Octagon First Call

I often walk down an aisle at the grocery store to see what brands are using celebrities on packaging for a particular product. This morning I checked out the soft drinks, juice, energy and flavored water section of Harris Teeters. I looked at more than 150 products and only one had a spokesperson on-pack. Drumroll….

It was action sports superstar Ryan Sheckler gracing the packages of Red Bull energy drink. Interestingly, he was not the face of the “sugar free” Red Bull product.

Sheckler has been billed or marketed as the next Tony Hawk and/or Shaun White. Like them, he definitely has a wide range of appeal– from hardcore skateboarders to tween girls. This is because Sheckler can be seen in variety of different lights. For instance, tween girls and non-skateboarders are probably drawn to his personal life, as shown on his MTV show, Life of Ryan. Yet, true skateboarding fans will like the many videos of him performing tricks on his website. Sponsors have been drawn to him for this very reason… he connects with a variety of demographics. It is no coincidence that he currently has fourteen sponsors including Red Bull, Panasonic, Volcom, Oakley and Etnies.

From the early days of his campaign, President-elect Barack Obama has won the support of Hollywood.  While it is typical for celebrities to support their candidate of choice through financial means, Obama’s celebrity supporters have gone above and beyond the standard monetary donations.  Much can be learned from Obama’s extremely successful Presidential campaign.  He was able to use the strengths of each key influencer to reach a broad spectrum of the voting public.

For instance, the pro-Obama music video “Yes We Can” featured the talents of will.i.am (of the Black Eyed Peas), John Legend, Scarlett Johansson, Nick Cannon, Kate Walsh and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among others. The video’s skillful production and songwriting as well as the broad appeal of the celebrities quickly caused the video to become a YouTube sensation. Through the video’s viral campaign, Obama was able to reach the “youth” voters that proved to be crucial for his campaign.  

Oprah Winfrey, on the other hand, was able to target large audiences who regularly look to her for advice. Thus, by endorsing Obama through various media platforms that she controls (TV, radio, magazine, etc.), she was able to reach her trusting fans with Obama’s message.

And many more celebrities have helped the Obama campaign in a low-key fashion. Ed Norton placed phone calls to California voters on behalf of Obama. Scarlett Johansson knocked on voters’ doors in Minnesota. Ashley Judd spoke to a group of University of North Carolina students about early voting. And the list goes on. Each celebrity volunteered their time and unique talents to help Obama en route to the White House.

Much like Obama’s Presidential campaign, it is essential for a brand to recognize an influencer’s unique strengths. Successful campaigns will use tactics to capitalize on these strengths and effectively reach their target audience.

Thanks to the popularity of Disney’s High School Musical series, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu have all become household names in the past few years. In the newest film, which hits theaters today, three fresh faces appear alongside the original cast in the halls of East High School. These new stars have the opportunity to win the hearts of HSM fans and carry the franchise into the future. The rising stars will only get bigger and will likely be idolized by kids, tweens, teens and beyond- presenting a perfect opportunity for brands to capitalize on.

Matt Prokop will play the jock and musician, Jimmie “The Rocket Man” Zara… similar to a sophomore version of Troy Bolton. With a personal passion for soccer and his character’s singing and dancing abilities, it would be interesting to see him endorse a sports or Dance Dance Revolution-type of video game.

Jemma McKenzie-Brown will act as Sharpay’s personal assistant in HSM3, catering to her many high maintenance needs.  Since she’ll be associated with everything glamorous, Jemma would be a nice fit for a personal care product targeted to teens, such as hair care or body spray.

Justin Martin will be playing the role of Donny Dion, comparable to Corbin Bleu’s character. As a self-proclaimed shoe fanatic, he makes sense to endorse a lifestyle shoe or fashion brand.

It’s essential to remember that youth often do not separate the actors from the characters they play. Therefore, you must find a way to connect both the character’s and actor’s image to the brand that they are endorsing. These fresh faces present a unique opportunity for brands to reach a captive, youthful audience with a message.

Time and time again, celebrity spokespeople have proven to be an effective tactic for marketing/advertising/PR campaigns. Benefits of using celebrities include increased awareness, product differentiation, brand preference and a goodwill association. While you may think, “the bigger the name, the better the spokesperson” it is not always true.

Many factors affect the success of a celebrity spokesperson. Brand fit, campaign goals and target demographics must all be considered when choosing a celeb. Moreover, you must consider the celebrity’s image and also assets that they can potentially bring to the table.

