:22 16:17 26:39

Source: Source: TNS Media Intelligence, First quarter 2006. Ad messages include network and local commercial time, promos and PSAs.

Rescue Me

2006-05-30T18:40:00.000-04:00

Check out the new promotion for the FX show “Rescue Me” which starts its 4th season tonight. The show starring Denis Leary has taken over Times Square and has been premiering its new comedy short on the Reuters Sign every 15 minutes.

“Rescue Me” has partnered with music acts to make the show more relevant and engaging to its target audience. The website offers free mp3 downloads of the new Stereophonics song, “Just a Dream,” a custom radio channel, music videos, and Denis Leary’s liner notes on how music is chosen for the show. The interactive music lounge is powered by Alltel wireless.

McMansion Product Placement

2006-05-24T19:40:00.000-04:00

Jayma Cardosa and Jamie Mulholland, who co-own Manhattan's Cain nightclub are launching the Cain Estate in Southampton, which will drive even more business to their other club, Cain Southampton.

The Cain Estate is a McMansion built on a cul-de-sac but the house is brought to you by Jaguar, Perrier Jouet Champagne, Verizon, V1 jets, Sony, the Gym Source, Perroni beer, Maurice Villency, Nicole Miller, "Full Frontal Fashion" and Rizzoli books - all providing their wares to the estate's "elite" guests.

From the NYPost

Gold Rushing on CBS & AOL

2006-05-23T18:13:00.000-04:00

When 13 armormed trucks leave with more than $2 million in gold, America will know that Mark Burnett's new reality show, 'Gold Rush' has begun.

In order to track down the gold, viewers must watch CBS series and on AOL.com. Viewers participate in both online in-game experiences and in a real-world hunt. In addition, advertisers will have the opportunity to embed clues in their ads during the network's upfront presentation.

Content Wraps

2006-05-22T18:25:00.000-04:00

The all new CW network has announced plans for the all new "Content Wraps." Advertisers will be able to work with the network to produce content that one advertiser can sponsor. The stories will unfold over the course of a show in an attempt to get viewers to "put down" their TiVo remote controls.

We look forward to seeing how this comes to life and if the Content Wraps are leveraged via in-show placements or sponsored podcasts.

New Product Placement Companies Don't Get It

2006-05-18T21:10:00.000-04:00

It is worthwhile to note an error in this week’s Madison and Vine article, "New Online Service Lets Marketers Hunt for Integration Deals."

The article incorrectly states that two new online product placement companies were first to market this year. Ahhh….not exactly. Our company, Magnetic Alliance, which we are proud to be a part of was launched over 3 years ago. Hummm, can you say late to the party?

We would argue that the space has shifted from a product placement intensive industry where the focus of brands is to get their products on screen, to more elaborate partnerships between content producers. It’s all about generating viewer engagement by leveraging the equity of content.

Let’s face it, the advances in digital content create some far more exciting opportunities for marketers to leverage entertainment properties than just sticking products on sets. Besides, product placement is not a profit center for a studio the way that ticket sales and content distribution generate revenues. So, it’s all about ‘deep partnerships’. Clearly, the evolution of these marketing techniques makes a system focused on avails somewhat irrelevant in today’s industry. It's like being invited to a party but not knowing the address.

Magnetic Alliance was the first to bring an online collaboration technology to the archaic rolodex-driven product placement industry. As industry leaders, we have shifted our focus to collaborative partnerships between advertisers and content producers while still using a proprietary software technology solution. Magnetic Alliance customers don't care about one-off product placement opportunities and none of them would ever bid for an avail.

It's all about matching advertiser’s brand essence with the thematic relevance of content. It's all about being creative. It's all about your entertainment strategy. It's all about industry knowledge. It's all about deal experience. It's all about being 'Magnetic'.

In-Game Advertising Heats Up

2006-05-15T20:52:00.000-04:00

The in-game product placement marketplace is heating up!

After last weeks surprise announcement that Microsoft is buying Massive(in-game ad management platform and network) for millions, we knew that it was just a matter of time before the acquisition in-game marketplace heated up.

Double Fusion is buying Eiko Media, an in-game agency specializing in storyline integrations. Eiko closed over $1 million in integration deals in the past year, according to founder, Ashley Swartz.

The Battle Between Studios & Digital Media

2006-05-14T18:22:00.000-04:00

Watching TV & film studios learn to profit in the world of digital media has become an obsessive hobby to many. The major players in both industries are figuring out how to live in a world where content and brands are ubiquitous. Today's New York Times article examines a recent debate over the show "24."

Until recently, that model worked something like this: a studio sold the initial rights to broadcast a program to a network within its own company or that of a competitor, usually for far less money than it had cost to make the show. The studio then waited patiently for the time, probably four years later, when the network's exclusive right to broadcast those episodes would end, thus allowing the studio to sell the show in syndication and not only erase the deficit but hopefully turn a profit.

But opportunities to get that material into ancillary markets much sooner — on DVD, as well as, more recently, via the Web and cellphones — have emerged as potential new sources of revenue for the studios that produce that content. But negotiations over how exactly to get a show to the point that it can be downloaded onto someone's iPod, for example, have created new tensions between studios and networks, including over how to share the additional revenue. Web revenue is small now, but if it ever approaches the scale of some series on DVD, the prize could be substantial.

The question of how to divide the profits from emerging media formats will continue to dominate the trades. Production companies and networks are dedicated to putting their content on as many platforms as possible.

Ford Becomes A Producer

2006-05-04T08:05:00.000-04:00

Ford is starting to act a lot like an independent producer. The company has played a 2 minute episode of a new car designing reality show to their top 50 dealers.
The film was developed by Ford's lead agency, WPP Group's JWT in Detroit.

Ford's affinity for reality television has paid off in its sponsorship of American Idol, a relationship that will continue next year. It will be interesting to see how Ford uses its media power to get their show on the air.

Honda "Fits" On The Web

2006-05-02T19:15:00.000-04:00

Honda is sponsoring an original reality show created for the Web to drive awareness for its new hatchback, "The Fit."

"Cube Fabulous" is all about renovating office workers' cubicles and there have been six five-minute episodes produced to date. The first will go live May 15, with a new installment launching every two weeks.

