Posts Tagged ‘ public relations ’

Finding the right entertainment projects for your brand

OK, it’s been a while since my last blog. Too long really. I planned to take a break during the holidays, but then it extended a little beyond that. Why? Well, I started teaching a class at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism (PR Research & Analysis), work has been pretty busy with Season 4 of Army Wives kicking back up production  and assorted other projects big and small, and I spent the last four days in Park City, Utah at Sundance with the movie “The Dry Land“…how’s that for excuses.

But, this blog entry is titled “Finding the right entertainment projects for your brand” not “lame excuses for not blogging lately,” so here we go.

People often ask, when they realize what job I have, “how does the Army decide what projects to support and what projects they don’t?” While our M.O. is slightly different from commercial brands because they have to pay for their brand integration and we have the luxury of being the only organization with tanks, military helicopters, recent war experience, etc., so they need us, the decision process is the same.

Bottom line, it’s all about strategy.

What are your organization’s strategic communication goals? What entertainment properties will help you accomplish those goals? And can you integrate the two into a seamless brand experience without taking the audience out of the story for one of those “ahhh, look….a product placement ad stuck in the middle of my TV show” experiences.

A great example of this is the aforementioned “The Dry Land” movie. This movie is about a Soldier who returns from Iraq and is suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). A lot of people wondered why the Army was supporting a movie that wasn’t a “pro-Army” movie. Well, the answer was simple. It fit our strategy.

One of the Army’s top priorities is taking care of our wounded troops, thus one of our top communication priorities is to talk about what we’re doing to help our wounded warriors. While this movie doesn’t address that directly, it will present opportunities to further the dialogue. Moreover, it will demonstrate to our Soldiers that the Army is comfortable talking about this issue, thus encouraging them to seek help openly and fearlessly.

Ok, but following strategy is pretty obvious…how do you FIND projects?

We like to think in terms of offense and defense (or proactive and reactive).

Offense. One obvious place is to keep up with the trade pubs, websites, etc. But sometimes their “radar” doesn’t extend far or wide enough. There are other ways to get serious about this.

We don’t use agencies to find brand integration opportunities. But if your organization doesn’t have a presence in Hollywood or lacks the cache or network to find projects on your own, it’s not a bad idea to partner with some experts. There are a lot of agencies that provide this service. Some specialize, like BNC, Momentum Worldwide, and dozens more, and others dabble, like most advertising agencies who are scrambling to find a position in this marketing space. Most of the big talent agencies are also very much involved in this business.

The benefit of using talent agencies is that their tentacles are in every aspect of the business. They rep writers so they know what scripts are in early development, directors so they know how the scripts will be interpreted, and actors so they know what cache the project will carry. They are excellent at marrying brands to projects. But this kind of help is pricey.

Another great place to start is The Lounge at the LA Office. It’s a social network of branded entertainment professionals from corporations and most of the major networks, studios, video game companies, agencies, etc. who are shopping their upcoming projects to potential brand partners. It’s a little costly for individuals, but it’s a great deal for firms.

The defense. For the U.S. Army, we are in the fortunate position that projects typically find us first. Like I said earlier, we’re the only organization with the latest tanks, helicopters, tactical experience, etc., so we typically find ourselves in reactive mode. However, if you’re able to make it known in the industry (through networking or other means) that your brand is openly and actively seeking brand integration opportunities, the projects may very well find you as well.

Again, the bottom line, it’s about strategy.

Producers of entertainment properties are looking for new revenue streams, and integrating brands into the story is one of the ways they’re doing that. It’s not new…frankly it’s how TV started, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding monetization, value, etc.

Would love to hear thoughts on this post! Send your comments or questions!

2010
01/28
CATEGORY
advertising
branded entertainment
Branding
Uncategorized
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A great article on Avatar’s marketing campaign

The following is from Chris at www.moviemarketingmadness.com

How do you follow up Titanic?

That’s the question that’s been on everyone’s mind for the last 12 years or so, ever since director James Cameron released what would go on to become the highest-grossing film of all time and a star-making vehicle for its two young stars. While various rumors have circulated through the decade-plus since the pride of the White Star line met its cinematic fate about what the director would do next there’s been nothing in the way of actual output aside from producer credits on a couple of documentaries, including at least one the revisited the Titanic’s history but without the schmaltzy bookending.

