MediaPost | Marketing: Entertainment

50th Anniversary Looks Bright For Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:40:03 -0400

Character Arts keeps the brand fresh and forward-thinking.

A Threequel Wolfpack?

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:23:02 -0400

Each year I look forward to the first week in May. It marks the beginning of summer box office blockbusters. Secretly, I may even rank summer blockbuster season right up there as a fifth season. This season there are several movie franchises coming back for Xpeats; The Hangover III, Iron Man 3, Star Trek 2 and Fast and Furious is back for their sixth installment. What's the winning formula to a successful threequel or Xpeat?

... And Don't Call Me Baby: Marketing To Today's Women

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:00:03 -0400

She's held slumber/book parties in Nordstrom stores around the country for the KN Karen Neuburger pajama brand; wrapped Shuttle by United airplanes in giant red bows for the holidays; and featured Ivory baby finalists in old-fashioned bath tubs on "Good Morning America." She's led the PR campaigns for some of the biggest brands in the world including Procter & Gamble, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and Disney Interactive. And she's reached millions of women with key message points in the process. Now she's helping other marketers learn how to reach women without, well, missing the point.

Keeping Event Attendees Engaged With Your Brand

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:00:04 -0400

If you're like me, you're in need of a vacation after SXSW in Austin. Attendees are met with full sensory overload from the moment they arrive in town. People and brands with a typically large reach and influence can get lost when thrown into a sea filled with influencers.

Marketing Documentaries Today: Two Radically Different Takes On A Reel Challenge

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 05:57:27 -0400

Can documentary filmmakers rely on their film's subject matter to be its main marketing machine? That's the plan for Tamar Halpern and Christopher Quilty, co-directors and co-producers of "Llyn Foulkes: One Man Band," a feature-length documentary about "an artist battling his own demons as well as the perceived demons of the art world."

Will Digital Media Properties Dominate Licensing?

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:15:03 -0400

Traditionally, strong entertainment properties come from comic books, movies and television. They've helped to shape popular culture, and pop culture in turn, has shaped them to remain relevant. But with new phenomena like "Angry Birds," will digital media properties dominate?

I Feel The Need For Speed! Advertising At Mach Speed

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:26:24 -0500

"Top Gun" just celebrated its 25th anniversary. (I officially feel #old). To celebrate this classic movie from the '80's, I went and saw it in IMAX 3D with 10 friends. A few things struck me. First, the dialog is still pretty damn good. Second, there are really only about three songs in the entire movie - as an adult I now feel slightly suckered from my youth. And we can learn a bit from Maverick and Goose's need for speed and data about MiGs.

Extending The Social Channel During Live Events

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:27:00 -0500

Live events, what a great way to keep your brand front and center with your key audiences. Sponsorship dollars are allocated, creative executed, even your experiential team is on deck, but social still seems to be on the back burner for these events.

It's Award Season

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:53:51 -0500

This season's must-watch film, "Argo," tells the story of a group of content creators who took the media and utilized content to deliver a message that helped change the lives of those who some say would have died without their ability to make the "media the message." The film and its characters, for many, delivered an "inside" look as to how media messages are delivered and digested by the general public in modern culture.

Recovery, Hope, And Hollywood

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:15:03 -0500

Entertainment marketers love to associate their brands with nonprofit causes: The brand's financial support benefits the cause, and standing behind a worthy cause reflects well on the brand. There's no shortage of causes to choose from, but one that really hits home with many in the Hollywood community is Writers In Treatment.

Hashtag - The Halftime Belle Of The Ball

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:39:22 -0500

A few years ago, only geeks, programmers and few others knew what "#" was called. We listened to "Jane," the voice of our voicemail and automated phone systems, call it "the pound sign." If you were coding in HTML, you may have used the # as a page tag or named page anchor. But now, the little # or "hashtag" has become a part of our vocabulary and is ubiquitous.

Mobile: The New Driver Of Reach To The Mass Market

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:26:15 -0500

It wasn't so long ago that we relied on TV to reach the mass market. Anyone who advertised during the Super Bowl - or "The Carol Burnett Show" for that matter - could reach a huge percentage of American households. A generation ago, advertising on ABC, NBC or CBS would get you into the majority of American homes, and command the attention advertisers today can only dream about. Back then, multi-tasking meant eating popcorn and watching "The Ed Sullivan Show" at the same time. Advertisers didn't have the battle for attention they have now.

Sports Arenas Are Big Business

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 05:10:46 -0500

For many brands sports fans are the ultimate target. Dollars constantly feed into sponsorships, media spots and social programs timed to players and teams. However, one of the most cost-effective solutions might be right above their audiences. Literally.

Stars In Our Eyes: The SAG Awards Is The Standout Performer This Season

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:44:12 -0500

Some viewers and even industryites out there might hit awards show burn-out this time of year, but not me. I love everything from the strategic nominee campaigns to the red carpet fashion, and I think Billy Crystal's Oscar monologues are among the best TV moments in the history of the medium.

Storming The Winter Palace

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:18:27 -0500

This week, Las Vegas is being stormed by legions from Madison Ave., Silicon Valley and Hollywood, descending on the annual CES melee. I decided to skip the madness this year; however, I have been watching the tweets and various updates from afar.