The agency RPA created the ads and arranged for the sponsorship while Broadband Enterprises will syndicate the Webisodes. The goal, said Matt Wasserlauf, CEO of Broadband Enterprises, is to serve 100 million views to a total of 10 million unique users. The company is targeting consumers between the ages of 18 and 34.

Product Placement Search Engine

2006-04-30T19:53:00.000-04:00

ThoughtWorthy Media has launched a new online vertical search engine for televised product placement, music, spot advertising, and all other TV merchandising relationships. The search engine promises to provide viewers with the technology to identify the music, clothes, cosmetics, cars, electronics, and jewelry that either appeared in or were inspired by the latest episodes of their favorite TV shows, music videos, movies, and commercials. They can then write reviews praising those product placements that worked and criticizing those that didn't. In addition, viewers can purchase any items after their on-screen product appearance.

"What viewers often and justifiably complain about today isn't the amount of product placement on TV, but rather the amount of brand placement," said Daniel P. Swartz, founder, chairman, and CEO of ThoughtWorthy Media. "Product placement is a good thing. A beautiful car is a beautiful car and a stylish sweater is a stylish sweater. Consumers want both. What viewers have a problem with, however, is a close-up shot of a soda can or some terribly forced line of dialogue containing the mention of an advertiser's brand name."

Mission Impossible - Product Placement

2006-04-28T12:41:00.000-04:00

Mission: Impossible III is set to hit theatres next month with the Land Rover LR3 ousting the GM-owned Hummer for the starring automobile placement.

Word is that the producers thought the Ford Land Rover was the right SUV for the film due to its boxy-shape. Us in the industry would bet that the deal had a few dollars behind it.

Does Tom Cruise still have the “star integration power” that he once had? Tom’s black Rayban sunglasses that he showcased with his young suburban innocence in “Risky Business” still deserves being credited as one of the product placement industry’s greatest film moments.

Ad-Supported Mobisodes

2006-04-24T21:03:00.000-04:00

Fox is introducing "Prison Break" mobisodes that will be ad-supported.

In doing so, Fox has created the first-ever ad-supported scripted mobisodes that can be viewed on users' cellphones. Toyota will sponsor the episodes and each mobisode will feature a :10 second ad before it begins. The mobisodes begin today and new mobisodes will be available three times a week.

Toyota will also have category exclusivity during several "Prison Break."

Why does Apple get so much attention in Hollywood?

2006-04-23T16:40:00.000-04:00

A recent report by Nielsen Media Research found that Apple's products were mentioned or viewed 250 times over the past four months on TV shows. Apple received more than four minutes of exposure to audiences of "The Office" alone. CBS's "CSI: NY," Fox's "24" and NBC's "Las Vegas," all had significant Apple product integrations.

Why does Apple get so much attention from Hollywood?
The answer:
1) Its products are cool. Writers and set designers like the way Apple products makes their characters and sets feel and look. Think Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex in the City.”
2) Apple was one of the first companies to embrace Hollywood and has a long history in the industry
3) Writers use Apple products. The lesson here is that all brands NEED to have a Hollywood integration strategy. The earlier in the process of creating the content a brand can integrate, the better their placement will be.

Imagine not paying for 250 mentions on prime time television in four months. With the right Hollywood strategy, your brand could be the next Apple.

Comic Books

2006-04-21T08:46:00.000-04:00

Great article on AdJabs

Both Marvel and DC, the two largest comic book publishers, have signed deals that will integrate product placement in the issues of some of their titles. DC will have a new hero called The Rush drive a Pontiac that the publisher says is just as important to that character as the Aston Martin is to James Bond. Marvel is jumping in whole hog by putting the Nike swoosh logo in a variety of places such as car doors and character t-shirts. Pontiac has also partnered wth Marvel in a deal that will have their cars appear in some titles. The product placement deals also include print ad buys. The whole thing is largely because the comics industry has been selling itself less and less as a kids thing and more and more a hobby of 20-something guys. That's roughly the same demographic as the one constantly being sought out by advertisers so the partnership is a natural fit for both parties.

$2 Billion for In-Game Advertising?

2006-04-12T18:57:00.000-04:00

One of the leading in-game marketing companies announced during the second annual Advertising in Games conference in New York City that the industry will reach between $1.8 billion by 2010. This would account for nearly 3% of total media spending and is much larger than forecasts from JupiterResearch and The Yankee Group.

It is incredibly difficult to predict an industry size for in-game marketing since publishers make their profits from game sales and not advertising partners. If the industry becomes too big, and consumers rebel, there is a very strong case that publishers would drop all in-game marketing.

Time will tell.

Web Series Product Placement

2006-04-12T18:48:00.000-04:00

ClickZ News reports that PersonalScreen Media is in discussions with a number of TV networks in order to strike a distribution deal for "In Men We Trust." The show, a female focused original Web drama is a series of seven-minute video episodes with plenty of product placement.

The show, "In Men We Trust" is about single women in the big city and features a video player that displays a dialogue bubble on the right hand of the video window. The company claims to have integrated clothing and restaurant brands into the web series and is looking for a variety of different brand partners.

"We had less than a month to sell advertisers on a concept that they weren't clear on exactly," said Amato, explaining why the company's first series featured so few product integrations. "We actually have a lot of advertisers that are interested in subsequent shows that couldn't move fast enough for this one."
"In Men We Trust" was shot on digital video, with production costs running just under $400,000. The director of photography used 35 millimeter lenses on a video camera in an effort to give it a "film feel," said Amato.
PersonalScreen hopes to strike such a deal and get "In Men We Trust" online by mid-May. Initial plans are for a new episode to be posted every week.

The OC's College Product Placement

2006-04-09T21:04:00.000-04:00

On the last episode of "The OC" the main characters were awaiting their acceptance letters from their dream colleges. The episode got us thinking about product placement in the world of higher education.

Higher education typically teaches marketing but doesn’t always practice the best marketing principles. What could be a better platform for marketing your college than a show about “cool and hip” high school students who are about to attend college? The episode even featured a “wear the college sweatshirt you are going to bonfire”. A dream placement that was probably facilitated by the best brand ambassadors a brand could have…Hollywood writers.