Of course it’s not as if Titanic was Cameron’s arrival on-screen. He had already built up an amazing list of credits, including both (to date) Terminator movies, Aliens, True Lies and others that had already cemented him as a Hollywood powerhouse, meaning he was going in to Titanic with a lot behind him.

So the anticipation has been huge about how Cameron would return after such a long absence. But whatever it was going to be, the one thing that everyone was more or less agreed upon was that it was going to be huge.

And huge it is….(read more)

2009
12/24
CATEGORY
advertising
branded entertainment
Branding
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Is there a “cutting room floor” in film today?

Anyone who’s seen how the movie/tv sausage is made knows that there are a LOT more film reels shot in a production than is actually depicted in the final project. So what should producers, directors, studios, etc, do with all that footage? It sure costs a lot…could/should it be used for other purposes?

I read an interesting “white paper” from BNC Public Relations (one of the biggies in Hollywood) titled “Tech Down This Wall” (found it after reading about their recent merger and checking out their site).

It’s an interesting paper, although it’s really only a slide show…and only the text is white…but whatever, it’s interesting still. It explores “How traditional ways of working in the Entertainment world are being radically changed.” It begins with the standard 24-hour news cycle, blogs, social media stuff that we’ve all heard a million times, but there’s a section (among several interesting ones) on what they call “zero waste productions.”

Now before all my tree huggin’ friends get all excited about the movies actually going green (even though some of them are…was on the Sony set of “Battle: Los Angeles” and they are doing it successfully), I don’t mean not ‘wasting’ as in using too much, rather I mean not wasting as in “you shot it, might as well use it for somethin’.”

BNC recommends filmmakers use their ‘scrap footage’ creatively and strategically to tease the audience and build their brand. I certainly think it’s worth exploring, depending on the production, target fan base, marketing strategy, etc. Let your hard-core audience in on the process (to a point), and use it to build brand loyalty, improve the customer’s experience and their understanding. Creatively leveraging this otherwise wasted asset, could prove valuable.

I wonder if filmmakers would ever relinquish their unused footage to the public for a “build your own movie trailer” contest? …or to create their own back stories? Or if brands would allow their “brand-base” to make their own commercials. Sure you’ll get the knuckle-heads that mock your brand/movie, but it’s still publicity, right?…and like most ‘haters’ in social media environments, the masses tend to fend them off.

And who says “making of” videos need to come out with the DVDs? Was that standard started because it was the only way to distribute that type of content back then? And now we’re just stuck in a “that’s the way we’ve always done it” routine? In this emerging era of “transmedia” and “social media” and “branded entertainment” why not push some of that content out before the movie via new media distribution methods? I know a lot of movies and shows are beginning to do a little of this…but would it serve them to do more?

Or does giving too much away distract from the final production? Will it diminish the fantasy of the movie experience? Will it help or hinder box office returns?

Either way, these are certainly interesting times in the worlds of entertainment, advertising, PR, social media, and technology. People in the industry would serve themselves well by stepping back and looking at their landscape with fresh eyes, like BNC has.

Would love to hear your thoughts on these ideas, and your own ideas on this concept.

…oh, and the BNC paper is worth reading …there are lots of other ideas in there too.

OTHER TOPICS:
– How fans impact the scripts of your favorite shows
– Do Nielsen ratings matter anymore?
– The heart of all content is the story

2009
12/21
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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What’s that floating over that billboard? …it’s augmented reality dude!

WARNING…This is a lengthy post.

Augmented what? Yeah…that’s what I said the first time I heard the term.

What is Augmented Reality (AR)?

There are several examples in this posting that will explain what it is, and I hope I’m able to spark some ideas on what more it can/will be.

First, AR, at least at the consumer level, is by no means a mature technology yet…yet. Don’t get me wrong, there are functioning AR technologies out there, but many are just barely getting past the “pong” stage, to use a hackneyed video game metaphor. AR is clearly in its infancy, but it’ll be exciting to watch it grow-up.

Ok…but what is it?

AR technology is the nexus between our physical/real environment and the electronic data within our computers and the internet. AR uses a camera of some sort (typically a web cam) to bring the physical world into the computer, where it then synchs and merges it with data. It does this using a surprisingly simple method for pattern recognition, often just a pattern printed on a piece of paper, for reference points, and it uses these reference points to merge data (animation, video, whatever) with reality, synching it in space and time with what you see on the computer.

