ANA Marketing Maestros

What Can Advertisers Learn from TV?

By Susan Burke

CBS’s hit show How I Met Your Mother is not only funny, but also a great example of how a sitcom has extended its life beyond a 30 minute time slot. Fans of How I Met Your Mother can visit the show’s homepage to access character blogs, trivia games, full episodes, and desktop apps. Many other shows offer this type of content on their homepages, but How I Met Your Mother has raised the bar by also designing separate websites to house the videos “created” by characters from the show (and they make a lot of them!), such as Marshall’s “Best Night Ever” video, Barney’s video resume, or the now expired SlapBet countdown clock.

These videos allow the show to remain a part of viewers’ lives after Monday night has come and gone. They also can be easily forwarded to friends who may not even watch the show. Additionally, NBC’s The Office has gotten into the value-added video game with their new “Subtle Sexuality” music video, featuring characters from the show.

   

These videos help TV shows reach and excite their biggest fans. They also give the people who work on the show a chance to push the envelope beyond what can be shown on TV because of time restraints or content issues. Why aren’t more advertisers doing the same? Value-added, entertaining, online content is a great way to turn a casual consumer into a brand loyalist.

Tck Tck Tck: Advertising with a Conscience

By Susan Burke

At the 2009 ANA Annual Conference-The Masters of Marketing, David Jones, global chief executive officer, Havas Worldwide, spoke about a particularly important advertising program his agency recently created for the Tck Tck Tck: Time for Climate Justice campaign. The campaign, which grew out of Kofi Annan’s Global Humanitarian Forum, is focused on the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference. The conference will be held in Copenhagen on December 7, 2009. The purpose of the conference is to discuss and update international climate change agreements.

Tck Tck Tck encourages organizations and individuals alike to think about what is at stake in Copenhagen and express their desire for climate change reform. The campaign includes Web sites that contain information on climate change and real life stories, beautiful and thought-provoking print, Facebook applications, widgets, mobile applications, and videos. One video features several of today’s top musicians performing a song created specifically for the Tck Tck Tck campaign. 

Over 200 partner organizations have joined this fight for climate justice, including the World Wildlife Fund, Oxfam, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and the National Resource Defense Council.  With close to 3 million people already signing up to declare their support for climate justice, the stunning advertising created for this campaign is positive proof that our industry can help to make the world a better place. How is your organization contributing to a cause of social importance?

Are Things Looking Up for TV in 2010?

By Susan Burke

According to recently released reports, the Television Bureau of Advertising is predicting an increase in advertising revenue for 2010, as a result of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the U.S. mid-term elections, both of which are expected to lead to an influx of dollars into the TV ad market.  

Additionally, Disney’s CFO, Tom Staggs, announced that they have started to see improvements in ad sales for local markets, as well as among automotive manufacturers on the national stage. Recently, General Motors ventured back into the advertising market with an ad featuring their new chairman, Edward E. Whitacre, Jr. The ad offers customers a full refund (within 60 days of purchase) if they are not happy with their new GM vehicle:

New TV shows, such as The CW’s The Vampire Diaries (yes, I watched it), the network’s biggest series debut to date, are still drawing in viewers during their regularly scheduled time slots, potentially indicating that some ads are surviving the much discussed DVR blitz.

Does all of this point to a recovery? It’s too soon to tell, but it’s certainly better news than what we’ve been hearing for the past few months.

Is Online Video Advertising More Effective Than TV Advertising?

By Susan Burke

At a recent ANA Brand Management committee meeting, a presenter from Nielsen IAG shared the following information:

• A piece of creative running on a site such as Hulu.com (or ABC.com, NBC.com, CBS.com, etc.) delivers more effective advertising in terms of brand and message recall, than the same piece of creative running on TV. (Click here to see the snapshot and presentation.)