Everyone who watches “The OC” knows that Seth Cohen has dedicated his high school years to getting in and attending Brown University. So for the last two years we have followed Seth getting A’s in school, joining clubs to help his application and talking about his Brown dream incessantly. This makes this an incredible placement for Brown, even though Seth doesn’t get in while his girlfriend Summer makes the cut.

Does it matter? We don’t think so. Seth has only improved the “velvet rope” image of the Brown brand to his legion of Penguin shirt wearing, Death Cab listening fans. We will anxiously await to see if Brown experiences an increase in applications from the placement or if fans are ticked off about Seth’s rejection.

Burger King

2006-04-03T21:57:00.000-04:00

Burger King's Have It Your Way, is being integrated into FOX's new show Unan1mous. They have created a "Have It Your Way confessional" where contestants can express their strategies. Unan1mous will have further extension in the FOX produced Mobisodes, a series of 18 original shorts available via Sprint video phones and sponsored by Burger King. Within FOX.com the Unan1mous website will contain unique content from the show.

Hollywood Reporter

2006-03-30T21:16:00.000-05:00

A must read from the Hollywood Reporter:

March 28, 2006
The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter: Gayle, your MSN job description says you "develop entertainment experiences that forge an emotional connection between the brand and the consumer." Can you explain that to us?

Gayle Troberman: (Laughs) Sure. When we think about branded entertainment in the online medium, in the MSN network, we think first about being where that consumer is and understanding what their lifestyle is in this new medium. Then you think about: How can you — whether your product is a movie you're trying to launch and make people aware of, or it's a soda, or a car — how can you create a connection? The first rule that we look at is, you've got to give the consumer a reason to want to bring you into a world that's increasingly personal. Whether it's my buddy list, my space, my digital photos or my music, this medium's incredibly personal — so the first thing we think about is getting invited in.

Earlier, we showed some examples of work we've been doing with Warner Bros. to leverage things like an instant-messaging platform, to have a consumer choose to take your movie in — that content — and represent it back out to their world. So you enable self-expression — "That movie's cool; that's interesting. I got it first; let me project that out" — and become your own grass-roots marketer.

Being invited in is key. And then the second thing to think about in terms of forging an emotional connection in the interactive medium is that it is interactive. We're missing the mark so often when all we do is put a static message out there or just show a trailer online, when the power of the medium — and if you want to create an emotional connection with that consumer — is (to) let them shape that trailer, let them build that trailer, let them be part of that trailer, let them insert their photo into that. Let them become part of the experience because in this medium, communication is nonlinear and participatory.

If you want an emotional connection, there's no better way to do that than by letting the consumer actually shape or be part of that experience. Those are kind of the principles that forge the best emotional connections, and when you look at the results, they're kind of off the chart when you think about people who have been through these types of participatory experiences for a Sprite or a Volvo. Their connections to those brands — the numbers are just dramatically different than those who haven't experienced brands (that way).

THR: Russell, have you been checking into this area at New Line, in terms of finding innovative ways to stick to the consumer?

Russell Schwartz: Yeah, to Gail's point, last year we actually launched a "You can be in 'Wedding Crashers'" trailer online — sort of (like) our Budweiser commercial, where you actually crash the trailer. You were able to go online, go onto the site and take pictures of yourself, your friends, George Bush, Condoleezza Rice — whoever — and you can become Vince (Vaughn), you can become Owen (Wilson), or you could become Isla Fisher. That classic line, "I never thought my first time would be on a beach," (there were) 3 million unique trailers passed along. It was extraordinary, and we have a whole bunch of other things like that going on right now.

THR: Amy, you're the interactive guru at Paramount. How important is Internet marketing at your studio?

Amy Powell: It's extremely important and becoming more so every day. Innovative filmmakers will come to us first and say, "How can we look at interactive marketing first and foremost, before we even look at what we're doing for a trailer or a one-sheet?" They're really involved with creating the materials for online, first and foremost. Before a film's even being greenlighted, we're often going to the production and the filmmakers and saying, "How can we garner your fans online and work with them for you?"

A great example is "Nacho Libre," a new comedy starring Jack Black. We actually went down to Oaxaca (Mexico), brought Jack a camera and asked him to start taping his own confessionals from the set. Every day, he would go into his little confessional and actually record what was going on that day — a very hysterical, you could say, promotion that we're putting together that we're launching exclusively with (Apple's) iTunes, and then it will go broader thereafter. It's really a behind-the-scenes look at what's going on from the filmmaker's perspective and allows a very open dialogue between the filmmaker and the talent — and their fans and moviegoers — without being censored by a journalist.

Tom Cruise is another example who really recognizes the importance of online. For "Mission: Impossible 3," he wanted to reach out to his fans before any traditional journalist was able to talk to him, and he has given us tons of exclusive content that we're working with and planning partnerships to promote, including with Yahoo!

THR: Vince, tell us more about that.

Vince Messina: The specifics of what we're working on with Paramount I can't talk about here, but I do want to jump on a point that Amy mentioned before, and I agree: Filmmakers are now more interested in working with the marketing departments in studios on interactive campaigns. I think part of that is the fact that it is very much a generational media, and as Gayle pointed out, it is all about engagement, it is all about being interactive — the user feels like they own the media. That means that the challenge to marketers is to make sure that when they get the message across, they're doing it in a way that the user is invited in. If you violate that, the reaction can be quite negative. So understanding that line — when we talk about engagement and we talk about involvement, when we talk about manipulating content to help create the message — the user feels like they have a stake in that for the first time.

It's always challenging for marketers to make sure that they ride those lines but don't push users away — part of that is a generational thing — and when creative executives come in and say, "We'd like to talk to you about an interactive marketing campaign," part of that is the question of the fact that that's where they're spending their media (time). There's a generation of folks now that are between the ages of say, 24 and 34, that the Web is very much a part of their lives. They use it every day — it's less other media, or at least not as much of other media — and the Web represents more of the time that they spend entertaining themselves, so it's only natural that they would turn to companies that they work with and say, "Hey, I spend three hours a day doing this; what are we doing in this space?"

THR: Ken, you at Starbucks recently made your first movie deal with Lionsgate to promote "Akeelah and the Bee." Can you give us some background on the Hear Music audio line, your chain's initial foray into entertainment?

