Marketing Pop Culture

How Not To Do New Media

Funny how the “old media” industries rush to absorb new upstarts.  Case in point is an article in today’s NY Times on David Lehre, who achieved success by directing his own comedy spots that were posted to YouTube.  Fox has signed him to a development deal.  Of course, the question on everyone’s mind is: Will this work?  Will he be able to make the transition from down-and-dirty YouTube videos to the high production values (not to mention the pressure!) of the 30-minute television sketch comedy format?

But this is less about David Lehre.  Rather, it’s about old media’s approach to new media.  It seems to be the entirely wrong approach to think that by simply putting more money behind David that his success on the Web will translate to success on the Fox TV network. 

Seems to me that a smarter move would be to house him under the Fox Interactive banner.  This way, he’s not being taken out of his element.  His audience isn’t used to seeing him on TV.  They find him on the Web.  What about new audiences?  They’ll find him on the Web, too.

Note to the TV people: You’re not really doing anyone any favors just because you can throw money at them.  People like David have created content and amassed their own audiences long before you showed up.  They’re doing you a favor by being in business with you. 

Content is not king.  Attention is.

Sparks: May 15, 2006

• Kids wield $18 million in spending power
  Just to be clear, this report is talking about kids ages 3 – 11. But it’s not surprising, especially since even six year olds, like my son, become enamored of certain brands. What’s the name of that shoe again? “Geox,” he says. “You know, the shoe that breathes.” Give the Geox marketing department a raise.

• MTV’s URGE to compete with iTunes
  So MTV’s offering will be competitive with iTunes, Napster and RealNetworks. Cool. But, I’m not sure why anyone would choose to rent music vs. actually owning it. The advantages for MTV are obvious (ongoing revenue), but are less clear for consumers, particularly once you set aside exclusive MTV content. Music is something deeply personal, and renting leaves you with the feeling that someone, somewhere could snatch it away from you.

• The Upfronts: J&J, Coke, Wal-Mart and the [further] decline of TV
  With $18 billion at stake, a clear signal that brands aren’t going along with the status quo includes the decision by J&J and Coke to NOT put their nearly $700 million into play during the upfront market, and Wal-Mart’s heading the charge to change the upfronts to more of a stock market model. And, with a consortium whose combined spend totals nearly $2 billion, this experiment bears watching. The wildcard: Procter & Gamble has decided to stay its course.

   

tags: buying+power+kids, Geox, MTV, Urge, iTunes, Upfronts, Johnson & Johnson, Coke, Wal-Mart

Sparks: May 3, 2006

• The sleeping giant awakens? Myspace.com opens for ad business
  This bears watching, since the site, while boasting an impressive 70 million users, makes comparatively less revenue than sites with more traditional business models.  Expect more tension between the founders and their new bosses at News Corp.
• Soderbergh channels Chuck D: Burn, Hollywood, Burn
  The ultimate insider's outsider--or is that outsider's insider (let's ask Robert Altman, since he'd really know!) reiterated his take on the the movie business's broken revenue models.
• Microsoft Re-enters the Web TV business
  Today's just-announced partnership with reality TV top dog Ben Silverman calls for ten (10) 2-1/2 minute Web shows.  If any take off, Silverman can develop them into TV shows, with Microsoft receiving a minority stake.  Nice.
• Record companies go after big openers. . .and fail
  The record business has resembled the movie business for a long time, with its focus on having records open at or near the top of the charts.  However, many high entrants have subsequently fallen fast, according to the Daily News' Jim Farber, revealing most to be nothing more than products of record company hype.
• Accenture's Futuristic Interface
  Business travellers at Chicago's O'Hare--with JFK coming online soon--will be able to play Tom Cruise's John Anderton character from "Minority Report".  When I hear about stuff like this, I'm really looking forward to the day when David Polinchock and his partners at Brand Experience Lab get a break like this.
• Is Starbucks Diluting Its Brand?
  Laura Ries thinks so.  I disagree.  Starbucks is no longer a coffee brand.  It's a lifestyle brand, so extending the brand experience by operating in leisure/indulgence areas that are consistent with this position makes a lot of sense to me.
• Video Games Influenced by TV
  Usually, it's the other way around.  However, in the case of Atari's "Alone in the Dark," developers have take a page from the structure of such cliffhanger shows at "Lost" and "24".  See, gamer engagement can't be taken for granted anymore.

Tags: Myspace.com, Steven Soderbergh, 2929 Entertainment, digiwood, Microsoft, Web content, music business, Accenture, Minority Report, Tom Cruise, Starbucks, Laura Ries, videogames

Sparks: April 27, 2006

• Starcom Chief Proclaims Death of the TV Upfront
  John Muszynski asks: Does the TV upfront market make any sense given that content is now available on multiple screens?
• When Wal-Mart Looks Across the Consumer Landscape, Here's What It Sees
  Ira Mayer's coverage of CMO John Fleming's keynote address at Advertising Age's American Consumer Conference.  Ad Age covers the address here.
• MySpace.com as Online Shrine
  Howard Rheingold's blog posting this item on a NY Times piece that chronicles the growing "impact of virtual connectivity that increasingly pervades our lives."
• Reebok Moves Away From HipHop
  New positioning to be focused around athletes and performance.  Gee, isn't that the positioning taken by every other sports apparel company?  Thanks to ProHipHop.com for the heads up.
• Heard of Mobisodes?  Get ready for the Mobizine!
  Trend site PSFK provides some links to info about a music magazine for your phone, that is if you live in the UK.  God, but they are SO far ahead of us when it comes to mobile technology!

Technorati tags:

TV Upfront, Wal-Mart, Reebok, lifestyle marketing, MySpace.com, mobizine

“Roots” too racy for TV today?

Janet Jackson. Howard Stern. And “Roots”? Yes, it’s possible that the TV miniseries of the 1970s could be flagged for indecency if it ran today, because it shows “topless African American women and childbirth in its opening scenes,” according to an item in this week's Television Week.

Hopefully, this tide of Puritanism will quickly flow out to sea after the November elections. In the meantime, it does serve as an important reminder to marketers—anyone dealing with the public, in fact—that it’s always important to be aware of which way the wind’s blowing. Not that you necessarily have to change tactics, but you’ve got to be aware of the environment into which you introduce your brand/product/idea.

Actually, what’s in need of repositioning is our entire notion of the human body. How could it be indecent to see non-sexualized images of breasts? If that were the case, the publishers of National Geographic would’ve been burned at the stake decades ago. Who knows, maybe is this one area in which there is no marketing solution.

Read the Television Week item here.