I’m reading Seth Godin’s Purple Cow right now. I’m about 20 pages in, and it’s making my brain ping off in all directions. It’s brilliant.
Seth talks about what he calls the TV-Industrial Complex. Basically, TV advertising was king. If you had enough dough to be able to afford to buy an ad on TV, then almost no matter what your product was, people would buy it. He gives the example of Cap’n Crunch (a mainstay in my household growing up). Quaker literally created the ad campaign, then they created the cereal.
Those days are over. In order for folks to buy your stuff these days, they have to buy in to who you are. People no longer trust every single thing they see on on TV.
We’re looking for things that stand out: things that are, as Seth terms them, remarkable.
You’ve heard all the hullabaloo about the new Old Spice marketing campagin. What’s brilliant about these ads (and they certainly are very funny and tongue-in-cheek) is that Old Spice spent not one red cent on purchasing TV advertising. They released the ads on the net, an they spread virally. And then they got picked up by TV news stations all over the country. To date, Old Spice reports sales are up 107%.
I recently visited the Rollingdale Winery in Kelowna. Here’s how they’re advertising. Pretty clever.
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The Art of the Business 
although the initial OS campaign was TV based – first viewings we on television to show you the product/new ad, and then were also available on YouTube for viral spread. Once the ad was ingrained this allowed OS to create a purely viral campaign – so there was money spent on TV ads but not nearly as much as a traditional campaign, and then zero dollars.
I see your point though.
People no longer trust every single thing they see on on TV.
It’s also the fact that when TV advertising was king, there were three networks. I remember having 13 channels, which were a mixture of those three networks and “local’ programming. the days of having 71% of all TVs tuned to your program (as was the case in the birth of Little Ricky on I Love Lucy) are the main thing that’s over, I think.
Have you read Chris Anderson’s “The Long Tail?” Much more applicable to theatre – niche marketing.
I also think Seth Godin is a very smart man, but isn’t saying anything particularly remarkable. He is good at marketing himself, and it lies in the fact that he says things any decent marketer sould know – but in a new way. And says it out loud. That’s where his smarts like – new spin. Which I suppose is good if it makes people look at things differently.
Nice. Thanks, Sue. I’ll put that on my “must read” list.
” In order for folks to buy your stuff these days, they have to buy in to who you are.”
And here’s the best part. As we theatre professionals experience the pressure of funding attrition, we have an incredible opportunity to fill a void for the advertising industry and sustain ourselves in the process
The industry has functioned on a hit/miss basis when it comes to getting the core message out and really establishing a product or brand identity. We actors have tools and technologies for the development of identity. We have ways to shape who we are, what we are embodying. If we take this to the creative class and offer our knowledge and our services (not just our products) we can help them raise their hit percentage because their own work will more often reflect the identity of the products they are selling. And we will fill our coffers in the process.
Don’cha think?
And by the way… great blog, Rebecca!
Thanks thanks for your comments and the props, Andy. I totally believe that we as creatives have everything we need to be successful, even financially! Down with the idea of the starving artist!
BTW, congratulations to you and Mary.
I agree – we need to buy into what the company represents (Dove anyone?)
Also, up with financially successful artists for sure! 🙂
I’m gonna have to check that book out! Thanks for the post. I love those Old Spice ads 🙂