Ken Lombard: I think it's important to start with our overall strategy: What we're trying to do is really build Starbucks into a destination for our customers. And when you think about our customers and their needs, that is really what Starbucks is all about. A lot of people think that we're in the coffee business, but frankly, we're in the people business, and we just happen to be serving coffee. We're now up to about 10,400 stores, and we open up five stores a day throughout the world. We've got over 40 million customers a week, and as important as anything is the frequency that our customers visit us. The core Starbucks customer is coming in up to 18 times a month, so from a retailer perspective, we are considered, if not the most-frequently visited retailer in the world, one of the most-frequently visited retailers.

We've started our (entertainment) strategy with music, and we were able to come in and get a tremendous amount of support from the labels, as they recognized that what we are doing is providing artists an opportunity to expose our customers to music in a way that's already part of their daily routine. With "Akeelah and the Bee," you won't see one trailer in our store, (and) you won't see one one-sheet. Our marketing group has come up with a very elegant way to go about exposing our customers: It's all about attempting to build awareness. We're going to take advantage of opportunities that we have in terms of leveraging our assets to really monetize the environment we have and the exposure that we can provide. The traditional model with a promotional partner is that they pay for some product placement, which we don't do — we have no dollars invested in this film. What we were able to provide Lionsgate and this film is a tremendous amount of exposure that they typically would not get — and do it in a way that they felt warranted a partnership participation in the film. That's our model going forward.

THR: So a gross participation in the film. Are you going to be selling DVDs?

Lombard: DVD is not a part of our deal, but the soundtrack is. We are not going to move the kind of numbers that the big-box retailers move on the DVD sales, so as we sat and did our due diligence, trying to figure out how we can add the most value, we structured a deal that we think will result in increased performance at the boxoffice for "Akeelah." Three times a year, we are going to do this. It's going to be very selective, on smaller films where we really feel we can add value. On a blockbuster, you really don't need it.

THR: Russell, you came prepared with a sheaf of information. Can you share some of your factoids about Internet and mobile spending?

Schwartz: The percentage of time spent on one medium while doing something else — in other words, how many people are multitasking — it's ridiculous: Telephone, Web, computer, cell phone and book are all 60%-70%. In other words, everybody who's doing that, 60%-70% of them are also doing something else — (and) telephone is almost 90%. The idea of multitasking certainly fits in with what we're talking about. These kids are multitasking. How do we get them to multitask over to us? The other really interesting thing is the importance of the mobile phone. The question was, for 18- to 24-year-olds, which I guess is Gen Y: If you had to give up everything in your life and keep one thing, what would it be? The answer was mobile phones. And the first thing to go would be newspapers.

Troberman: On the multitasking, we have a statistic we use a lot, which just blows my mind, which is that the average 35- to 54-year-old can handle 1.3 things at once — when you think about platforms, whether it's text-messaging and (instant-messaging) or phone and e-mail, any of those pairings of kind of media uses together. The average teen can handle effectively — not just as doing, but can handle and can actually accomplish everything they want to — 4.3 things at once. So they're text-messaging while they're IM-ing, they've got three conversation windows open, and they're watching a video. We don't think about that a whole bunch when we create marketing and advertising and content for those audiences, but it's just astounding how differently they're going to consume media.

THR: Let's talk about mobile phones. What is the future of trailers and reaching kids through mobile phones?

Schwartz: There are so many options. Let's not forget television, which is probably going to be just as prevalent as online. And cell phones, I think once they get more interactive — to the point where you can download your shows or upload shows or interact with shows — it's going to get even more interesting. In America, we've accumulated 281 million televisions in 50 years, 180 million computers in 20 years and 203 million cell phones in just 10 years. That really puts it in perspective.

Messina: There's an interesting figure: Worldwide, there are about 800 million PCs and about 2 billion cell phones. If you want to get a glimpse at the growth of interactivity on cell phones in the U.S., you can look overseas. More than half the people overseas have never used a PC to access the Internet — their access has been through a mobile device.

Troberman: It's a phenomenon. Mobile, game consoles, PCs, IM-ing — these are new platforms for (movie marketers), and in some ways you have to think of them as distribution vehicles, but secondly, you have to think about them from a content and experiential standpoint and what's appropriate, versus the first thing we always do is drop our trailers or some content there. The next thing is: How can we integrate them to be part of that experience?

The gaming statistics — IM-ing and gaming — when you talk to marketers, they say, "Oh, that's for teens, and if it's a teen movie, we should absolutely do it." But those are becoming older, mainstream entertainment activities — they're happening for 28-, 30-, 35-year-old men and women. You have to think of them not only as distribution opportunities but also as a new, rich, creative palette. What can you do in games? How can you insert your films and become part of those experiences? There's so much more potential.

Bamzu

2006-03-29T18:57:00.000-05:00

Watching television this weekend I saw a great ad for a new website called, bamzu.com, a Turner Broadcasting shopping experience. The channels included on the site are CNN, Headline News, TBS, TNT, Turner South and the Cartoon Network.

The site enables viewers of the channels to search, identify and purchase brands from all of the Turner Broadcasting advertisers. Bamzu then sends your purchase request to an independent merchant for fulfillment while providing the customer with a tracking number.

As marketers continue to demand ROI measurement, media partners will look to create their own "measurement nets" with which to capture and track all potential sales activity.

The Hollywood Economist

2006-03-27T20:17:00.000-05:00

This article by Edward Jay Epstein from Slate Magazine is a must read.

"A front-page article in the Wall Street Journal recently cited the on-screen brand choices of two movie stars—Steve Martin driving a Mercedes Benz S-Class sedan in Shopgirl and Matthew Broderick driving one in The Stepford Wives—as empirical evidence that this model of Mercedes "has practically become an icon for corporate chieftains, movie stars and diplomats." Since it was not the movie stars themselves who drive Mercedes but their fictional characters, all the front-page mention demonstrates is how effective product placement can be in the movies.

The casting of cars goes back to the 1974 James Bond film The Man With the Golden Gun, whose producer, Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, made a deal to use American Motors vehicles in all the chase scenes in exchange for advertising dollars to promote the movie. The function of such product placement is to subtly associate the car brand with a class of people. Hence the choice of Chrysler Jeeps in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 2; Audis in I, Robot and The Transporter 2; General Motors cars in The Matrix Reloaded; and Ford cars on the television shows The X-Files and 24. Product placement now includes products ranging from Apple computers in Mission: Impossible to Nokia phones in The Saint to almost any brand mentioned on NBC's The Apprentice.

