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Merging Marketing & Entertainment: Seven guideposts for evaluating opportunities & partnerships

by Mark Egmon

We are in the midst of the most important transition in the history of the marketing and media industries. The proliferation of new media and the changing role of ‘traditional’ media require fresh strategies for aligning marketing with entertainment content. Creating best practices for this convergence of marketing and entertainment is no small task, yet in most companies this responsibility falls on already overtaxed marketing or media managers, and often results in one of two tacks being taken.

  • The marketing or media manager assumes a role akin to a development executive at a network or studio, fielding pitches from countless entities. Many have a narrow understanding of the brand, others have limited experience in entertainment, and some are lacking in both.
  • The aforementioned development executive role is delegated to an existing “marketing partner” that may be struggling with its own transition into the space and might not offer an objective assessment of outside resources.

As the landscape continues to develop, these new roles will become increasingly complex, requiring benchmarks and best practices by which an advertiser can access the opportunities and be assured it can measure its investment against the returns it receives.  Thus, as more advertisers take the reigns in the process of merging their marketing with entertainment, the following steps are some guideposts for setting up an internal method for evaluating opportunities and partnerships.

1: Determine what the desired consumer really wants.

This requires an external-to-internal focus, looking at the product and brand from the consumer’s perspective vs. an internal-to-external focus on what the marketer wants to pitch.
 
In addition, it’s important to identify who else is engaging these consumers and how, as well as to determine internal constraints (e.g., budget allocation, lack of cohesion between departments, etc..), external constraints (e.g., regulations for marketing to children or the current position consumer advocate groups and FCC are taking on product integration) and how to minimize each of them.

2: Be more relevant to the consumer.

Clarify specific objectives for the convergence initiative. Are you trying to create a deeper understanding of, and engagement with, the brand? Or are you trying to increase consumer exposure to a particular product? Or are you trying to redefine the brand and its position? Perhaps, your goals may be a combination of the foregoing or other considerations as well.  Regardless, focus is a key at this juncture without which disaster will most certainly follow.

Next, assess what might be done, given the information gleaned in step one, to create a more relevant consumer experience as it relates to the objectives. Finally, create a detailed brief that provides potential partners/suppliers a better sense of the brand and its challenges, desired consumer information, etc.

3: Engage the consumer.

“Branded entertainment” has become a catchall term. However, branded entertainment, brand integration, product placement, and product integration are distinct approaches that yield different results, have their own benefits and challenges, and vary in the degree to which they can be measured.

To select the best approach, first examine the strengths and weaknesses of each as they relate to what you’ve already determined in the first two steps. Then do the same for the measurability of each approach. While the media selected for distribution will impact measurability, in the end, the ability to measure some methods (i.e., product/name/logo placement) is more limited than other approaches (i.e., custom created branded content piece) regardless of the medium.

4: Heightening the engagement.

Once you’ve selected an approach that meets the goals established in the first few steps, what type of entertainment will most heighten the consumer’s experience? Will it be a video game? A film?  A live event? And what is the method of distribution? If you choose a video game, will it be platform based and available in stores? Internet based? Will a film be theatrical? Direct to DVD or video? Internet short? VOD? A combination?

In this step it is also wise to establish the framework for product/logo/name exposure and assess the relevance for brand penetration. Also, is there a value added educational element (e.g., self improvement tips in Queer Eye, business tips in The Apprentice, etc.)? Finally, predict potential residual effects of the approach and how you are prepared to handle them. There might be unexpected demand for millions of copies of an Internet film or there could be an offer to expand to a cable series, impacting talent agreements.

5: Selecting the most suitable partner.

Once you know the method, type of entertainment, and medium/media for distribution, you can assess suppliers based on their area of expertise. Is your PR firm positioned to seek out the best placement opportunities? Is your product placement firm really set up to custom-create content?

Creative resources are key. Yet, equally important is the competency of internal departments, strategic relationships, and areas like media/distribution and business affairs. Potential partners’ track records should be considered, but note that this varies based on the approach. It is more likely to find companies with established track records in product placement than firms with a long history of custom created branded content. In such cases, it may be best to evaluate the collective experience of those involved. Finally, all potential vendors should have a brand stewardship philosophy and strategy for managing it.

6: What is the specific project?

By this point, due diligence should have determined the appropriate approach, type of entertainment, and method(s) of distribution. In addition, the best partner for the project should now be selected. Now it’s time to find, or create, the project.

When exploring opportunities, ask yourself if what’s proposed adds value to the consumers’ entertainment experience and still maintains your marketing objectives. What will be measured? Are there guarantees or make-goods? Identify potential challenges within a project (If it’s an integration, has the lead star agreed to participate? Does a specific integration run the risk of backlash?).

7: Was the consumer positively impacted?

This is where agreed upon methods of measurement from prior steps are activated. In many cases reach can be determined through existing tools, but more extensive evaluation of consumer engagement, and whether actions directly impact sales, should also be determined.

Each of these steps can be customized and expanded to suit specific needs. Using these guideposts as a platform to create an internal system will, however, make for a smoother transition into a space with boundless potential, and will position entertainment marketing as a dynamic partner that will create brand value for the advertiser while enhancing the consumer’s brand experience.

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Mark Egmon is the President of Branded Entertainment consultancy and content creator, Outer Radius, LLC, and the President of AICP’s Midwest Region. Questions about this methodology and strategies for expanding and customizing it can be directed to megmon@outerradius.com.