Shocking the Interwebs audience certainly isn’t anything new to advertising (remember Diesel’s SFW birthday video in ’08?), but some brands are really jumping in with both feet and two of something else and demonstrating how important it is to really know who your audience is and what they want.  KSwiss EVP David Nichols calls this new, razor sharp Tubes campaign: “unfiltered straight talk”.  While it definitely ain’t for the “straight talk express” crowd, this video series nails it as far as bothering to understand their audience and seamlessly integrating their brand and grown up laughs.  This is one of the few times I actually enjoyed watching a branded video without  being put off by the overt presence of the brand.  I watched the piece, laughed my nads off, and found myself with an otherworldy, passionate desire to buy some mutha @#*&ing TUBES!  Kswiss isn’t alone in the cajones department.

Axe Body Spray and, more recently, the Old Spice / Twitter campaign are great entertainment.  We know it’s advertising and we’re reminded at every beat who the advertiser is and what they’re about.  The brands own it and we know it.  Because, they own it, they are being honest, I’m not offended, and I’m entertained because they know I’m not a white bread guy who wants more of the same.  I love me my Kenny MF’ing Powers and I’ll take the HONEST fun before the subtle BS any day.  I’m betting I am not alone.

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

If you look under the hood of all successful branded content, you will see an engine built of a  creative team, onscreen talent, and a brand that understands the medium and what appeals to its target audience. The success of the Old Spice / Twitter experience, was due in large part to the talent on camera and the team that was able to execute the writing and production of the personal reactions.  They knew their audience.  Bothered to deliver something new.  And reaped the rewards.

It seems like a fairly intuitive process, however we need only look to the recent Cisco Doug Webster, aka “Old Spice Copycat”, campaign to see what happens when big brands go bad and don’t do their homework…or simply try to piggyback unsuccessfully on a rock star campaign.  If we don’t know your story or characters and you don’t provide us with solid entry points into your new story, why should we care or spend our precious time watching and interacting?

Regardless of how much the audience gets involved (and UGC remains an important element of the campaign) brands must first start with high quality creative that sets the bar and the tone for this engagement.  Together, traditional and new media elements are very successful, but brand moderation and solid producing will always be a mainstay.  Once a brand sets the bar as far as the message and story, the audience can be invited into the process and all sides will be fulfilled.  Although some criticize the effort, the iPad and Modern Family combination was, by most accounts, very successful.  The integration was (1) organic to the story and character in the episode and (2) catered to the audience on every level.  This author would have been in favor of Sofia Vergara alone with her iPad in a series of web shorts, but that’s another article altogether.

Proof Is in the Sales

At this point in the game, if you’re a brand and don’t jump in with both feet when creating this type of content, you can’t expect people to stay interested, let alone give your brand any respect or a vote with their dollars.  While it’s certainly too early to gauge the sales success of the latest installment of bold brands looking to cash in on what Mashable calls “the future of Marketing”, Nielsen provided solid numbers on the  Old Spice / Twitter campaign. Total brand views on the web for the old Old Spice videos have surpassed 100 million and sales have made a 100% gain since February of 2010 according to Nielsen.

Axe, Old Spice, and KSwiss all had a clear and complete understanding of their audience.  They determined / decided that the audience that watches HBO, just might be their sweetspot.   They were able to successfully navigate the sometimes tricky real-time content space with edgy video and multi-platform elements (look for KSwiss Kenny on your Facebook page real soon).  Here’s what having balls does for us and for your brand—We don’t mind your advertising, as long as it makes sense and gives us something of value.  While its not everyone’s taste, Kenny makes me laugh….and want to buy sneakers.

We know that Kenny Powers is not for everyone (but we have no idea why).  Fear not fans of G-rated branded content!  It’s not all balls and tubes – unless you count those Swedish meatballs.  Ikea and Iliana Douglas (along with a host of other familiar faces) have been teaming up for the last couple of years to bring you Easy To Assemble.  The series has been seen over 5 million times since it launched and has managed to weave a story and breathe life into those ambiguous, Scandinavian instructions we love.

So attention brands of planet earth!  Now is the time for brands – conservative and edgy alike – to take risks in this new space.  Please make sure to hire capable, creative minds who understand your core audience.  Sorry, only the pros know how to craft content that can be edgy, and yet stay on point with relevance and message. Simply making something shocking, for the sake of standing out in the crowded digital space just doesn’t work.  If you don’t believe us, just ask Burger King.

How excited were you when you saw Episode 8 and learned about the different types of audience?  We know; Earth shattering.  Keep it together because this week we’re going to astound you yet again with information you haven’t already heard a million times.  All this talk of social media this and new media that is a good thing for your business, but it’s not the only way to reach, entertain, and retain the modern audience.

In Episode 9 we’ll take a look at why it’s so important to embrace all forms of media in an effort to connect with everyone.  We especially  want to reach out and touch those who may be thinking of crossing over to the new paradigm, but haven’t yet taken the plunge.  Although you really should consider this bandwagon because it’s fun here.  Besides, we know you’re always looking for new ways to dissuade cognitive dissonance.  Holla!

Episode 9 features: Beth Diamond, Timothy Golden, Jason Feinberg, and Zach Jordan

Photo by: Travis Jensen

In our last episode, we learned that the power of a loyal audience today is due to quality not quantity.  This week we explain the three main types of audience and how the new, “lean forward” audience engages with content across multiple platforms.  How does one engage people when they are consuming across all platforms, including live events?   Ultimately, the best way to “defrag” any audience today is to weave a compelling story that relies on traditional storytelling maxims AND speaks with a unified voice utilizing only the appropriate platforms that apply to your story.