The persistence of a brand in a studio's movies often signifies nothing more than a package deal. The Weinstein Company, for example, entered into a multiyear marketing alliance with L'Oréal Paris, the world's largest "beauty" brand, that will result in the "integration" of L'Oréal's products into the Weinstein brothers' movies. And, with digital technology, even if a L'Oréal product was not shot during a particular scene, it can be inserted later (as is now being done with old TV series). One successful producer, whose movies have been distributed by the Weinstein brothers, noted in an e-mail: "Product placement gigs will become a major source of production financing in the future, in which a movie provides a controlled world of good-looking stars wearing a certain brand of clothing for an hour and a half, in exchange for which the brand manufacturer pays for a large share of the production."

Product placement, though at a much smaller (and discrete) scale, has a long history in Hollywood. In the 1930s, De Beers, for example, had its agents give studio executives sample diamonds to use in roles that showed women being swayed by the gift of a diamond jewel. Not uncommonly, the diamonds were never returned. As brands took on more global significance, product placement became more open—and routine. Most product placements nowadays are barter deals. A manufacturer finances a cross-promotional ad campaign in return for their product being placed in a movie. In the recent James Bond movies, such as Die Another Day and The World Is Not Enough, for example, such deals were valued at over $30 million dollars. Cash deals are much rarer—and minuscule by comparison—but can prove useful in covering unforeseen contingencies. In Terminator 3, for example, the cash committed for product placements was used to guarantee the deferred part of Jonathan Mostow's $4,960,000 director's fee.

Not all product placement deals accrue to the profit of the production itself. In the case of Natural Born Killers, for example, a producer arranged for the director Oliver Stone and other members of the production to get two free pairs of cowboy boots in return for showing the boots' brand name, Abilene, on a truck passing by the open convertible driven by the character Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis). This meant that the two vehicles—Mallory's car and the Abilene boot truck—coming from opposite directions, had to arrive in front of the camera at precisely the same time. Over and over again, both drivers, starting their approach a half mile apart, had to be cued with walkie-talkies as the camera, which was mounted on a crane, swooped down. So, to get his free boots, Stone had to shoot numerous retakes, which delayed a production running at $300,000 a day.

For smaller independent movies, the fees for product placement, whether cash or barter, are much lower. (The going rate for a single product inclusion in an independent movie usually ranges from $50,000 to $250,000). According to one knowledgeable independent producer, "The most that's gained from the placements is some free products, some cash for the production, and some shared advertisement placement," and that is usually conditioned on the product making the final cut and the film getting a U.S. release. Even so, for productions on a tight budget, bartering airplane tickets, hotel rooms, and automobile leases for product placement slots can result in more money being available for the filming itself—or for postproduction work.

Nor is there any reason that product placement should not be part of the pseudo-reality of a movie. All the Oscar ceremony blather about social reality notwithstanding, movies are fictive concoctions. What goes into that concoction—including stars chosen for their ability to presell foreign markets, locations chosen to qualify for government subsidies, and brands chosen for their product placement value—doesn't alter its fictional status. The only problem comes when the illusion of a movie is confused with the reality of the consumer zeitgeist—which of course is the ultimate purpose of the product placer."

Decline of the 30 second commercial

2006-03-23T19:53:00.000-05:00

According to a survey by the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research, advertisers are changing their perception on the 30-second TV commercial.

70% of the 133 advertisers surveyed believe the biggest attributing factor is the Digital Video Recorder (e.g. TIVO) while 60% of those surveyed said they plan to reduce their spending on 30-second spots once DVR penetration reaches 30 million homes.

This is clearly not bad news for our industry.

As our culture continues to move from "we" to "me", consumers will want more content and less advertising. This will in turn, make branded content and product placement more important to the marketing mix. However, us at Magnetic Alliance believe that the :30 second commercial should work harder for product placement deals. If a product placement is executed organically, consumers will want to see the commercial to learn more about the product that their favorite stars were using.

South By Southwest Product Integration

2006-03-22T21:07:00.000-05:00

The South By Southwest Music Conference and Festival just celebrated its 20th anniversary and many great brands were in for the ride.

Our brand pick goes to Zippo Lighters and their customized 1947 Chrysler. The antique car had a giant flaming lighter that flipped open between the front and backseats of the car. Great photo finish.

Top Model For Sale

2006-03-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

If you haven't yet been to www.topmodelforsale.com go there immediately.

Gillete, Pepsi, Burger King, Puffs and a host of other great brands find themselves being made fun of by the Writers Guild of America.

"Some of us work as reality writers and editors (yes, those shows really are written), and we know first-hand how the story gets short-changed every time a reality show gets taken over by an advertiser. We’re the ones forced to put in long hours just to figure out how we’re going to embed that can of soda into the storyline eight more times before the final episode.

Some of us are members of the WGA, and we don’t think advertising and network executives’ desire to cash in on the emotional connections viewers have with their favorite show should go unchecked. Together, we’re also working to make sure reality editors and writers get the respect and recognition they deserve." Source

You can even download the video to your ipod. These writers are very clever.

Digital Product Placement

2006-03-16T17:53:00.000-05:00

Digital technology has added a new twist to the practice of putting brand-name items into TV shows. Digital product placment experts are now inserting products into television shows. For example, adding a cup of Campbell’s soup to a counter in the CBS show "Numbers."

A new company, Marathon Ventures has entered the digital brand integration space.

“You could place one product in a first-run telecast, a second product what that program is rerun, and a third product when the show goes into syndication, and another product when it goes on cable,” says Marathon Ventures President David Brenner.

Digitally inserting a product into a television episode sure seems like an easier way to get your product into your favorite show.

Is this the end of sneaking products onto product sets?

Sopranos Product Placement

2006-03-15T19:04:00.000-05:00

The new Porsche Cayenne Turbo was featured on the season debut of HBO's "The Sopranos" with Carmela preaching the beauty of the product. TV watchers everywhere can now become placement analyzers as they compare Carmela's pitch with that of the 2007 Chevy Tahoe on NBC's "The Apprentice."

