#integration analysis

[mbatv]

Going the extra mile

I was watching the Kroll Show last week which featured a Subaru commercial done by Nick Kroll as a character from the show. It was a smart branded entertainment effort and something that I am sure will generate high C3 numbers. The problem, though, is this appears to just be a one-off. I couldn't find the clip online. The Kroll Show website has no mention of Subaru. I google Subaru with Kroll Show and nothing relevant comes up. Why is that? There is value in creating this ad but the real value comes from a true integrated partnership. The Kroll Show has a funny Instagram page - why not involve Subaru there? Shouldn't the clip be a video ad on the Comedy Central website? I think in the future we will see more branded entertainment efforts but, more importantly, they will be parts of bigger Integrated Partnerships.

[mbatv]

Integration Reviews - "The Office" and "Nespresso"

The "C" plotline of last week's "The Office" featured the gang using a new Nespresso machine and trying the multitude of flavors. The integration was set up with a lot of trust and it seems the Office cast and writers had a lot of leeway. It is great for Nespresso to trust an entertainment property like that. While I think the integration was successful in highlighting the Nespresso machine, the Nespresso plotline just wasn't executed in a particularly funny way.

Did it work for the viewer: The answer unfortunately is not really. A sitcom episode typically features 2-3 plot lines. Sometimes they all work and sometimes only one does. This was not the best episode of the show and this plot line was the least funny part of a sub-par episode. I don't believe this is the fault of the brand or the integration though. This plot may have fallen short irregardless because long running shows can not produce magic every minute every single week.

Did it work for the Advertiser: Yes. This was a prime placement and was truly woven into the story. I would estimate that a quarter of the show featured either use of or discussion of the Nespresso machine. The upscale "Office" audience, which most likely has a high concentration of office workers, were exposed to the idea of a fun espresso machine with diverse flavors that could be in their office. I would bet that real life office managers are getting requests for this machine.

Did it work for the Network: The network benefited because it shows the lengths to which NBC will go to do a strong integration. NBCU is open for branded entertainment business.

Overall I think this is a great concept and something NBCU should keep doing. It just got unlucky that the episode, and this plot thread in particular, didn't comedically click like the show is capable of. I think Nespresso is happy and that NBCU should keep touting its strong integration capabilities.

[mbatv]

The Bachelor Integration Review

This week ABC's "The Bachelor" did an integration with Harlequin Books. The girls were invited to compete in a photo-shoot to be the cover model for three new Harlequin books. I thought the integration was very successful overall in establishing the Harlequin brand to the right audience. I do wish they had gone slightly further.

Did it work for the advertiser?: Yes. Harlequin got great placement on a show adored by women who adore romance and making fun of people looking for romance. Whereas someone might want a cheesy romance novel and pick out any brand, now they may look for Harlequin. Any company with enough money to be on "The Bachelor" must have enough money to create good romance stories. Advertising! Harlequin also got a ton of added value from the blogosphere because the Bachelor is heavily written about on the internet. Ex - http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2013/01/see-the-bachelor-harlequin-romance-novel-covers---which-one-do-you-like-best.html . Harlequin probably wishes there was more conversation about the actual books or scenes of the girls enjoying reading them. Maybe next year.

Did it work for the network?: Yes. One group date a year generally focuses on a photo-shoot. ABC just monetized it this year. I do wish ABC would have gone further though. For instance, they could have done a licensing deal and created a co-branded new book or series of books. Wouldn't Bachelor viewers want to read a cheesy romance novel featuring a similar setup to their favorite reality show? Wouldn't they download it to their kindles immediately?

Did it work for the viewer?: Yes. Again, monetizing something that happens every year on the show is completely fair. I did not feel like I was taken out of the show at all. I also now have a brand name in mind if I want to buy a romance novel for my wife.

[mbatv]

The Amazing Race/Ford Integration Review

CBS is very good at ongoing integrations. Survivor and Sprint are partners year after year to the point where fans know a cell phone will come up with photos/videos of the contestants' families. Here's the great thing - fans don't begrudge it. They look forward to the episode to see the characters' reactions and families.

The Amazing Race and Ford are also longtime partners and last night's episode was the big integration episode. The contestants are given a Ford to drive and told to use the special hatchback open feature. The features allows someone carrying multiple bags to use their feet to tap a switch to open and close the trunk. There are very natural reactions of the contestants being impressed by the car and a small storyline about how the eventual winner could really use a car, which they will get for finishing first in the race. Ford cars are used throughout the show but each year there is one big integration episode. Last year, the highlighted feature was the self parallel park which was pretty cool to see done by all the contestants.

Did it work for the advertiser? Yes. In addition to lots of on-air time, Ford shows real people being really impressed by the feature. If someone is often filling up their SVU, they will seek out this car because of the feature in my opinion. The integration felt it was part of the show and did not detract or take away from the show in any way. Every year, Ford can use the amazing race to highlight a car's new feature.

Did it work for the viewer? Yes. Viewers are not overloaded with information but just watch an interesting feature of the car. The contestants on the show are so engrossed in the intense competition that they don't think about mugging for the camera or anything. They run to complete the challenge and use the feature in a natural way that stays within the show's exciting bounds.

Did it work for the network? Yes. Ford is a continual partner who fits in very well with the dynamic of the show. Nothing feels forced and CBS can profit off what could have been an expense (car transportation).

[mbatv]

Microsoft Television Advertsing Strategy Review

Microsoft has been one of the more aggressive companies in purchasing television added value. While networks have found numerous ways to partner with Microsoft, the results have been below average.