Here’s a simple example of one of the most widely used demos of AR (that I’ve seen so far anyway). It’s a Mini Cooper clip, about an ad in a German magazine…so forgive the language barrier, unless you spreckenzie…

Cool, eh?

Ok…so, that’s kinda cool…but so what?

The novelty will wear off quickly for users because that really doesn’t DO anything. So how can brands make AR something more than a novel experience for their customers, and make it functional? How can they bring their customers closer to the brand, enhance their brand experience, inform them, and better yet, inspire their customers to take action?

Here’s a great example of how “Lego’s” is using AR in some of their point-of-purchase displays (I found this clip on Funkadelic Advertising’s Blog):

So you can see they’re doing a bit more with AR. They are getting the attention of the child customer (and his brother, and his mother, and probably everyone else walking by), sparking intrigue, causing the customer to act (picking up the product), but anyone can do that with just about any POP gimick…but Lego’s strategically uses AR to take the customer further. It actually takes the customer inside the box, to show them what’s possible. This is perfect for Lego’s because Lego’s is a toy about imagination and creativity. They’re sparking the imagination in the customer, in 3-D, and in a new and innovative way that they’ll remember. I’d be willing to bet that the child asked his mom to buy that Lego kit!

But let’s take it a little further.

Yelp!, the social site that allows everyday folks to review and comment on their favorite places, is on the leading edge of AR in the mobile world (Droid users may think “Google Goggles” is too, but click HERE to see why it’s not). Yelp has a function called “monocle” on its iPhone app (3Gs versions only). See this posting from Ben Parr at MASHABLE to see how it works…THIS is functional AR:

Ok…That was cool. But how can brands incorporate this technology for their specific brands (not that Yelp! isn’t a brand, but they’re a brand that depends on other brands).

AR will change the way brands advertise

I think that in the not-so-distant future, AR will change the way brands advertise. In fact, I think it may also actually SAVE the way we have BEEN advertising…let me explain.

Anyone in the marketing communication business knows that the advertising industry is spinning in circles trying to develop business models to replace their current practices, which are being left in the dust by accelerating technologies. DVRs and the internet are killing TV advertising while the internet and social media fueled demise of newspapers and magazines are killing the print ad biz…both traditional cash cows for the advert folks. The industry seems to be in a tailspin.

I’ve read several articles on AR and it’s potential in advertising, but I feel there’s something missing. I think too many people are looking too narrowly at its potential. They seem to be fixated on the notion you need a webcam, and a computer. Well, it’s ridiculous to think someone would take a newspaper ad and hold it up to their web cam so it could interface with their laptop…that’s cumbersome, awkward, and would quickly wear-out its novelty. But today most mobile devices have cameras and large screens. And I think it would be much easier to maneuver my phone around a static ad rather than an ad around a static web cam. I think people would readily use their phones, but how would this bring people closer a brand experience?

Imagine sitting with your morning paper, a coffee, and your mobile device. You see an ad for a restaurant you’ve heard your friends rave about, so you take your mobile device, open an app, point the camera at the ad, and ‘poof’ an Augmented Reality graphic pops off the printed page. The graphic has a link to the menu, and links to make reservations, to get directions to the restaurant using your GPS enabled phone (iPhone and Droids have this), a special discount code for interactive customers, and allows you to read reviews on, oh, I don’t know…Yelp! maybe?

This could work with any brand, on any type of print ad (billboards, bus ads, point-of-purchase displays, mall signage, bus stop signage, whatever). These ‘interactivated’ print ads could be used to drive traffic to desired physical locations (an ad for a pair of shoes could send you to the nearest store that carries them) or internet locations (airline billboard lets you buy tickets from your mobile device). They could be used for promotional purposes to enhance brand experiences (discounts for interactivated ad users), or increase product knowledge (a car ad that links you to more specific product details…and even nearby dealers). The opportunities are endless.

And imagine, advertisers will now have metrics for their print and out-of-home ads that internet ads offer! Newspaper, magazine,  transit ads, and other movable media that would run in multiple books or locations could use unique codes to determine which is giving them the best return. But static medium (billboards, bus-stop ads, etc.) could use the GPS functions to know what ads are getting the most traffic.

I’d love to hear from some tech folks on the specifics, but I’m pretty sure the technologies exist, right now, to make these scenario possible. Do we even need the little pattern symbols on our ads (see above videos if that doesn’t make sense)? Aren’t all ads unique enough to be their own character recognition pattern (except for movable medium that may have the same ad in various locales mentioned above)?

