Octagon First Call

I feel compelled to write about him again. In the past 72 hours, he has broken three world records and captured three gold medals. He now has four gold medals for the week with four more events to go. He is currently the world’s best athlete (and yes, you can debate Tiger and Roger Federer too). What smart company will take him out of the Olympics space and put him into a mainstream marketing campaign outside of an Olympic year? It’s not easy to do but someone has the chance now to be forever linked with one of the world’s greatest athletes.

After next year’s Olympics in Beijing, swimmer Michael Phelps may become the most decorated Olympian of all-time. Not just from America and not just from swimming - truly, the greatest Olympian ever. He won six gold and two bronze in 2004 and could add another eight medals to that tally. He is someone that all marketers should be considering for upcoming campaigns (the Beijing Olympics begin in August 2008). And thanks to WCSN.com’s live feed, viewers are able to watch Phelps gun for eight world titles this week at the Swimming World Championships. He has captured two golds in the past 48 hours (including a world record performance just a few hours ago).

As networks start to release their fall schedules, they are also approaching TV ad-buying season. The advent of DVR, Youtube and TiVo make this a much more stressful time of year, when buyers start to wonder exactly how many people are watching programs and their commercials. In the past, networks relied on Nielsen Media Research’s “live” audience measurements, but now have to examine multiple resources such as minute-to-minute and DVR ratings (a form of viewing that some ad buyers don’t like to take into consideration). With no set form of methodology, buyers will have a difficult time comparing time slots of the different networks. Be sure to check out the article to read about the different methods research firms and networks are offering to ad buyers this season. It will be interesting to see what buyers find the most valuable.

Alison Sweeney, who has played the villainous Sam Brady on Days of Our Lives since 1993, signed on as the newest host of NBC’s The Biggest Loser last month. We waited to blog to see initial response if any. It actually didn’t get much pickup which shows her current popularity level. That said, Sweeney is a logical choice as host - she is articulate, bright and has even chronicled her own weight struggles in her 2004 autobiography All the Days of My Life (So Far). She will become one of the many actors who have launched their careers from daytime soaps. Other noteables include Kelly Ripa, Ryan Phillippe, Rick Springfield and Salma Hayek in her native Mexico. Hosting Biggest Loser, which debuts fall 2007, gives Sweeney a huge opportunity to expand her fan base (Although both shows score well among female viewers, the Biggest Loser 3 scores well among males 18-49 too). With recent rumors of the network canceling Days of Our Lives because of poor ratings, it’s really a smart move for her. Just put her name down in your Outlook calendar for March 22, 2008 (one year from today). We’re betting her career will have taken a big step forward by then.

An article in Rolling Stone described a cool, new medium that’s been in the works for some time: celebrity-hosted internet talk shows. The article was about funnyman Tom Green and his latest endeavor, Tom Green Live! Though many entities offer podcasts, or chances to download network shows from the Web, Green’s show marks a new direction in communications. Filmed in the comfort of Green’s home and aired live on www.maniatv.com (episodes are also available on his personal website), the show has a similar format to talk shows on television. Guests have included Dr. Drew Pinsky, Brooke Shields, Weird Al Yankovic and Melissa Rivers, with some interviews surpassing two hours. Green, who was forced to cancel his MTV show due to a cancer diagnosis, is an entrepreneur thinking in the right direction. He combined the popularity of YouTube, his name and credibility, and the unpredictability of a call-in radio show into something really clever and funny. And while this show may not bring in millions right away, let’s not forget what this model did over time for Ashton Kutcher (Punk’d), Andy Samberg (Lonely Sunday), Steve-O (Jackass) and Jessica Rose (lonelygirl15).

Just this past week, comedian Sinbad’s wikipedia page was updated to say he had died of an apparent heart attack. It was merely hours later when his family and representatives were bombarded with questions and even condolences. As you know by now, the posting was fake. In a consumer-power era of free texting, blogging and control, corporate decisions are often based by what is written by all of us - the general public. And unfortunately, it is these poor-tasting jokes that could ultimately doom this freedom. Let’s enjoy the freedom and control and not abuse it.

And so does Jared, the regular Joe who lost 200+ pounds on the Subway diet and who teamed up with LL Cool J in NYC yesterday to promote Subway’s new “Fresh Fit” menu. But it was LL who got all of the attention and Jared was (literally) looking from the outside in as the rap impresario took control of the mic and the crowd, introducing the new menu to the press and the public in a big way. The event was part of a day long media blitz for Subway that LL led with appearances on CBS’s Early Show, Fox and Friends, Cold Pizza, CNN, ESPN News and others.

In January, we wrote about companies taking advantage of the “Super Bowl cooler conversation” and hiring celebrities to partake in one-off PR days leading up to the Big Game. March Madness brings the same excitement and opportunity. Some examples. In the coming weeks look for Best Damn Sports Show’s (and former Georgia Tech baller) John Salley to promote Hass Avocados, UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland hawking DirecTV’s March Madness service and legendary ESPN Analyst Dick Vitale working with Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Fertilizer. Vitale and Howland will appear in their respective advertising plans too. Listen up and you’ll hear plenty of “plugging” this month. PS - Go Miami-Ohio (I had to throw that one in)!

While America will vote all spring to crown the next American Idol winner, the final 12 (picked last night) are in good shape for future opportunities. Remember, these 12 will now get to tour and potentially create albums together, so the final eleven eliminations will not be the last time we hear these contestants sing. And that makes Sabrina Sloan’s ousting in favor of Haley Scarnato very unfortunate. Because of Antonella Barba’s photograph-fame, we’ll still see her in the public eye via spokesperson, modeling or hosting work. But it will be interesting to see if we ever hear from Sabrina Sloan again. And on the men’s side, Sanjaya Malakar is clearly the winner. He doesn’t deserve to be in the top 12 but now will be able to take advantage of touring and anything else that comes along with being in the Final 12.

First it was Lisa Rinna revitalizing her career, then Mario Lopez scored a CW development deal and now Jerry Springer has beed tapped to replace Regis Philbin as host of America’s Got Talent when the NBC competition series returns this summer. As the Washington Post writes today - “When Springer finally did get the hook (on DWTS), he thanked the audience for having him, ‘and thank you for letting me go home.’ He gave the show’s best parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow blah blah to date, saying, ‘I hope everyone has a moment in life where . . .’ before becoming too choked up. He had us at ‘I.’” Once again, it demonstrates that celebrities can turn around a career simply by letting America fall in love with them on a reality show. Last season, Regis Philbin hosted America’s Got Talent. The show averaged about 10 million viewers compared to roughly 20 million on Dancing with the Stars.