The problems:

1. Product: Honestly, the biggest problem is the product. I have seen numerous ads about the new "Tiles" for Windows but I just don't see the benefit of them. The ads show me the "Tiles" but have never shown me a benefit of them. There are references to "simplicity" but I just don't get that from looking at the product.

2. The Timing and Integration: By my count, Microsoft is launching the Windows 8 operating system, a new tablet, and partnering to help launch new cell phones. All of this makes for a confusing consumer message because there are so many products at the same time. I have some messages about simplification, some with upbeat music showing cool computer things, an advertising campaign featuring Will Arnett etc. If you notice, Apple doesn't do this. They may release new product versions together but they emphasize one product at a time.

3. The digital connection: The "Work for Will" is a nice call to get viewers online (even if the package is only worth $3,159.96*) but when I searched for "Windows + Simplify," a major marketing push for them, I did not get a top search result pushing me to a Microsoft website. The first result should send me

to a Microsoft website telling me exactly how simple my life will be. This doesn't even happen on Bing.

While Microsoft is aiming at mostly men through sports and Will Arnett, Microsoft paid a lot of money, I am sure, for the Surface Tablet integration on ABC's much more female skewing Suburgatory last week. The show showed the lead character Tess falling in love with her tablet and not needing her friends as much. Although we never saw what was on the tablet, the screen never turned around, Tess verbally told us how much fun she was having on it. At the end she even bestows some of the physical virtues including a USB port. The episode featured two Microsoft Surface Tablet A position commercials as well. The success or failure of the integration was somewhat irrelevant to me. Microsoft is spending money to get its products mentioned but isn't doing a good enough job really making people want to use its product - Tablets, Cell Phones, "Tiles" etc. This could be a product problem or a marketing problem but it adversely affects their media partnerships.

*http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/mobile-phones/will-arnett-featured-in-nokia-lumia-920-work-for-will-contest.asp

[mbatv]

The Gift of Revenge

I do not watch ABC'sRevengebut I DVRd it to watch the integration with Target and Neiman Marcus. All of the commercial breaks, with the exception of some promos and local ads, were bought by Target/Neiman Marcus. The commercial space told a story about characters from the show getting mysterious gifts. They all end up at a warehouse which turns out to be a big party.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPujeHREOJo

It is exciting to see brands and networks partner together. Revenge features a lot of fashionable characters and a high female viewing audience. This promotion was a great attention grabbing collaboration to create buzz for the new Target/Neiman Marcus partnership. The ads featured talent from the show, in character, and were filmed in the same vein as the program.

The downside was that the actual footage wasn't very exciting and mostly dragged on. The end, a party in a warehouse, wasn't much of a payoff. There was a lot of prominence given to the hashtag #GiftOfRevenge but without a specific call to action on what that meant. Ultimately, I thought it could have been done better. I would have liked the partnership to go beyond buzz generation and into off-screen activation (a contest or a push to something).

Did it work for the Advertiser?It worked to create buzz but it could have done more. I thought ultimately there was too much commercial time bought and the short miniseries dragged.

Did it work for the Viewer?It did not take away from the show which is a key aspect of any integration. It seems like the right viewers were targeted, those who are interested in fashion, and these viewers had a choice of whether to watch or not.

Did it work for the Network?Yes. It shows ABC is willing to work with brands and use their talent to do so.

Final Verdict- A strong attention grab that lacked enough substance.

[mbatv]

Integration Reviews - Fox and Ford Fusion

The Tuesday October 23rd episode of Fox'sThe New Girlhad a very big Ford Fusion integration that ran almost two minutes. In the episode, Jess steps in as a Car Model, for her best friend Cece, and struggles to properly present the new Ford Fusion as a Ford spokesman announces the car's benefits. My review:

Did it work for the Advertiser? Yes. Ford not only got a lot of time but also the ability to list the car's benefits. From watching the episode, I learned that the Ford Fusion has environmental features and gets good gas mileage. The episode did pretty well reaching 5.16 million people (Live + SD) with a 2.7 rating in the coveted P18-49 demographic.*

Did it work for the Network? Yes, but not as much. The show did an excellent job of working the integration into the episode but the bit ran a little long. Watching Jess struggle and fall into classic Jess problems was funny and worked nicely with the integration. The integration certainly felt 50/50 between show and advertiser which is a good split. In the editing of the episode, this was the only long form bit and I thought it just ran a little too long and had a slightly different pacing than the rest of the episode.

Did it work for the Viewer? The integration was long enough and obvious enough that I am sure most viewers realized they were watching an ad. The show encompassed the bit well though so viewers were being entertained, as opposed to interrupted, which is key.

Pricing: The average 30 second price for a New Girlad is $320,940**. For a 2 minute integration, Fox could say the price should be for a 2 minute ad and charge $1,283,760. Ford would say that the price is too high because for a 2 minute ad, it can do whatever it wants with the time but that is not the case with an integration. I have no idea what Ford paid but I think they got a lot of value. Ford reached 5 million people and when you add up the reruns, EST, VOD, Online, and DVD that number is going to jump substantially and no one can skip the ad.

Final Thoughts: I'm excited by partnerships like this and I feel this was a strong one. I'm curious to see how much of the true value of this integration deal was captured by Fox.

*Source: Nielsen

** Source Ad Age - http://adage.com/article/media/tv-ad-prices-idol-match-football/237874/