Octagon First Call

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.

Kudos to Susan G. Komen For The Cure for the announcement of their new ambassador, Sex and the City co-star Cynthia Nixon. Nixon announced the partnership and her battle with breast cancer this morning on ABC’s Good Morning America (that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2006). The partnership makes a lot of sense for Komen; Nixon is a well-respected and influencial actor, the Sex and the City movie premieres in less than six weeks (one week before Komen’s annual National Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. – June 7, 2008).

As part of the partnership, Nixon will appear in public service announcements, educational messages on Komen’s website, participate in media interviews and public appearances.

This is an example of how Foundations and non-profits are now looking for their own faces without waiting for their corporate partners to deliver one. Because when they do, the celebrity typically wants to keep his/her corporate partner happy (to sometimes the detriment of the charity). Expect more of these type of deals in the non-profit industry in the coming months.

First Call is proud to be a partner of Susan G. Komen and on the team in making sure this partnership thrives.

Jamie Lynne Spears’ pregnancy is old news, but Nickelodeon may turn this teen’s pregnancy into an opportunity to educate young people about safe sex and pregnancy. The network, which could have very well pulled Zoey 101, is staying by her side (a la Vanessa Hudgens and Disney) for its fourth and final season slated to start in 2008. The finale for season three airs January 4th, 2008. Nickelodeon might air a special hosted by long-time Nick News host Linda Eberlee, who has tackled such sensitive subjects as same sex parents and the impeachment of President Clinton. No word on whether or not Spears would directly participate in the special, but the timing makes sense for the network. Nickelodeon is one of the only networks could pull off a special that educates young people versus focusing on the subjects scandalous nature.

It’s tough to be fired as a spokesperson when you can’t even respond to the criticism - especially if you are an animated character. But kudos to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. They have asked the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to stop using Shrek in their promotion of kids exercise PSA’s in advance of the May 18 Shrek The Third movie launch because of the amount of high-calorie and high-fat promotions the green character is already associated with. Movie partners include Skittles to Happy Meals to green Cheetos. The HHS said the campaign has resonated well with kids so far, and while they will take it off the air during the movie promotion time period, they will air it again in the future.

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.