AR, in my opinion, will not only revolutionize advertising, it will save print advertising, and who knows…maybe even newspapers and magazines?

Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Here are some interesting articles/blogs on the subject if you’d like to see what others are thinking:

From Fox Business: “Augmented Reality: Can It Save the Print Media?”

Click here for the Esquire AR site

Click here for the Esquire AR site

A blog post from “Build a Movement” by Sarah Firestone about this month’s “Esquire” magazine’s article on AR:

Visit Esquire’s AR site here (probably need the magazine first though):

From Fast Company: “WhyYour Next Gen Smarphone Will Do Augmented Reality”

From Funkadelic Advertising’s Blog: “Top 10 Augmented Reality Advertising”

From The Future of Ads Blog: “Augmented Reality Will Change Advertising“

2009
12/20
CATEGORY
advertising
Augmented reality
Branding
Technology
Uncategorized
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My new cool iPhone app “U-Broadcaster”

I discovered a cool new iPhone app the other day that’s like having a broadcast satellite truck in my hand. It’s awesome.

But first, FULL DISCLOSURE, I have NOTHING to do with any app company, nor Apple….unfortunately, I’m not even a stockholder of Apple. But, I will disclose that I am a freakishly dedicated iPhone lover…I love my iPhone….LOVE it. Non iPhone users can “yeah, but the coverage sucks…blah, blah, …Verizon’s better….blah blah….i love the bberry….blah, blah”…whatever. For me, the iPhone rocks and it’s revolutionizing the way we communicate. But I digress.

The other day I downloaded the app “U-Broadcaster” from the company “U-Stream.”  Their web site’s “About Us” page explains their business as follows:

“Ustream.TV is the live interactive video broadcast platform that enables anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to quickly and easily broadcast to a global audience of unlimited size. In less than two minutes, anyone can become a broadcaster by creating their own channel on Ustream or by broadcasting through their own site, empowering them to engage with their audience and further build their brand.”

And it’s true. And more importantly, it’s FREE! Yes, download the app, set-up an account on the U-Stream website, and within minutes you can broadcast live video over the internet. It’s kind of crazy. Now, this is not a pitch to get an iPhone, or the U-Broadcaster app. It is about how this technology will/can help brands connect to their customers, how it will potentially impact the journalism industry (those poor folks are freaking out these days), and how we’ll all interact with each other differently.

With U-Broadcaster, you can link your account to your Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and/or YouTube accounts. So, when you begin your broadcast, you can notify all your friends/followers on your social media sites that you’re beginning your “show” and they can tune in, all with a simple click (or you can just record your video, and upload it later).

Think about this….what used to require a big truck, satellite connections, a technical staff, camera-person, on screen reporter, a satellite, uplink, downlink, frequencies, etc., can now be done with a cell phone…or a laptop, whatever.

As I type this entry, the site is broadcasting the University of Colorado’s graduation ceremony (deployed parents in the military could watch this). Yesterday, I watched Snoop Dogg get his hair done…he and his crew also seemed to be sharing his favorite hand-rolled cigarettes…and I was sitting there, with Snoop (or so it seemed). Ocho Cinco (star receiver for the Cincy Bengals) has a video where he’s cooking in his kitchen. This is like being a voyeur and a stalker without the legal issues!

But think beyond celebrity and you’ll quickly realize the value of this technology…Brands could use it to show how their products are made, or how they rigorously conduct safety tests of their products, or bring them closer to event promotions that before only had local or regional reach, and now have unlimited reach. Organizations can broadcast meetings to employees, town hall meetings can now be fed to the world, local bands can perform in their garage to audiences larger than U2 ever dreamed of…imagine if we had this on 9/11, or if the Iranian students had it during the riots a few months ago…we saw video, but I’m not sure how much of it was streaming live.

I now have a broadcast satellite truck in my hand. It’s presenting unlimited opportunities to reach existing and new audiences. Professional communicators owe it to their organizations to at least look at this technology, and see if it fits their communication strategy…and it’s free.

***In future posts about technology: how we can, with current technologies, turn physical print ads, billboards, outdoor advertising, into interactive (and trackable) advertising…and how augmented reality will make it even cooler!

2009
12/12
CATEGORY
Branding
Technology
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