Television

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Don’t Get “Lost” Being Focused Solely on Quantity

March 30, 2010 in Television by Lauren McCabe | 2 comments

LostFor those of us who have stuck with ABC’s Lost for the past six seasons, our dedication and our eyeballs are being rewarded with higher advertising rates.  The Alphabet network is now selling 30-second spots for the show’s series finale (scheduled for Sunday, May 23) for a whopping $900,000.  This is a 400 percent increase from what ABC was charging for the commercial time during last year’s upfront selling season.

What does this tell us?  Well, first, it continues the upward trajectory for event-based television.  Even though Lost has lost a large percentage of its audience since it first debuted in 2004 and will probablly not even come close to the number of viewers who watched this year’s Super Bowl or Oscars, it will still bring in a wide audience wanting to know the ultimate secrets of the Island and the fate of the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815.  My bet is that many lapsed viewers will tune in, even if they will probably not get half of what is going on.

Second, television viewers and advertisers understand how much of a cult phenomena this show has become.  Lost fans like myself tend to text, tweet and update our Facebook status based on what is happening on our televisions.  For us, Lost is not just an hour each week sitting on our couches being entertained.  It’s hours talking around the watercooler and reading blogs trying to figure out the show’s mysteries.  Talk about engagement!  Chances are, viewers will not be changing the channel during the commercial break.  We’ll be valiantly discussing what we just saw with our friends at our Lost viewing parties just in time for the next segment to start.

So, for any marketer, whether you are buying time on Lost or selling space on your own website, its important to realize that sometimes the quality and passion of your audience is just as important and profitable as the quantity.  If your fans and consumers are talking about your brand whether it be through social networks or just to their friends and family, that’s worth the investment in creating an engaging and buzz-worthy product experience.

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One-Stop Shops for Media Multitasking

March 23, 2010 in Online, Television by Lauren McCabe | No comments

PBS KIDS GO! BroadbandHow many of us have found ourselves sitting on the couch watching tv with our laptop or our smartphone so that we can update our Facebook status or tweet about what we were watching?  Well, this year’s increase in ratings for major live television events such as the Grammys, the Super Bowl and the Olympics certainly shows that there are many of us who are multitasking with our media. 

Some media companies like CBS tried to take advantage of this viewer behavior by creating a video chat room services such as “Watch & Chat” on cbs.com to exploit this behavior with online video.  I’ve gone on a couple of times to share some laughs while watching How I Met Your Mother.  However, seeing what strangers are saying about Barney’s latest conquest is not as fun as talking with my friends Manny and Eric via text or exploring show blogs while I watch.  I’m always going back and forth from window to window; never really focusing in on the show.

To combat this, NBC took a lesson from the creative geniuses at PBS KIDS* and announced yesterday that it will be placing an online video player among show-related content such as games, quizzes and blogs to keep viewers on its site and help enhance the viewer experience.  In September of 2008 PBS KIDS launched the PBS KIDS GO! Broadband Channel, a digital playground where kids can watch their favorite episodes of shows like Arthur, WordGirl and Cyberchase while also playing games related to select episodes.  Sure, NBC’s content is quite different, but the basics are the same: more activities that keep the audience on your site longer which generate greater fan buzz and longer page views.  That equals more revenue from advertisers.

While this doesn’t apply to the PBS KIDS site since it does not support advertising, NBC’s content will be strategically integrated with consumer brands.  For the Peacock, that means more revenue.  For marketers, that means more engaged eyeballs.  And for users, well, it means multitasking brought to you by a commercial sponsor. 

*Please note that I worked at PBS KIDS and helped launch the PBS KIDS GO! Broadband Channel. 

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Retail’s Innovative Cheat Sheet

March 11, 2010 in Integrated Marketing, Mobile, Online, Outdoor, Product Development, Social Networking, Television, word of mouth by Lauren McCabe | No comments

The Retail Innovation and Marketing ConferenceThanks to my experience working with Best Buy last summer, I’ve been able to discover how I can use my passion for media to market companies and products that one would not normally consider “media” entities.  As the market is currently seeing with the creation of the Pepsi Refresh Project and the millions of iPhone applications and Facebook fan pages as examples, marketers are looking to expand their brands not only with their products, but also with entertaining and informative content.  I feel this is truly the future of marketing and communications.

