Octagon First Call

I had the fortune of running the New York City Marathon 10 days ago. But I write this blog about the post-race email I just received not the typical how great the course, City and fans were (which of course they were fantastic).  

Runners are passionate and the New York City Marathon definitely is taking advantage of it. I just received a survey that was different from most “post event surveys”. It went into detail about their sponsors - did we recognize them, remember them, willing to buy their products, questions about ambush marketers as well as details about the elite runners. Event organizers should make note of this. Fans and audiences will respond if they care. Take advantage of this “free form of research”. It only cost them someone typing in my email address in their computer.  

And of course, sponsors included ING, Poland Springs water, Gatorade, Powerbar, UPS and many others. And PS - the survey was created by Survey Monkey so that only cost them $50 dollars or so.  

Smart marketing!

Think Pink Continued…
Talk show hosts aren’t the only people raising breast cancer awareness this month.  Breast cancer survivor Sheryl Crow is raising money through the sales of her Bootheel Trading Co. clothing line.  10% of the proceeds will go to the Revlon/ UCLA Breast Center and the Revlon/UCLA Women’s Cancer Research Program.  Crow also partnered with Yoplait for their Save Lids to Save Lives program, by hosting a private concert in Los Angeles.  For every pink lid donated at the concert, the brand gave $1 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure and for every lid mailed to Yoplait through December 31st, the brand will donate $.10 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  Sales of Amy Grant’s new single, She Colors My Day, will go to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund.  Mariah Carey will be celebrating the launch of her new fragrance by issuing a challenge for her fans to design a luscious pink dress for her.  The three winning dress designs will be produced — one for Mariah to wear, one for the winner and one to be auctioned off for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  Breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge is joining Hard Rock International to launch Pinktober, Hard Rock’s 9th annual breast cancer awareness campaign.  Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls is teaming up with the Jell-O, Cool Whip and Philadelphia brands to design limited edition t-shirts with proceeds benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  To learn more, visit http://www.kraftbrands.com/poseforthecure/.  With an extremely original tactic, Katy Perry will have a mold of her breasts created to be auctioned off for the Keep a Breast Foundation.

Boundless Energy
OutKast rapper Big Boi has signed on to be the new face of Coca-Cola’s Full Throttle Fury energy drink.  The drink is the official sponsor of both the record release parties and promotional tour for his new solo album, Sir Luscious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty, on shelves today.  Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens will be endorsing Dr. Pepper Snapple Group’s (DPSG) Venom energy drink.  Owens will be part of the brand’s marketing and promotional campaign, which includes attendance at sponsored events and presence on in-store merchandising materials.  DPSG will also donate money to Owens’ Catch a Dream foundation for every bottle of Venom energy drink sold through March 2009.  The always energetic Richard Simmons is appearing in Yoplait yogurt commercials to promote their low calorie flavors such as Key Lime Pie, Boston Cream Pie and Strawberry Shortcake.  Check out the spot here http://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/yoplait_richard_simmons.   Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal is the spokeswoman for a nationwide casting call to find five young ambassadors who will deliver gifts to patients in children’s hospitals this holiday season  as a part of Duracell’s “Power A Smile” promotion. 

Lap of Luxury
At the age of 72, Sean Connery is appearing in print advertisements for fashion house Louis Vuitton, set to launch before the November release of the latest Bond installment, Quantum of Solace.  Fashion icon Jean Paul Gaultier has teamed up with Evian to make two exclusive creations for the company in 2009, the Evain Pret-a-Porter Bottle and the Evian Haute Couture Bottle.  Only seven of the Haute Couture Bottles will be released worldwide, and a few will be exhibited at select locations around the globe.  Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has signed a global development partnership deal with Dubai’s UAE Leisurecorp, which will see him design kitchens in homes and open his first two restaurants in the Middle East, both in the Water neighborhood of Jumeirah Golf Estates.

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”.

As many of you have probably heard, seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has made the decision to return to racing for the 2009 Tour. Brandweek’s article about his return and the impact that it will have on his marketing deals features insight from First Call’s Managing Director David Schwab.

