Comments on: Branded Content: From Class to Kitsch (and Back Again)

By: Nancy

Nancy — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:30:39 +0000

Many large companies have become quite creative in their attempts to build brand loyalty. Capitol One is one of the leaders with an approach that has grown their business by leaps and bounds. Read more at http://www.delivermagazine.com/the-magazine/2005/05/01/whats-in-your-mailbox/

By: Stephen Denny

Stephen Denny — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 20:47:14 +0000

I think there’s a heavy emphasis on ‘breakthrough’ creative, often at the expense of the message itself. The other “fake head” fast food guy, Jack, delivers his message in a very compact way and actually comes off pretty well. The King is… entertaining… sure, but not much gets across to me, but since their stock has doubled since last August, I’ll withhold judgement on the ads themselves.

By: Mandy Vavrinak

Mandy Vavrinak — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:17:42 +0000

I have a hard time watching the :30 Burger King “King” spots now. It seems to be a prime example of doing “something different” just to be different. So many movies, spots, and shows are trying for the “so stupid its funny” vibe, and I think it contributes to the stagnation of creativity and the “dumbing” of the audience (see Elaine Fogel’s post on “Dumb or Dumber”). I hope Burger King finds something more productive to do with marketing dollars than a not-very-entertaining movie whose broad hope is to connect it brand with stupid humor.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:16:07 +0000

We all agree that brand marketing is not a new concept. But it has become more sleek. Getting big name shows like Oprah to “recommend” products has become the norm.
I say more power to those companies who manage to position themselves well.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:14:29 +0000

I was a mere toddler when Mutal of Omaha was on the air. But it seems in 2007 we have the biggest branded content show of all: American Idol!
I have lost count as to how much merchandising goes on during each airing. Cingular (AT&T, Cingluar, AT&T, whatever brand name is more likely to get you to buy this month) has gone so far as to tie in AI content with their new line of phone products. When it’s time to dial in for your favorite contest, Ryan Seacrest aptly reminds you that “Cingular is part of the new AT & T.”
Randy, Paula and Simon have Coca-Cola cups permanently bonded to any table they’re judging from. I’m patiently waiting for a theme night where all the contestants are required to sing their own version of Coca-Cola jingles.
Ford has bought it’s share of spots and gone as far as to have American Idol winners “singing their praises”, literally.
Visit the American Idol site and you’re sure to be advertised incessantly by these same sponsors.
Branded content is here to stay and as advances in technology makes it easier to zap through commericial breaks, marketers will have more and more of a challenge in promoting their products.

By: Harry Hallman

Harry Hallman — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 12:11:38 +0000

Good Post. Makes you think.
But all said look at the BUZZ Geico is getting from this story. People are talking about it, blogging and the news media is writing stories. I bet the recognition for the Caveman commercial has gone up.
As far as the tie in, what I get is an insurance company that is not full of them selves and is willing to use humor in their ads. If I were 16-35 I would probably like that. I am not so I stay with Statefarm.

By: Stephen Denny

Stephen Denny — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 23:57:13 +0000

Yes, yes, yes and yes to all of the above.
Elaine: yes, 15 minutes of fame and kitsch celebrity. How refreshing. Maybe Paris will have a cameo.
CK: I’d say I like your shorts, but everyone would giggle and smack talk would start up again. But yes, the shorts idea works where the full fledged pilot seems to evoke a communal ‘huh’ reaction.
Mack: Geico is a wholly-owned sub of Berkshire Hathaway. So we just don’t know. Maybe Warren loves the Cavemen and the CEO likes the lizard while marketing does the ‘movie announcer guy’. Who the heck knows.
Tammy: I think you nailed it with the Friends/Starbucks mash-up. You can create a feeling of empathy for characters or ensembles that surround your brand — which could have been coffee and The Daily Grind, in this case. This strategy would make lots of sense. Cavemen, not so much, I think.

By: Tammy Strnatka

Tammy Strnatka — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 22:19:01 +0000

Interesting post. I’m not sure I follow your thinking entirely. I like the negation message. I’d like to hear more about that.
The Caveman sitcom sounds pretty dumb to me. The Burger King Movie has promise in my mind. It could be a wacky 70’s good cop bad cop caper movie where everyone eats Whoppers except the bad guy and the informant gives info for free whoppers. He joneses for whoppers. It would have to be so over the top stupid that it’s funny. Like Airplane.
I loved Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.
It seems like a natural extension of the infommercial. To sponsor an entertaining show that highlights your product without shoving it down your throat. That’s a challenge. Can you imagine if Starbucks had sponsored “Friends” That would have been clever. Starbucks allowed Austin Powers to make fun of them and it worked beautifully.

By: CK

CK — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:10:45 +0000

Good point, Mack. About a month ago I remember thinking along the same lines…

By: Mack Collier

Mack Collier — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 18:14:06 +0000

Maybe I’ve missed it, but how is Geico doing these days? Are sales up? At last count I spotted FOUR different spots running simultaneously on tv for the company (Caveman, Gecko, ‘famous actor tells my story’, and a fourth spot with a kid go-carting). I mean how can a company succeed when we have no idea what it’s message is?
“Geico. So simple, even….Little Richard can use it”. Wait…

By: CK

CK — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:36:40 +0000

Great piece.
I could see some “shorts” (and better likely for YouTube) around the Caveman. I’ve warmed up to him. Couldn’t see devoting time to him for an entire season. And I still have no idea how he relates to or evokes car insurance (then again the Gecko lizard doesn’t evoke the benefits of insurance to me either).
But the Burger King character being a movie? I can’t envision that being entertaining for a couple hours–so it doesn’t even appear to qualify on your first point (where you say it must be entertaining). Perhaps I’m wrong and it’s a good idea that will be embraced by their target audience or maybe it’s a case of management falling asunder to, and in love with, the very idea.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 16:59:23 +0000

Stephen, you make a good point. Isn’t this all just part of the short attention span/instant gratification needs of our society? If it has momentum, let’s run with it? Damn the strategy.
We seem to be living in Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes of fame. It’s in the media and then it’s gone. The issue may not have died, just our interest as we move on to the next new thing. Consumerism and indulgence at its finest.