However, the Porsche team claims that no money changed hands for the plug on "The Sopranos." Writer Terence Winter's script mentioned the Cayenne, and the Porsche was loaned to producers while "The Apprentice" is known to charge heavily for story inclusion.

Although product placement has, according to one industry estimate, become a more than $1 billion annual business, pay-cable HBO claims they have no interest in exploiting the new revenue stream.

"Everything is story-driven or character-driven. . . . We feel that since we are advertiser free, from a philosophical point, product placement is another form of advertising and we do not do it."

Check out the Chicago Tribune article

Failure to Launch Promotions

2006-03-07T19:32:00.000-05:00

The new Paramount film, "Failure to Launch" has some truly unexpected partners. But before we mention the partners here is a sentence about the premise. The film revolves around Matthew McConaughey, a thirtysomething slacker who suspects his parents of setting him up with his dream girl so he'll finally vacate their home.

Ok, now that we know it is a date film we can mention the partners: NASCAR, Perfect Match, Baskin Robbins and Hilton Hotels are all helping to "launch" the film to a big box office opening weekend. The NASCAR branding, which will be visible in a race this weekend in Vegas, is a great way to get the male side of a date into the theatre.

This is Perfect Matches second big romantic comedy promotion, remember "Must Love Dogs?" Perfect Match will offer a romantic trip for two to Hollywood and is supported by TV, online and print advertisements. We are anxiously awaiting the box office results to see how effective the promotions were.

Product Placement and Oscar

2006-03-06T20:48:00.000-05:00

The Oscars are not only the event for recognizing the best pictures and performances from 2005, but more importantly an incredible stage for product placement.

Witness the following:
Branding a celebrity

Branding an afterparty - The Vanity Fair After party

Branding a giftbag

So what can a brand learn from the ceremony? Get your brand into the hands of a celebrity and let them do what they do best. Be fabulous

Penguins, Ford and Baked Beans

2006-03-02T21:39:00.000-05:00

The Brandcameo product placement awards from Brandchannel are up, so we took the liberty of posting two of our favorite choices and their top pick of 2005.

The top pick went to Ford Motor Company:
"A successful product placement either introduces or reinforces a brand name in the audience's mind. As a large, established brand, Ford Motor Company's placements are brand reinforcements, and reinforce Ford did. Its 19 placements in 2005 mean that Ford appeared in nearly 50 percent of all Number One films (41 total)."

The Brandcameo 2005 Award for Achievement by an Oscar-Nominated Film went to "March of the Penguins" due to the increase in popularity of penguin exhibits. British chef Jamie Oliver "The Naked Chef," confessed to having accepted over $25,000 to place Heinz baked beans on the menu of his high-end restaurant, under the name "Best Baked Bean Bruschetta." For that, Oliver received a runner-up award from the publication.

We offer our congrats to Detroit, Penguins and a Naked Chef.

Check out the article in Business Week online.

Product Placement and Prime Time

2006-03-01T19:51:00.000-05:00

TNS Media Intelligence released a report this week that showed that almost 11 percent of all programming minutes during prime time include brand references. Some shows apparently have more minutes of product placement than TV commercial time.

The average show contains over four minutes of product placement and over 17 minutes seconds of commercials.

Mediabuyerplanner.com

Product Placement Tracking - All About Product Sales

2006-03-01T19:05:00.000-05:00

Visure, a Richmond, VA., start-up has developed their own system for tracking television product placement transactions.

When a consumer sees a product in a show/film that they are interested in purchasing, they go to evisure.com and locate the property. They are then able to scroll through the products from the show and follow a link to a transaction partner (e.g. Amazon.com).

Visure takes a commission from the sale and a fee for the promotion and tracking of the placement.

Visure's product placement research claims that almost 90% of consumers say they regularly search for items they saw in a product placement.

We think this will be a huge hit in the right content niches - HGTV, Style, and G4TV to name a few. The million dollar marketing question is...how do you educate the public about the consumer site?

Date Movie & Running Scared Promotions

2006-02-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

Check out the promotion for "Date Movie" on Myspace.

Consumers can win the opportunity to have Tony Cox review their MySpace profile. Although no one can debate the popularity of this social networking site, it is interesting to realize that one needs to have a Myspace page to win.

Interactive agency Deep Focus created the campaign.

New Line's "Running Scared" is also running a unique online promotion for their film starring Paul Walker.

Fans play the "Welcome to Grimley" game where players shoot, drive and sex their way to the final. Give the game a try, so far over 200,000 players have. In order to play the mature version, you will need to provide your date of birth, name and zip code.

Curious George Gets Attention

2006-02-21T18:09:00.000-05:00

We have been surprised by all of the recent press on product placement in the new animated film, "Curious George" from Universal Pictures.

This recent article from the Washington Post titled, "Forget Product Placement: Movies Should Sell Artistry" is worth a read.

It is important to realize that films are entertainmnet and not news. Brands provide the additional marketing power needed to pack the seats and make the film feel more realistic. Without real brands, every product in a film would be called "ACME." How real would that feel?

Universal is one of the top studios in the world and the studio knows how to develop and execute powerful and compelling product placements. We applaud Universal's ability to develop brand partnerships that make their properties stand out and beome part of our culture.

ABC's Lost and Product Placement

2006-02-16T15:30:00.000-05:00

"Lost" is the best show on network television I have ever seen.

As I watched last night's episode, I wondered what a marketer would spend to have their brand be one of the brand's in the hatch. Remember Season 1 when Claire was dreaming of eating peanut butter on the beach? Imagine Hurley and the crew chowing on M&M's, Snickers or even brewing up a cup of Dunkin's great coffee. But, I'm glad it hasn't happened. Since the American audience is more apprehensive than ever, I'm sure that there would be hell to pay if someone found out that there was paid placement.

So, I am one believer in product placement that believes that "Lost" doesn't need a product placement.

Madison and Vine

2006-02-15T17:45:00.000-05:00

It felt like only yesterday when all of us in the branded entertainment space were forwarding Coca-Cola CEO, Mr. Heyer's letter "to collaborate or die" around cyberspace.

Mr. Heyer's new message - Don’t bother with branded entertainment unless you understand what your brand is and who your customers are.

Mr. Heyer asked content producers to start calling on his team. With Starwood's massive distribution network, there are infinite partnership possibilities.