I have gotten a lot of calls today asking about Brady’s marketability (update as of 3:30pm today is that Brady will undergo season ending knee injury). There is a very easy answer to all of these questions … his marketability will not be affected.

He is a not rookie or someone that is proving himself to marketers and fans. He is a current legend and leader in the sport of football. Companies that invest with Tom, invest with him for his career (and beyond). Yes, he won’t be on TV each week and he won’t win a Super Bowl this year. But his stature will not be devalued.

Ironically, he now will have time to fulfill sponsor commitments during the season. And he’ll have the ability to rebuild his legendary status. Americans love fallen heroes that trumpet again.

It’s also a six month injury as it relates to marketing, not 12 months. Advertisers run football marketing campaigns from September - February not in the off season.

PS … I will be interested to see how many games the Patriots will now play on TV’s Sunday national stage. The first is this Sunday at 4:15pm (including this Sunday against the Brett Favre led J-E-T-S).

My friends and I were talking about Seinfeld and Bill Gates new commercial this weekend. I like it. I was wondering the goal of it until I read Laura Petrecca’s column in USA Today this morning. It’s a good piece on Microsoft’s “biggest consumer effort with a TV ad — about nothing”. One of Microsoft’s brand and marketing strategists calls it an “icebreaker … water cooler conversation .. for an effort to come in the future”. Brand marketers are typically not that honest and I appreciate the candor. It makes total sense.

Also, I like the new ad by HGTV’s Candice Olson for Silestone. As host of Divine Design, she is incredibly influential the mother-demo, which fits well for this brand. She has endorsed the product for a year now but they are just rolling out this new campaign now. Olson has included Silestone, natural quartz counter tops in her kitchen for years.

And lastly, Regis Philbin, Alice Cooper and some NFL players have been recruited for Samsung’s last football campaign. As the “Official HDTV of the NFL“, the brand is inviting fans to share their viewing habits via , “That’s How I See It.” Check out Samsung.com/HowISeeIt. From Nov. 20 through Jan. 4, select videos will be posted on NFL.com/SuperAd. Fans can vote for their favorite and one video will air as a commercial during NBC’s pregame coverage of Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1.

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.

As the 2008 Olympic Games come to a close, Americans will walk away with many fond memories. From the Opening to the Closing Ceremonies, the Beijing Games provided excitement, entertainment and unthinkable accomplishments. Sponsors and non-sponsors alike capitalized on the many remarkable and unforgettable feats to capture the attention of millions of fans— through several ads seen throughout USA Today.

Vitamin Water (which Coca Cola purchased in 2007) ran a full page ad congratulating Kobe, LeBron, Dwight, Deron and Chris on winning the gold medal in men’s basketball. The five members of the men’s Olympic basketball team were featured in a campfire inspired ad campaign for the brand. Vitamin Water also released several viral videos featuring the stars behind the scenes footage carefully zooming in on them sipping their product.

Not to be outdone, Nike also ran a full page ad for the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team. The ad draws on the excitement and sheer exuberance of the team immediately following the overtime victory for the gold medal. The ad connects Nike with the selflessness and teamwork that the team illustrated.

Of course, a number of ads and articles ran congratulating the Olympic icon Michael Phelps on his record-breaking eight gold medals. Hilton, a sponsor of Phelps, USA Swimming and the U.S. Olympic Team, congratulates Phelps on achieving his dreams and encourages others to pursue theirs at hilton.com. The creative full page ad run by ESPN shrewdly alluded to Phelps without mentioning his name or any Olympic imagery (because of Rule 45). The underwater photo and clever language clearly implies Phelps’s achievements without directly stating his name. There’s also a blurb about Phelps’s Sports Illustrated cover-turned-poster. Recognizing the commercial potential of the historic cover image, a poster of the clean SI cover of Phelps is being sold at FineArtLimited.com. Even the superstar’s mom, Debbie, has received continued coverage with her shoot for a Johnson’s baby commercial and interviews including Good Morning America.

While the 2008 Olympics are technically over, some of the most memorable moments and heroes of the Games will continue to leave lasting impressions in the minds of Americans. Smart brands will creatively use these people to take advantage of the feel good memories that they evoke.

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