During an episode of his show in February 2012, Stephen Colbert mocked Wheat Thins and shoved so many Wheat Thins in his mouth that he nearly choked. This was the result of a memo from the brand’s parent company, Kraft, which was a sponsor of ”The Colbert Report,” asking Colbert to make Wheat Thins part of a conversation during the show.

Kraft was thrilled about the seven-minute diatribe. According to Kraft, “The Colbert Report” host’s rant actually made the product become more likable to his viewers.

“Brands and networks need to be carefully balanced,” said Brian Briskman, president and creative director for B2+ at The Conference session, “Integrated Marketing, Brand Solutions and What’s Next.” The session’s panel also featured Rick Haskins, EVP of marketing and digital programs for The CW, and Chris Dorne, SVP and director of development for LiquidThread. “If the audience smells inauthenticity, they’re gone,” said Briskman.

In 2011, The CW was looking for ways to attract a young demo to its shows, and Microsoft’s Bing was seeking ways to attract a similar 18-24 demo to its search engine. So they joined forces to create a series of vignettes, which aired during commercial time on the network. They showed young stars from The CW’s shows off-set in their everyday lives, during the course of which they used Bing to search for restaurants, pet food and other needed goods or services.

According to Briskman, whose agency oversaw the brand integration, Bing had a 69% recall in a survey taken among the 18-24 demo group, and also saw a 19% rise in brand opinion.

According to Haskins, “The actors really liked and used the product, and the viewers knew that.” Which, in turn, led to a rise in viewership among the coveted age group. Haskins said a brand integration effort in which The CW had actors dueling with Guitar Hero II had a similar positive effect for the network and the brand.

“We create co-branded entertainment experiences for the viewers,” said Haskins. “You have to find a match between the talent and the product. You have to respect the client. But you have to respect the viewers even more.”

LiquidThread’s Dorne offered up another example of brand integration that worked, but just as easily could have backfired:

Walgreens wanted to get the word out before the 2011 holiday shopping season about its toy aisle. So they aligned with Ellen DeGeneres, a big supporter of Toys for Tots, and stocked the Hole-Y Cow Ball Launcher – exclusive to Walgreens. On her show, DeGeneres talked about the toy and directed viewers to Walgreens not only to purchase items for their own kids but also to donate toys to Toys for Tots.

“The risks are becoming greater,” said Dorne. “But if no one sees your content, there is no value.”

Tags:


  Save as PDF