We are all looking forward to seeing how Mr. Heyer and his team at Starwoods are going to reinvent the "lodging experience" through entertainment

adage

Words from a Madison Ave Innovator

2006-02-12T12:35:00.000-05:00

Great article in the Sunday New York Times Business Section on Bob Greenberg and the future of advertising.

Greenberg has won almost every industry award for creativity including the Academy Award, Cannes Lions and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Communications in 2003. He was honored to be named as the 2004 Cannes Cyber Lions Jury President.

"Other marketing frontiers are arising, and Mr. Greenberg is happy to tick off some examples: quick response codes embedded on movie posters that allow trailers to be downloaded directly onto cellphones placed near them; billboards used by companies like Dove that let consumers vote on themes or messages by cellphone; instant messaging and ads streamed through game consoles like Xbox or online gaming networks; and wireless services like Dodgeball that help people find peers at bars and restaurants within a 10-block radius after they pinpoint their own location by sending a short text message to the service."

Marketers will continue to move away from the :30 second TV spot and toward more measurable media. Marketers and content providers need to consider different types of response metrics that can be applied to entertainment marketing projects. Think short codes on film posters, limited ring tone offers, content downloads, and film podcasts available exclusively from a brand partner's microsite.

Source: NYTimes

Understanding Distribution

2006-02-09T08:10:00.000-05:00

It is critical to understand your future entertainment marketing partners' distribution plans. There are thousands of producers shopping their projects (independent niche films to Spielberg releases) around Hollywood every year. Often a brand partner offers potential distributors the commercial credibility that the producer desires. Therefore, it is important to minimize risks as brands only have the resources to invest in select content opportunities.

Magnetic Alliance Insight:
Always beware of funding development costs that may not be recoupable and may be used to leverage a network pickup. Be sure to have a thorough understanding of expectations in the event of either success or failure to gain distribution.

If distribution has not been secured, we suggest that brand partners apply penalty/success metrics to the project. Although we rarely recommend that brands work with properties that have not secured distribution, a well prepared and positioned brand can often utilize its clout to get the project off the ground. The quicker a brand becomes involved in the process, the more organic the fit will be and the more beneficial the partnership will be for all parties involved.

Gatorade: A Product Placement Success

2006-02-06T18:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday’s Super Bowl XL got us thinking about what brands know how to successfully play in the sports integration field. We considered apparel, telecommunication, alcohol, jewelry and a variety of other omnipresent brands and products. However, we landed on one brand whose product is never on the field but always on the sidelines.

Gatorade.

Consider what the brand means to athletes and coaches.
• On the bench- your favorite player just ran for a 75 yard touchdown. What’s the first brand he touches? Gatorade.
• Stacks of branded cups waiting in line to provide instant refreshment and relief to the entire team. Gatorade.
• 30 seconds left in the game and the players strategically circle the coach for the ceremonial bath…what brand signifies the game’s winner? Gatorade.
• Commentators have even begun discussing how players are moving quicker to the ceremonial soaking. Gatorade.

Camera crews understand that Gatorade is as much a part of the professional sports world as cheerleaders, scoreboards, commentators and blimps. It has become part of sports dialogue and history. How can a team possibly celebrate a win without Gatorade?

Our Favorites List

2006-02-01T20:16:00.000-05:00

We wanted to take a step back from our analysis of product placements and recognize some of our all time favorites.

Many of our favorites are obviously not representative of the typical brand/entertainment partnership. However, what they do have in common is an authentic story or scene built around the brand that makes the content better. The brands below work for not only the writers, directors, producers, networks and actors, but most importantly, the audience.

"Sideways"
The Winners: Pinot wine and California wine tours
The Loser: Merlot - "If anyone orders merlot, I'm leaving."

"Almost Famous"
The Winner: Rolling Stone Magazine

"The Bachelor: Paris"
The Winner: Paris - Finding love in Paris
The Loser: Finding love in America

"The Simple Life"
The Winner: Chihuahuas - Paris HIlton's Tinkerbell
Losers: Big dogs

"Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica"
The Winner: Louis Vuitton -Jessica takes a $1700 Louis Vuitton bag on a camping trip

"Boogie Nights"
The Winner: Rollerskates on Rollergirl
Losers: Skateboards and rollerblades

"Swingers"
The Winner: "Vegas baby"

The Howard Stern Show
The Winner: Scores

"The Big Lebowski"
The Winner: The carpet that holds the room together
Losers: Linoleum, wood and tile

"Jaws"
The Winner: Sharks
Loser: Ocean swimming

Product Placement in the EU

2006-01-30T09:26:00.000-05:00

Product placements has become a sticking point that makes media regulation consensus difficult, says Austrian Media Minister Franz Morak. The bill would legalize product placement across the EU and allow a producer to raise cash through product placements.

The Commission says product placement will allow EU programmers to compete better with U.S. rivals and proposes allowing product placement in fictional programs but not in news, documentaries and childrens programming.

British television regulator Ofcom estimates it will raise just 25 million to 50 million pounds ($90 million) a year by 2010, barely 1 percent of the 3.5 billion pounds currently spent on TV advertising.

From Reuters

"The Music Product Placement"

2006-01-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

CBS recently announced that they had re-upped their summer reality series, ROCK STAR.

Last season's ROCK STAR featured the band, INXS and it successfully made this 1980's band relevant again. Since record companies are struggling to launch new bands and even bands like the Stones are finding it difficult to sell albums, exposure has become that much more valuable these days.

Although there were a number of product placements in the show, the real product placement winner was the band. Every night of the show, the band talked about their brand and then the show encouraged the viewers to interact with the brand by voting for their favorite performance.

After almost a decade with little to no main stream exposure, INXS is touring and playing for packed houses again. And, just like American Idol, viewers feel that they had their say in making music and cultural history.

Can't wait to hear which band is awarded 2006's “Most Desired Music Product Placement.”

Chrysler and Branded Entertainment

2006-01-23T09:43:00.000-05:00

Branded entertainment veteran, Chrysler, has just announced that they are launching an independent film program.

"The Chrysler Film Project (CFP)," will launch in Park City, Utah giving independent filmmakers the opportunity to compete for a feature film production deal.

