NEW YORK—Triggered by various recent successes—most notably BMW of North America’s Web-based short film series "The Hire" as a vehicle for an advertiser to reach a target audience—interest in the blending of advertising and entertainment as branded content has escalated significantly. Responding to that industry dynamic, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) presented the inaugural AICP Brand Integration Honors on the morning of June 9, prior to that evening’s debut of the 12th annual AICP Show.
Mitch Kanner, a partner in Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Integrated Entertainment Partners, chaired the presentation, which began with two featured speakers whose work has made noteworthy inroads in the space: James McDowell, VP of marketing for BMW of North America; and James M. Schumacker, VP, creative development and innovation, Anheuser-Busch (A-B).
Kanner opened the session with an example—a scene from The West Wing that subtly positioned Johnnie Walker Blue. He emphasized that a successful execution of brand placement in entertainment content should be "organic—don’t over-sell." During the session, speakers examined nontraditional opportunities in various distribution venues, including television, the Internet and the cinema.
The process starts with identifying the target audience, and then finding a unique approach to get its attention. McDowell explained that the target audience for BMW likes to "work hard, play hard—they expect a lot from themselves … and pay attention to perfection." So the team went for the best talent and production quality when producing the series. He received applause from the audience when he emphasized that when you hire a great director and have a great script, you then have to step back during production and trust the director.
Schumacker explained that the challenge with A-B’s Budweiser—a brand that has existed since 1876—was to leverage its brand equity as an established product, while keeping the work fresh and relevant.
To illustrate his point, Schumacker presented Budweiser branded original films, humorous vignettes that keep to the "True" theme, reflecting Budweiser’s brand value. Best Man, introduces a character who offers honest, but inappropriate comments during the course of a wedding reception; and the recently released "Company Man" features an employee who lets loose on the dance floor during a company party.
Production was executed with purpose—and repurposing—in mind. "We used agency directors [DDB group creative director John Immesoete and executive producer Greg Popp served as co-helmers] for our short films—they understand the demands of creating a standard commercial spot," said Schumacker. "We worked with them to produce short films, and [the footage] also allowed us to extract elements to create thirty-second spots."
Budweiser may extend its experiments in branded content—Schumacker reported that Budweiser is exploring the possibilities of a branded sitcom and possibly a feature. "We are always looking for the next new thing," he concluded. "Maybe it’s developing sitcoms to sell to networks. Perhaps it’s an association with a feature film. As content, media and marketing continue to merge, Anheuser-Busch will be at the leading edge, exploring new ideas, trying out new concepts, and maintaining and building on heritage, tradition, values and innovations."
The session concluded with additional insights from a Brand Integration Honors panel, which included John Hegarty, chairman/worldwide creative director of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, London and New York; Charles Garland, partner, U.K.-based 19 Entertainment (producer of American Idol); Michael Davies, executive producer of Who Want to Be a Millionaire?; David Lubars, CCO/president, Fallon, Minneapolis; Ewen Cameron, CEO Berlin Cameron/Red Cell, New York; and Bruce Redditt, senior VP, Omnicon.
Hegarty discussed the meaning of fame in today’s society, and predicted, "The power and value of fame will increase, and brands that know how to enhance fame will succeed."
Redditt reviewed the Pepsi Twist introduction, which tied into the release of Goldmember, the latest Austin Powers film. He explained that this combination helped Pepsi Twist sell the movie, and vice versa.
Davies and Garland predicted that there will be more sponsorship in programming, citing AT&T’s sponsorship of Millionaire‘s "Phone a Friend" feature, and AT&T Wireless’ text messaging feature—which was promoted as a way to vote on American Idol—respectively.
Cameron concluded that in this brave new world where advertisers are looking for new ways to give their brands an edge, agencies can’t always rely on traditional barometers—measurements and market research—in greenlighting a project. "We have to make judgments," he emphasized. "We can’t always measure."