Apparently I’m not alone.  Last week the National Retail Federation held its inaugural Retail Innovation and Marketing Conference in San Francisco.  For anyone who wasn’t able to attend (myself included), they have posted the most amazing blog that shares the highlights of the conference and the little golden nuggets of information shared by some of the industry’s most connected and digitally-savvy professionals.

It’s truly a valuable resource for anyone wanting to learn what’s going on in the industry, but can’t pay the conference fee.  (Me again!)  Enjoy!

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iPad: iWow or iDud?

February 1, 2010 in Games, Mobile, Online, Television by Lauren McCabe | No comments

Funny or Die: Pee Wee gets an iPad

Since Apple’s highly anticipated unveiling of its iPad last week, there has been a lot of buzz about this “revolutionary” gadget.  Frankly, much of the discussion is just about that.  Is the iPad even revolutionary?  For some, including Pee Wee Herman and the folks at Funny or Die, they think that the iPad is nothing more than a glorified iPhone that can also be used as a serving tray.  But for others, including me, the iPad is a hint of what’s to come for media consumption. 

Sure, the iPad probably won’t change the media industry as quickly as how the iPod changed music years ago.  But what is sure to happen is how media companies start thinking about the content they produce and how they release it to consumers.  As the New York Times reports today, the iPad has its flaws.  One of its largest is the inability to play Flash, a key compenent for sites like Hulu.  However, with new devices like the iPad, the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook, media producers will once again need to figure out how to get their content into the hands, ears and laps of media users before someone else does.

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What’s in a Joke?

January 22, 2010 in Television, word of mouth by Lauren McCabe | 1 comment

Team CocoApparently everything in the eyes of the executives at NBC.  According to an article in today’s Wall Street Journal, soon-to-be former Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien must adhear to a nondisparagement clause after he leaves the late-nigh show tonight.  This means no jokes, interviews and print and on-air appearances that could possibly cause the comedic host to say some not-nice things about NBC.  If he does, he could risk losing the $45 million agreement to vacate The Tonight Show hosting gig for a returning Jay Leno.

As stated in the article, NBC is no stranger to in-house heckling.  30 Rock makes fun of the corporate big wigs at General Electric every week and Johnny Carson even got a jab in calling the parent company a “conglomerate with a heart.” 

But what this recent development shows is how much NBC acknowledges O’Brien’s ability to connect with audiences and his pop culture leadership.  Sure, ratings of The Tonight Show have dropped since O’Brien took over this past summer.  However, buzz surrounding this late-night war has certainly increased in recent weeks.  The “I’m with Coco” Facebook page (which I am a member of) already has close to 605,000 fans.  This week in Chicago, fans of Conan O’Brien protested outside the local NBC5 studios donning orange-dyed hair to show their support. 

Only time will tell if NBC’s decision to remove Conan O’Brien from The Tonight Show was the right one.  Public relations representatives from both parties are working to make sure their side comes out on top.  But in the meantime, fans of late-night programming will have to wait to hear what O’Brien has to say about the matter.  Who knows?  NBC’s silence clause may possibly be O’Brien’s gain.

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Advantage: Data

December 23, 2009 in Integrated Marketing, Medill, Online, Television by Lauren McCabe | No comments

Like a tennis match, the debate over the DVR’s place in television watch as been going back and forth for the past couple of years.  But now that, according to Nielsen, one in three household uses a DVR (including  TiVo and those provided by your cable company), its importance in measurement and actual content production is even higher.

This past quarter I had the opportunity to work on a project for Cisco Systems as part of my Entertainment Marketing class at Medill.  Due to the non-disclosure agreement I signed I can’t go into  much of the data details, but what I can say is that  having  data from individual DVR devices and cable set-top boxes will revolutionize what we watch, how we watch and when we find out what’s out there to entertain us.