Aspiring filmmakers are encouraged to visit the Chrysler Studio or www.chrysler.com/film to enter. To participate, filmmakers are required to submit a short film as well as a full-length feature script. Five finalists will then be challenged to create Chrysler-branded short films showcasing their talent, with a single candidate ultimately chosen to produce a feature film.

Most of us remember the 2002 "Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival (CMDFF)" produced by Hypnotic and Universal which also was marketed around the the Sundance Film Festival. The winner of the CMDFF received a $1 million dollar feature film deal from Universal Studios. With events in ten major cities, the CMDFF attracted media attention around the world. The competition began with the submission of short films for competition consideration. Of these, 25 Quarterfinalists were selected to showcase their films.

Chrysler is also launching Chrysler in the Movies: Virtual Film Competition at Chrysler Studio, where anyone can create their own virtual films.

No word has been given on which major studio will produce the final film. Obviously, there is a great opportunity for a television or web partner to chronicle the competition and bring more impact to the promotion.

60 Second Product Placements

2006-01-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

CBS & Pontiac have partnered for the launch of the new show, "The Courier."

This unusual drama features episodes that are only 60 seconds each, clearly designed with the TiVo armed consumer in mind. The show premieres January 24th during the 9PM timeframe and commercials for the vehicle will be featured immediately after each episode.

The series tells the story of a character who races against time to save his kidnapped wife. The mystery man will obviously star opposite his favorite vehicle, the Pontiac Torrent. Viewers will be pushed to the web to experience additional content after the episodes and to learn more about the Torrent brand.

It will be interesting to see how the audience and network responds to Pontiac's experiment. Remember that Pontiac has enjoyed success from their placements on "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" so it is no surprise that they are taking more risks.

A Product Placement Magazine

2006-01-16T20:46:00.000-05:00

Publishing entrepreneur, Rick Harrison is launching a magazine that would contain news about a network's shows and information about the products featured on the show.

"The notion behind it is we connect consumers to the products they see on their favorite television programs," he said. "It's anything on the set that's not overtly branded." The company is called Get Interactive and has patented the business model. To date, no network has signed on but the magazine provides an additional platform from which to activate a product placement.

Harrison said the magazine would give a television network a new revenue source. His firm would charge the brands for the service and the revenue would be shared with any future network partners. If the magazine works for television, who’s to say it wouldn’t work for a film placement too.

To read the full article visit http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2006/01/16/story6.html?from_rss=1

Starbucks Enters the Film Business

2006-01-13T18:38:00.000-05:00

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Starbucks Corp. today formalized its long-awaited entry into motion pictures when it announced a deal with Lions Gate to market and distribute the April 28 release of “Akeelah and the Bee.”
Starbucks is pursuing a market strategy aimed at shifting the way films are produced and promoted, much the way it has shaped a new retail format for CD music sales in its shops.

In the works for about a year, the coffee colossus’ partnership with the studio and entrepreneur Mark Cuban’s 2929 Entertainment utilizes Starbucks’ 5,500 locations in the U.S. and Canada to promote the film much the same the way the chain has done with music.

Wow- Starbucks flexing their lifestyle marketing muscle. We will look to Dunkin Donuts and other retail chains to follow this integration and promotional trend.

http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=47447

Product Placement Gets Real

2006-01-09T18:33:00.000-05:00

Great article in today's New York Times Business Section (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/business/media/09adcol.html) on fake product placements. Oh have times changed.

It is no secret today that films and television shows pride themselves on looking and feeling real. Think shaky cameras, real dialogue, reality television, HD TV sets, and less than perfect stars on the small screen. Advertisers have reacted to this shift by making their products and brands real too. Consider the splash that Dove's 2005 "Real Beauty" campaign accomplished and we know that this movement is here to stay.

Our insight is that as brands aim to be "lifestyle brands" there will always be a place for them in the world of "real entertainment." So, real brands start looking for your real entertainment partners and real entertainment partners start thinking about how you can create real environments for your favorite real brands.

Growth in Placements

2006-01-06T15:27:00.000-05:00

From Hollywood Reporter:
The number of product placements on network primetime television jumped about 30% in 2005 to 106,808, up from 82,014 the previous year, according to Nielsen Media Research's product placement tracking service Place Views.

The big news in this announcement is that 30% is only from primetime. If we had to make a guess from our experiences in the industry, we would estimate an increase of 50% in cable television. Another big year for this exciting industry.

Stating Your Entertainment Goals

2006-01-06T14:32:00.000-05:00

In today's entertainment marketing landscape, content producers are typically skilled and sophisticated in delivering "the goods" to brand partners. However, it is important to understand (and expect) that as the discussions evolve between parties, the project often becomes something entirely different than originally discussed.

Developing successful entertainment partnerships is often easier than most brands think. When brands know what to expect and have shared these expectations with their partners, successfully executed placements can easily be achieved.

Magnetic Alliance Insight:
For successful partnerships, we advise that the brand develop a simple and straightforward creative brief stating their "blue sky scenario." This enables all parties (e.g. studio producers, independent producers, studio executives, directors, writers and managers, etc.) to understand what the brand needs for the partnership to achieve internal buy-in and ROI success.

Woody Allen Film Takes Advantage of Podcasts

2006-01-04T09:47:00.000-05:00

DreamWorks is promoting the new Woody Allen film, "Match Point" through exclusive downloadable video content. In the five available video podcasts, Allen talks about the making of "Match Point." There are also interviews with the actors: Matthew Goode, Scarlett Johansoon, Emily Mortimer and Jonathan Rhys Meyers available. Consumers can download the podcasts onto their computers, an iPod or other MP3 player—for free at iTunes.com or at .

This marks the first time a studio has used free video iPod content to promote a film's release. Dreamworks has demonstrated that they know how to use technology to generate buzz.

The opportunities to extend this type of content distribution and film promotion will prove very powerful to brand partners in the near future. Especially since there is very limited free video iPod content on the market to date.

"Match Point" opens worldwide on January 20th.

TV & Theme Parks Promotion

2006-01-03T13:53:00.000-05:00

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS and NBC are granting free park admission to anyone named Earl this month to celebrate the move of NBC's comedy My Name is Earl to Thursday nights.

The "Earl" promotion runs through January and includes an official T-shirt. About 10,000 men named Earl live in the Los Angeles area, the company said.