For instance, Gwyneth Paltrow recently launched a new lifestyle website, GOOP. The site offers advice on how to Make, Go, Get, Do, Be and See like her. More importantly, fans sign up to receive a weekly newsletter of tips and ideas from Gwyneth. If a brand engages Paltrow in a campaign, the newsletter and database would serve as a great platform to reach out to Gwyneth’s trusted fans. It’s a perfect move to focus on a targeted demographic as well as reach potential new customers. Coupled with the fact that Paltrow is also relevant due to her role on the new PBS 13-part series Spain… on the Road Again (where she joins Mario Batali on a journey to sample food around Spain), Paltrow could be a home run for the correct campaign.

We’ll see if any brand capitalizes on the opportunity…

Now more than ever, tweens are reshaping the celebrity landscape.  With High School Musical 3 hitting theaters at the end of this month, the use of tweens in advertising and marketing campaigns is hitting a fever pitch. Several brands are looking to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the newest installment in the HSM series.

Honda recently signed on as the exclusive automotive sponsor of High School Musical 3: Senior Year. The co-branded campaign features members from the teen cast in TV and radio spots, print and online ads, and a microsite. The campaign also offers a sweepstakes with winners receiving autographed pieces from the HSM3 set as well as a 2009 Honda Odyssey. The cast can also be seen promoting Sara Lee’s Soft &Smooth brand in TV ads, point-of-sale-materials, PR, a HSM microsite, movie theater events and a consumer sweepstakes contest.

Tweens have now broken into the Broadway scene as the new musical “13″ opened on Sunday. The show speaks directly to its tween target demo with an entire cast and onstage band of teenagers. Look for these performers to start appearing in more mainstream tween entities.

And, these young stars are savvy about their images, many of them already linked to a cause or charity. Just this past weekend, many of the biggest tween stars attended ‘Target Presents Variety’s Power of Youth’ event supporting St. Jude Children’s Hospital.  Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Selena Gomez, Taylor Lautner, Miranda Cosgrove, Victoria Justice, Mitchel Musso, Brenda Song and Moises Arias (among others) were all in attendance.

Publicist Kristian Laliberte nailed it when she stated that “they’re the new influencers”. Today’s youth are hit with an overwhelming amount of media from all angles-TV, internet, cell phones, video games, blogs and more. Moreover, they have relatively large dispensable incomes and they’re looking to people they can relate to (ie: tween stars) for ideas on where to spend.  It is tweens’ media savvy combined with their purchasing power that enables them to influence marketing campaigns of popular products and brands.

Red Roof Inn loves country… and so does their guests. The leading budget lodging chain recently enlisted popular country music stars Phil Vassar and Little Big Town as a part of their multimedia campaign.

The artists recorded wake-up calls and hold messages for guests of the widespread inns. Red Roof Inn also created a Red Roof Loves Country website (hosted at the Great American Country- GAC- website) that features special video clips of Vassar and Little Big Town branded with the Red Roof label. The deal also includes sponsorship with a cable TV network and 250 radio stations devoted to country music in addition to traditional media (print ads, posters, postcards, sweepstakes, contests and discount hotel rooms).

The simple, country music of Vassar and Little Big Town matches the no-frills attitude of the hotel chain and their customers. As the CEO of Red Roof Inns stated, the country music-based campaign is “a bull’s-eye with [their] customer”.

Celebrities are lending their names to more than just perfume and soft drinks these days. As we’ve noted before, more and more celebrities are endorsing cause-related campaigns. This weekend, celebrities will be seen supporting good causes at three different television events.

Over 50 celebrities are slated to perform, take pledges and/or introduce segments of the program for Stand Up to Cancer, a charity focused on cancer awareness and research.  Many of the participating stars (ie: Christina Applegate, Katie Couric, Ellen DeGeneres) have a personal connection to the cause. The star-studded event will be aired on ABC, CBS, NBC and E! during Friday’s prime time slot.

Friday, Fashion Rocks will kick off New York Fashion Week (aired Tuesday on CBS). Performers include Justin Timberlake, Fergie, Keith Urban, the Pussycat Dolls and Kid Rock with Denis Leary hosting. The annual charity concert will benefit the Stand Up to Cancer charity.

Finally, the two-hour variety show America United: In Support of Our Troops will air on Sunday evening. Celebrities such as Pam Anderson, Janet Jackson, Ne-Yo and Snoop Dogg will make global appearances at military bases to benefit SupportAmericaUnited.com.

The celebrities involved in these events run the gamut in personalities, age and image. While this may attract a unique audience, cause-related campaigns should be aware of the change in perception that celebrity supporters/spokespeople can cause for a NPO. The results of our Cause-Related Celebrity Survey indicate that the public often changes their perspective on a campaign due to their personal opinion of celebrity spokespeople. 