As owners of Scientific Atlanta,  a leader in cable box devices, Cisco provided us with actual household data from one of its cable hubs in order to create new online marketing and content creation to supplement on-air programming.  The data set my group obtained contained hundreds of thousands of data points that told us what channels were watched, for how long and at what time of day.  That’s a lot of great information for a marketer and a programmer.

With Comcast’s recent joint venture with NBC Universal highlighted in a recent article in Entertainment Weekly, it’s safe to say that media companies know that the power is in the pushes – from the remote control and DVR that is.  Sure, it’s a little Big Brother is watching, but what data like this will do is provide viewers with new programs and new ways to watch it – according to what they are actually doing now.  In my opinion, it will make for better television and entertainment experiences.  Game.  Set.  Match.

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Tis the Season … to be Frugal

November 19, 2009 in Integrated Marketing, Television by Lauren McCabe | No comments

Best Buy CarolersFor anyone taking notice of the start of this year’s holiday commercials, you’ll see that spending is out and saving is in.  Retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy are focusing their messages on “value” and “smart shopping”.  It seems that almost everyone is already touting their Black Friday discounts and their plans to honor the lowest prices found.  This makes sense since according to a new Nielsen survey, 42 percent of U.S. consumers surveyed said they are planning to spend less money on holiday gifts than last year.  Only four percent intend to spend more. 

This theme is not new for business, especially those retailers and manufacturers who cater to budget-conscious consumers.  However, what is interesting to note is that I have yet to see one of those ever-present Lexus “December to Remember” ads that we’ve seen for years.  Apparently getting a car with a big red bow for Christmas or Hannukah this year is not the priority for Americans.  Surprised?

Watch Best Buy’s singing Twelpforce carolers in one of this year’s holiday commercials.

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A Warning for ESPN

November 17, 2009 in Sports, Television by Lauren McCabe | No comments

ESPN Sport Center

After years of being the jewel of cable’s crown, ESPN has reason to sit a bit uncomfortably on its throne.  The $30 billion merger between Comcast and NBC Universal poses a huge threat to ESPN’s sports status and a possible lead takeover in regional and local coverage.

Comcast has been making slow and steady strides over the past year by launching an online news operation featuring famed MLB reporter Sean McAdam and NFL reporter Tom Currant.  It is also building out regional sports sites in Chicago, San Francisco and Washington according to the Sports Business Journal. 

But the merger also gives Comcast ownership of NBC Sports, one of the Peacock’s most valued assets.  NBC Sports has the rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games, the U.S. Open Golf Championship, the Kentucky Derby, Wimbledon, The French Open, some NFL games and the Stanley Cub Finals.  For the cable provider, this could mean big bucks in video on demand programming and special events channels.

However, ESPN has 30 years of global brand recognition and expertise that this Comcast sports insurgence must compete with.  ESPN is known for their coverage of alll-things sports as well as their award-winning programs like Sports Center and their ESPN.com website.  It has even been recognized on Gatorade bottles when the channel celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2004.  There is a lot of power to ESPN, but it’s possible that Comcast-NBC Universal’s domination in verticle integration could create a new king in sports coverage.

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Cable Mavericks at IMC

November 11, 2009 in Integrated Marketing, Medill, Television by Lauren McCabe | 1 comment

Cable Mavericks at Northwestern University

Today Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Schiffman of the National Geographic Channel will be on Northwestern University’s campus as part of The Cable Center’s Cable Mavericks educational series. 

12:15 – 1:15        BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & STRATEGY PRESENTATION

                                THE MEDILL SCHOOL

                                McCORMICK-TRIBUNE CENTER, 3RD FLOOR

 

5:15 – 6:15           CASE STUDY PRESENTATION

                                THE KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

                                JACOBS CENTER, ROOM 168

 

6:15 – 7:15           RECEPTION

 

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Big Bird’s Big Birthday

November 10, 2009 in Integrated Marketing, Online, Television by Lauren McCabe | No comments

Sesame StreetHappy Birthday to Sesame Street!  The children’s television show is celebrating its 40th Anniversary on the air and the marketing campaign surrounding it is everywhere.  Google has decorated its famous homepage logo with the lovable characters throughout the month.  Articles about the show can also be found in practically every newspaper and magazine. 

Where else have you seen the Sesame Street characters?

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