Telltale signs that the future is inexorably linked to the past are emerging as advertisers look for "new" ways to break through to potential consumers. Last week’s story on the formation of BrandMedia Entertainment—a joint venture of Johnson/Burnett Entertainment, Hollywood, and RayArt Studios, Woodland Hills, Calif.—underscores the parallels between content development during television’s so-called Golden Age and efforts surfacing today (SHOOT, 9/7, p. 7).
BrandMedia plans to identify and address the entertainment programming needs of advertisers, and has entered into discussions with several undisclosed clients and their agencies. Program development will focus on television, but will also encompass the Internet and other media.
"We’re trying to create program environments which can help advertisers reach their target audience. Commercials can also become more relevant if they’re made for those environments, decreasing the chances of their being zapped," related Biff Johnson, part of BrandMedia’s management team and founder/CEO of production services firm Johnson/Burnett (J/B), the parent company to Johnson/Burnett Entertainment.
In some respects, acknowledged Johnson, BrandMedia is hearkening back to the early days of television, when major advertisers branded themselves via programs, sponsoring and/ or producing such hits as Philco TV Playhouse, Kraft Television Theatre and Texaco Star Theater (with Milton Berle).
BrandMedia is among several companies being cut from the increasingly intertwined ad/program fabric. The Coop was recently launched in Santa Monica to be involved in the development and production of brand-financed content across various platforms (see separate story, p. 1). And last November, Bedell/ McLean was formed in Los Angeles. This firm is being sought after by agencies to help create TV programs in which clients would play key roles. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bedell/McLean is currently working toward that end for Young & Rubicam.
Additionally, forward-thinking advertisers such as Nike have been active in program development and production. For Nike and the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., and bicoastal/international @rad-ical. media created and produced Road to Paris, a documentary showing the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team as it prepared for the 88th Tour de France, held in July. The documentary ran on CBS and OLN this summer. During those airings, Road to Paris was synchronized with a corresponding Web site facilitating a more in-depth, interactive experience for viewers.
"Our objective with Road to Paris is to provide both core cyclists and sports enthusiasts in general with a complete understanding of what it means to be a professional cyclist today," related Joe Pollard, Nike global media director. "And in doing so, we hope to inspire the next generation of [Lance] Armstrongs to get on a bike and ride. At the same time, we hope to gain a better understanding of how the consumer reacts to an interactive TV experience."
The synergy between advertisers and content is also evident in plans for the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) convention in Las Vegas next year. The annual NATPE event, one of the industry’s largest TV conferences, is making its first major push to embrace advertisers from around the world.
Jon Mandel—chairman of the 2002 confab, and co-managing director/chief negotiating officer of Grey Advertising’s MediaCom—stated: "The initiatives we have put in place for our 2002 conference are dedicated to creating the highest level of interaction between the most influential players in the advertising world and the conference floor exhibitors. We are confident that this interaction will lead to rewarding new business opportunities for both parties."