Have Yourself A Sober Little Christmas!

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 06:19:31 -0500

Last January, I rang in the New Year with a look at the marketing of shows like "Intervention," "Celebrity Rehab" and "DUI." Now, I'm celebrating Chrismukkah with "Project Roadblock," aPSA initiative in which local TV stations around the country offer free airtime during the week of Dec. 26 in an effort to put the brakes on drunk driving. The multi-platform campaign, which also includes a social media program, runs during one of the deadliest auto-fatality weeks of the year and culminates with a concentrated roadblock of on-air spots, texts, and tweets leading up to New Year's Eve.

Marketing Lessons From A Mr. Grinch

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:54:00 -0500

"He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. Maybe Christmas, he thought ... doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!"

2013 Predictions Include Brand-Commissioned Pop Music And IPads At Your Courtside Seat

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:28:42 -0500

If 2012 was the year of the London Olympics, the Election, and GangnamStyle, what does 2013 hold in store for marketers? Where will the growth come from? We see a number of trends ready to shape the way we do business. Across several categories below, we'll make a "safe" and an "out on a limb" prediction.

How NOT To Fail At Mobile Video: 5 Tips

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:48:56 -0500

It's very exciting to see how mobile video is taking off these days. I'm pretty passionate about the medium, obviously, so I'm always excited to see brands launching video ads that are optimized for tablets and smart phones. I know it works, and I know they'll see great results. Except ...

How To Break Through The Clutter

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 06:44:56 -0500

Frequently, I find myself sitting in a room with a brand manager or agency discussing their "marketing pillars" and many times, if targeting women, entertainment is top of the list. These people are charged with leveraging entertainment platforms, or more daunting yet, creating new entertainment experiences, that will both engage users and align with their brand. This all sounds like fun but with many media options out there, breaking through the clutter is no easy task and delivering an ROI without insurmountable spend can be quite the challenge.

It's The Great Kahuna-Charlie Brown!

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:53:59 -0500

Everything I know I learned from Peanuts.

Up Against The Wall

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 05:54:00 -0500

Usually I use the quote from a movie or one of my favorite songs to describe an insight about some marketing and entertainment topic. But today I'm using the line "Up Against The Wall" to describe being on deadline for this article - I'm literally up against the wall of my deadline, after spending the entire day in back-to-back meetings, and phone calls. Yikes! That said, I do have a bit of a rant to discuss. Cinema advertising used to be tolerable but in the past two years it's gotten out of control. And my back is against the wall or a chair in this case.

Rise Of The Super Fan

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 06:59:20 -0400

"Once Upon a Time." "Homeland." "Boardwalk Empire." Sunday is officially the "Night of the Living Super Fan." You know, the truly fanatical viewership that does more than just watch the show, they instantly discuss, debate, and analyze each and every scene and subplot. But there's no show on TV right now that satisfies a super fan like "The Walking Dead."

Engaging The Multi-tasker: 3 Ways People Consume Entertainment

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 06:39:12 -0400

Recently, I sat down with executives from CNN, Unicorn Media, and Acta Wireless to discuss mobile video as a marketing channel. While we generally agreed that mobile video advertising has a promising future -- and a not-too-distant future, at that -- we had a lively discussion around the various benefits of, and obstacles to, success. Louis Gump, VP of Mobile for CNN, brought up some interesting points about how consumers are using mobile in conjunction with their TV viewing. His comments made me think about the many experiences consumers can have involving TV and mobile devices, particularly with respect to the Presidential debates that CNN was airing that evening. It seems to me that there are three distinct engagement models for multi-taskers that marketers need to consider:

5 Ways To Use Twitter Data To Determine A Hit (Or Miss)

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:07:15 -0400

Let's face it, even with all of the gnashing of teeth regarding changing viewing habits and outdated methodologies, TV ratings still provide the benchmark for measuring a success or failure in terms of viewership and demographics, both of which drive the almighty advertising dollar.

Selling History, Humor And Cartoons

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:17:54 -0400

How do you market a book that combines serious history, irreverent humor, and cartoons? That was the challenge facing author-cartoonist Stan Mack (creator of the legendary "Village Voice" comic strip "Stan Mack's Real Life Funnies" and the "Adweek" strip "Out-takes") and his publisher, NBM, for Stan's new book, "Taxes, The Tea Party and Those Revolting Rebels," which hit bookstores this fall. I talked to my friend Stan about how he and NBM have been tackling the job.

Remote I Want Control -- And Multi-Screen World

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:26:09 -0400

The Beastie Boys were ahead of their time with their song "Remote Control," talking about the dissonance coming from a multitude of living room devices -- if they only knew how that dissonance would grow with multiple connected entertainment devices. If only our daily lives were so simple as the remote from the cable box and the Xbox.

Art Imitates Life On TV

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 05:50:43 -0400

The new look of the American family.

Lessons From The Top 10

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:29:31 -0400

Entertainment marketing is the only business where every product is an event and every product is its own brand. Take a look at the top 10 movies right now. You'll see 10 different brands with their own budgets, imaging and value propositions. The only thing wrong with that picture is that entertainment marketers are relying too much on TV and display advertising and not enough on innovative approaches to reach their audiences.

Called On The Carpet

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:41:03 -0400

How to have a winning awards season