Episode 8 features: Suzanne Diamond, Timothy Golden, and Zach Jordan

photo by: TourettesWithoutRegrets

It’s funny how technological and new media advances are exponential, audience acceptance of the same a bit less so, and the embrace of it all on the part of media professionals at a dark ages pace. We all see it coming, the warning signs have turned tangible in Web 2.0 and yet, movement on the new media / supplier side always seems to be the tardy party. It takes a loud, credible voice and not the bravery of the innocents to call us out and point out that the media Emperors are naked. Yesterday at NATPE, Michael Eisner, stepped up, called it like it most assuredly is, and told us how old media is not only indecently exposed, but on “a death march”.

Eisner tells us that made-for-the-web content is the now and the future.  Unveiling his latest web series, “The Booth“, the former Disney boss, described how the modern audience and the new finance and distribution realities mean that premiere digital content will be the way producers and audience go forward.  At its core, Eisner is telling us what we all already know, but that the financial and distribution sectors are still too afraid to accept. The audience is in charge.

All content and distribution must be crafted on their terms. Those terms demand that we give them content that is personal, relevant, authentic, and is available to them on ALL platforms (format customized for each platform and experience) on demand in the 360 Transmedia Universe where the modern audience lives. As Eisner pointed out, for millions, the web, mobile and other platforms are where they consume content. As we have said here many times before, Eisner echoed that, in a single generation, the TV- bound, passive, “lean back” audience will be a thing of the past.

He’s not just talking about how it will turn out, rather, judging from his content offerings, he shows that he knows what the audience will want—content that is consumable in one big meal, small cumulative snacks, or anything in between. And in a hint to the future, even beyond the platform agnostic universe that is just around the corner, he boldly reduces broadcast television to a second run repository (I don’t completely agree—”events” will still engender mass, quasi-communal consumption). So, reruns of our digital shows might just be the savior for the 10pm slot? Damn, Michael, you could have saved NBC a bit of angst had you spoken up sooner!

The old rules of messaging and traditional media dictate that you want to try to reach as many people as possible.  Today, with the ability to hyper target your message or story, the barrage of so much content, and peoples’ short attention spans, it’s about quality and your own definition of ROI.  We learned about the importance of an authentic message in Episode 6 and this week we find out why your billions and trillions of Twitter followers, Facebook/MySpace friends don’t mean anything…unless you’re just an odd collector of people and that’s so 2009.

Episode 7 features: Jason Feinberg and Zach Jordan

In Episode 5 we find out why it’s so important to have all the elements of the conversation in place in order to encourage audience participation and build a loyal following.  This week we take a closer look at crafting an authentic message.  You don’t always have to be good, but you do have to be interesting and there’s usually nothing more interesting than a little authenticity in your story.  In this week’s episode, we tell you why an authentic message is so critical during this paradigm shift and beyond.

Episode 6 features: Suzanne Diamond and Zach Jordan

]]> http://www.joedigitalblog.com/targeted-distribution/episode-6-social-media-hold-the-bs/feed 1 http://www.joedigitalblog.com/targeted-distribution/episode-5-the-conversation-equation http://www.joedigitalblog.com/targeted-distribution/episode-5-the-conversation-equation#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:18:59 +0000 Zach Jordan http://www.joedigitalblog.com/?p=787 Keep Reading]]>

The big scary paradigm shift in technology, entertainment and advertising (don’t worry everything else is converging too) is akin to the implosion of the music industry. We spent years building up obstacles between the music and the fans and trying to ignore the fact that they were always in control. When the dust finally settles this time around, we’ll all be able to see clearly that, in the crowded world of content, we need to provide as clear a path as possible between your music and your fans. Great content is like music; it might be brilliant but without anyone around to hear it, nobody will ever get to experience the greatness. Episode 5 explains the Joe Digital special formula we like to follow:

High Quality Content + Strategic Distribution = Loyal Participants

Next week, in Episode 6, we’ll take a look at why it’s so important to craft an honest story when starting  the conversation with your audience.

Episode 5 features: Zach Jordan

As we saw in Episode 3, there are several ways to track audience data.  You can find out, on a very granular level, who they are, where they like to play, and other important metrics that are required to make great content and distribute it strategically across the web.  In Episode 4 we find out why it’s so important to utilize this data and help you create a loyal bond with your audience.  We’ll also look at why it’s imperative to come from an authentic place when creating interesting and relevant storylines for your content.  Remember: the consumer bullshit meter is very sensitive!

Episode 4 features: Jason Feinberg, Suzanne Diamond, Timothy Golden and Zach Jordan

In Episode 2, we briefly discuss the various social media tools and technologies available and the importance of customizing every strategy depending on your audience. Episode 3 gives a few specific ways you can find out (1) who your audience is, (2) what factors you need to consider when developing content and (3) the various ways to track and report on your audience.  Once you get to know your audience, take a look at Episode 4 to get a sense of why it’s so important to use this data to create relevant and authentic messaging.

Episode 3 features: Jason Feinberg, Suzanne Diamond, Timothy Golden, and Zach Jordan

In Episode 1, we introduce the current state of media, advertising, entertainment and music and discuss what approach brands and content creators are taking to engage people in the volatile, digital landscape. This week we take a closer look at some of the tools marketers have at their disposal and why it’s so crucial to build a customized approach for your audience.  Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to find out as much about your audience as possible (seriously, a scary amount of information)…watch Episode 3 to find out what I’m talking about.

Episode 2 features: Suzanne Diamond, Jason Feinberg and Zach Jordan

Photo by: kmevans