Content Standard 7/15/2015 by Genevieve Colton
During his keynote at last month’s inaugural Content Rising Summit, Tom Gerace, Skyword’s founder and CEO, urged marketers in the audience to think bigger when it comes to brand storytelling. He asked the crowd, “Why wouldn’t Coca-Cola bid against NBC for the broadcast rights to the Olympics? All the company would have to do is replace the peacock with the Coke logo, and every two years Coke would have a breakthrough moment. The brand would capture the attention of the world in a way nobody could compete with.”
After hearing his argument, I was convinced. This seemed like an incredible opportunity. So why wasn’t Coca-Cola doing this? Why wasn’t anybody doing this? I reasoned it must be because of budget, but I was wrong. Gerace ended by saying, “This would cost Coke 18 percent of the budget that they would spend during the same time period.” For 18 percent of the budget they would already spend, Coca-Cola has the chance to connect with viewers all over the world by producing and sharing the stories of challenge and triumph of the Olympic Games.
Instead, what are they spending that 18 percent on? Interruption advertising—traditional methods like commercials and billboards that audiences are becoming desensitized to. Statistics show that even though cable is losing audience to subscription services like Netflix, TV shows still provide a platform for brands to reach a mass audience. Consider Mad Men. Before we said goodbye to Don Draper, an average of 2.7 million people tuned into AMC for an hour each week. That’s 2.7 million people actively stopping their day and diverting their attention to their television.
Sponsored content in the form of TV shows are a powerful frontier that for the most part have been untapped by brands. Spurred by Gerace’s urging to imagine a brand like Coca-Cola hosting the Olympics, I thought of three brands that could have used their marketing dollars to create captivating sponsored content in the form of TV shows. Here are my suggestions:
The Bachelor, Presented by Forevermark
Everyone’s guilty pleasure, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, would both be great options for jewelry brand Forevermark to sponsor. As a diamond brand for De Beers Group of Companies, Forevermark provides rare, beautiful diamonds that are responsibly sourced. These diamonds represent commitment and devotion, which is also what the contestants on the show are looking for. The show is regularly the number one show for its time slot and day, capturing a mostly female audience. I envision at the end of each season the lucky winner being proposed to with a Forevermark diamond ring. If that were the real situation, I can imagine every viewer wanting the same for their proposal.
Modern Family, Presented by Target
All age groups and demographics have fallen in love with Modern Family. From the humor to the daily tangibles that viewers can relate to, Modern Family has created a faithful following. This is a following that Target can tap into. Target provides everything that modern families need—groceries, clothing, home decor, sports equipment, electronics—in one place. All of these things could be seamlessly incorporated into Modern Family. Why not?
Friday Night Lights, Presented by Chevrolet
Arguably one of the greatest shows ever (at least according to me), Friday Night Lights depicts the everyday struggles of an American community that is brought together through their love for football. All-American brand Chevrolet continually markets to this show’s audience, so creating Friday Night Lights as sponsored content for the brand would align nicely with their current initiatives.
These TV shows represent massive opportunities for brands to reach potential consumers in a way they are not currently exploring. It’s time brands begin to think of bigger ways to deliver sponsored content, and TV shows are one of the many possibilities. What are some TV shows that you think brands could have sponsored? Let me know in the comment section below!
http://www.skyword.com/contentstandard/enterprise-marketing/3-tv-shows-brands-could-have-used-as-sponsored-content/