Brands Target Meganiches With TV Shows
The NY Times provides a good overview of a trend we’ve seen first-hand: “Brands Produce Their Own Shows.”
There are a few drivers behind this trend. First, brands are searching for ways to better target and serve attractive meganiches (meganiches are clusters of 1 million to 2 million people). Second, the decreased costs of video production and distribution have made it more cost-effective to reach meganiches.
I like this Snicker’s show as an example. They attracted about a million viewers by episode 5. Nike (a GCI client) has produced a several successful shows: Their “Road To Paris” documentary about Lance Armstrong, for instance. Mountain Dew did a cool show on snowboarding (but I can’t find a link).
We’ve been exploring “TV show” ideas with a few of our clients. Far and away the #1 challenge for clients is striking the balance between “commercial” and “entertainment” (or “value” in B2B cases). It’s real simple: Overly commercial shows will die a quick death. Shows need to be heavy on entertainment and/or value and more subtle in branding. Nike is amazingly good at this.
#2 would be underestimating what it takes to produce a great show that will break through all the clutter out there. TV show production is a risky business with a high-rate of failure. I know some producers, and I am fascinated with their whole business model. But the model resembles venture capital where 1 out of 10 (or more) investments fail. Companies can reduce their risk (somewhat) by working with proven professionals. Office Max reached out to Disney for their show — smart move. Involving an independent producer with a good track record is also a good option.
Challenge #3 is making sure you understand the “competition.” There is a lot of content out there competing for the same eyeballs. You have to know what you are up against to determine what you have to do to stand out. Sounds simple, but I see brands pursuing shows without every knowing they are producing a show that has half-a-dozen identical competitors.
TV shows, whether distributed via networks, cable or the Internet, are worth considering for consumer and B2B marketers. Companies that go in with their eyes open have a chance of being succesful.
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