Check back soon for a summary of all of our survey results.

The guest judge on Project Runway amplifies interest and drama in each episode, in addition to providing a unique point of view. With a wide array of guest judges—from Brooke Shields to RuPaul, Bravo has done an incredible job of leveraging the excitement surrounding the show. And they don’t always rely on traditional celebrities to generate the hype. 

Last night, for example, celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe served as the guest judge. The rising Hollywood ‘influencer’ has a busy schedule with her own Bravo show (The Rachel Zoe Project) premiering next month and a new Rachel Zoe brand of clothes and accessories launching in 2009. While Bravouses a variety of guest judges on the show, they are careful to select people who will speak to the show’s audience and create an interesting angle for the weekly challenge. Thus, Rachel Zoe and other influencers are a perfect fit. Project Runway fans are likely fashion enthusiasts and value Rachel Zoe’s opinion. Not to mention the fact that Zoe can plug her own Bravo show with the larger and more established audience that Project Runway attracts.

Earlier this season, actress Natalie Portman served as guest judge on the show. She was able to showcase her new vegan shoe line to her ideal consumer—the show’s fashion-forward audience. Bravo to Bravofor working with these celebrities and influencers to create a mutual benefit for both.

Can’t make it to Beijing? No worries. Olympic sponsors are bringing the Games to you. The Games of the XXIX Olympiad are the most highly anticipated games since Atlanta ’96 and sponsors are marketing accordingly. Almost every Olympic sponsor is marketing in the digital space, developing both online and mobile content. Some companies like Speedo are dedicating nearly all of their marketing budgets to online programs. Others like Lenovo and McDonald’s have created global online programs like an international essay contest and an online scavenger hunt.

As we here at Octagon First Call continue to expand our own digital capabilities and services we think it makes perfect sense that sponsors are creating online and mobile marketing programs. With the Olympics taking place in China most consumers aren’t at home watching from the couch when major events are taking place. Instead they’re following Michael Phelps at the office, in meetings, and on the go. Internet and mobile technology allow consumers to access Olympic content when and where they want. Smart marketers will realize this and take advantage of this opportunity. Let’s see if any of the Olympic sponsors are savvy enough to engage and integrate an internet celebrity with valuable assets (like a loyal fan base) into their online and mobile marketing. If an Olympic sponsor can create something like this for their campaign then we’ll be impressed. If anyone does we’ll be the first to let you know.

By: Zola Short

Most women hear the name Madden and instantly reach for their credit card, ready to splurge on that next pair of Steve Madden shoes; but with the growing popularity across an assortment of markets, John Madden has transcended into a household name. In the midst of men engrossed by him on TV and children (okay men too!) pleading for the latest and greatest version of his game, Madden is a name women can’t seem to overlook.  Talk about a marketing powerhouse!  His undeniable style has made him a standout from typical sports broadcasters in the game and his personal tag lines like “Boom!” and “Bam!” practically write the advertising reel themselves.

Acclaimed NFL coach and commentator, Madden is most assuredly a marketing force to be reckoned with.  He has made several promotional appearances in every field of retail from the “helpful hardware guy” with Ace, to the many Madden Miles traveled with Outback Steakhouse and the Madden Cruiser; and who can forget “Fast-Actin’” Tinactin?!  This guy really knows how to appeal to consumers of all ages, boys & girls, men & women alike.

As if a being a Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl title holder isn’t accomplishment enough, Madden can now add author and video game extraordinaire to his repertoire.  The popularity of his video game, Madden NFL, first launched in 1988, has hit an all-time high. With his likeliness attached to what Game Critics have named Best Sports Game of E3, Madden NFL 09’ and EA Sports have scored a touchdown with this marketing combo.

Much of the game’s success is due in part to Madden’s realistic understanding and familiarity with his consumer.  He knows what the players want in a video game and won’t stop until just that is delivered. Coming into their 20^th anniversary, EA Sports has big plans to play up their marketing powerhouse, Madden, through a series of events at this year’s Maddenpalooza.  This music festival features bands from past and current Madden NFL soundtracks like Good Charlotte, Busta Rhymes, and Rev Theory. With a genre so widespread, gamer or not, music fans are sure to fill the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for this show. Proving once again that EA Sports and team Madden really can reach every demographic.  The next time you find yourself looking for a celebrity or influencer remember what you’re mother told you when you were young, “beauty is only skin deep, it’s what’s inside that counts”…personality goes a long way and is a very marketable attribute.

By: Liz Baker