This nugget of information spurred a great deal of discussion in the meeting. Some attendees agreed with this finding, while others argued against it. To me, it makes sense that an ad running on an online video site has more of an impact than one on TV for a few reasons:

1. Conditioning: If I happen to be watching live TV, I will generally take the garbage out, channel surf, or leave the room during a commercial break. Most of us know how long the average commercial break is, so we are usually able to time our return to the couch perfectly.
2. DVRs: As I said in my first point, “If I happen to be watching live TV”—this activity happens rarely. Commercials are generally skipped, thanks to my DVR. However, you can’t fast forward through an online video ad.
3. Appreciation: When an ad is shown during an online video, I often find myself feeling grateful to the advertiser. Their sponsorship of the program means that I can watch it at my leisure, so I don’t mind viewing a 30 second spot in return.
4. Captive Audience: When commercial breaks occur during an online video, they are much shorter than a television commercial break. Therefore, I’m more likely to watch the ad, as opposed to doing something else during it. I can pause or mute the ad, of course, but I’ll still have to play it at some point if I want to finish the show.
5. Recall: My recall of an ad played during an online episode of a TV show is generally stronger than my recall of an ad played during the televised episode. This is because there are generally fewer total commercials during an online video.

While I think there is still a purpose to television advertising, I also believe that online video advertising is an avenue that many advertisers should explore more thoroughly. Online video isn’t going anywhere, so it’s time to embrace it.

Customer Service Makes a Difference

By Susan Burke

At a recent ANA Central Region Workshop, Michael Dunn, CEO and Chairman of Prophet, argued that a customer-centric strategy remains a way for great companies to win, despite the current economic conditions. At many ANA workshops, committee meetings, and conferences, I have heard industry experts agree with Dunn, stressing that customer service is often what differentiates one brand from another. I could not agree more.

Given the economic conditions and the changing mindset that many Americans, myself included, are experiencing, deciding where to spend our money has become not only a decision about value, but also about our experiences as customers. People today are more willing to switch retailers or brands if they find that they are not being treated well, especially if they can get the same value someplace else.

Recently at a branch of my bank, I had some difficulties with an ATM machine while depositing a check. The manager of the branch was not only unable to help me, but he was also dismissive and unsympathetic in his manner. A few days later, after learning that the issue was still unresolved, I called the bank and was assisted immediately. The person I spoke with was courteous, knowledgeable, and friendly. My first experience with the bank made me question whether or not I wanted to keep my business with them, but the second experience reassured me and my problem was solved. The difference?  An encounter with an employee who was efficient and pleasant.

In the past, customers may have been more loyal to a particular brand or company, but in today’s market all bets are off. Every encounter a customer has with a representative of your company (regardless of if they are part of the customer service division or not) contributes to the overall impression they have of your organization and making sure that customers view your organization positively is more important than ever right now.  Stellar customer service in all aspects of your business can make a real difference in determining if a customer stays or goes.

A Fish Named Dorothy

By Susan Burke

I rarely watch commercials. Thanks to my DVR, I can record 30 Rock, start watching it at 9:45 (as opposed to 9:30), and fast forward through all the commercials, while still ending the show on time at 10. This not only saves me time, but also allows me to avoid some particularly grating commercials that seem to be in heavy repeat these days.

However, there is one commercial I genuinely like. In fact, I like it so much that I almost always stop fast forwarding to watch it. It’s a commercial from Microsoft, featuring a little girl named Kylie and her fish Dorothy. If you haven’t seen it already, take a look:

All marketers know that a good commercial, among other things, tells a story, tells you something about the product, provokes an emotional response, and is memorable. For me this commercial does all of that. It’s not only adorable, but it also isn’t quite as aggressive as some of the other PC vs. Mac commercials out there, which makes it seem more like a slice of life as opposed to a sales pitch (even though it is still very much a sales pitch). Plus, if Kylie can do it, chances are that I too can improve my photographs with the click of a button.

In the end, there’s no way to know exactly how or why a consumer will connect with your commercial. I like this particular ad because not only does it work as a sales pitch, but it also makes me laugh and we could definitely use more of that these days.

(Of course, once you’ve come up with a great idea for your next commercial, you still need to produce it.
 
For a case study, click here to learn how Kraft handles their television commercial production.)