The Knowledge
Spirit Magazine
The founder and CEO of NextMedium tells how to outwit TiVos.
Why does one product languish in stores while a similar one flies off the shelves? Much of the answer comes down to branding-the projected identity of a product. The upside of contextually relevant branding is almost limitless: increased sales, customer loyalty to the product, and even improved employee morale.
Still, few companies do the job well. Product placement for a brand in a movie or a television show is often accidental or based on the whim of a set designer. I'm amazed at how few resources entertainment companies devote to capitalizing on the millions of dollars in placements that they are essentially giving away.
Changes in the advertising business over the past 20 years have made branding even more important. Twenty percent of households now own TiVo-type devices that allow them to skip 92 percent of ads. That's a scary trend for marketers. My advice to them is to think aggressively about alternate advertising and consider how entertainment, especially brand integration, should fit into the mix. Integration opportunities vary in size and complexity from a car subtly appearing in a scene (imagine a quick shot of one parked in a character's driveway) to a deep integration where the car is essentially a character shaping the story (think of the pivotal role Mini Coopers played in both versions of the movie The Italian Job). Another example would be a big-box retailer that doesn't pay its workforce more than its rivals but does create a brand that attracts new hires and retains existing employees.
And branding goes far beyond Hollywood and big-box stores. The Internet has addressed a lot of marketing concerns about the future: Shoppers see something, they receive a distinct message about the product, they are given an 800 number or a website, and they can buy the product immediately. No matter what the approach, a thoughtful and well-executed branding campaign, particularly using brand integration within entertainment content, can create a strong and lasting connection between your brand and consumers.