The Reason: A marketers guide to engaging cliques

Multicultural Marketing Stories: Black in America 2

Looks like CNN is coming back with part 2 to their special on what it's like to be Black in America.  Ford has signed on as major advertiser for the CNN special.  Smart move… the black community will definitely be buzzing about this special again.  Whether you liked the special or not, black folks were definitely talking about this special last year.  And, Ford will be front and center with its multicultural marketing efforts.   Source: Target Market News

CodeBlack YouTube partnership

Guess who's Back!!!  Spent a couple of weeks in S. America on "Sabbatical"…inside joke for my friends.  Thanks for the emails; I'm back and better than ever.  So, let's jump right back into it.

With the handful of entertainment clients on our roster, I keep my eye on the industry for brands employing creative, innovative strategies to capture new consumer segments.  And, creativity is what I see with Codeblack Entertainment, an African-American owned film studio partnering with YouTube to bring original programming online.  I like the deal for both parties, partly because I had the same idea...

Let me set the stage here – my barber's an aspiring film producer.  He's got a website and a little bit of traffic; good for whoever does come through his site, not so good for increasing his exposure.  Problem is, his website is literally his only channel – the only place to watch his videos.  Not very web 2.0.

 So, with clippers buzzing over my head and him asking for my thoughts on how to get more eyeballs on his project – I thought… hmmm… how do you get a bunch of eyes on a video, get viewers' feedback, create an organic buzz, and make it easy for folks to share the video with their friends? Yep, just what I was thinking … I recommended he develop a channel on YouTube.  Ok, yeah, a bit of a gut response … so let's use the Codeblack deal to test it out with a little Reason-ing.

 Why it makes sense for Codeblack (and my barber):

• It's tough to get traffic to or interest in an unknown website or brand.
• YouTube has tremendous reach – it's the "go-to" online video library – a known, trusted and heavily-trafficked channel.

Why it makes sense for YouTube:

• YouTube needs original content to grow revenue from advertisers.
• Advertisers won't use a channel with unpredictable content. 100% user-generated content is about as unpredictable as you can get.
  • Competitor sites like Hulu.com are making money with much less traffic because they can let advertisers know which content their ads will be next to.

CNBC v Fox Business

CNBC has been covering the 2008 Summer Olympics in their lineup. The move to cover non-business content is intended to provide a lift to their usual low summer ratings. So, I just finish watching Michael Phelps break another world record... and unfortunately, since I’m not Tivo-ing , I get stuck watching commercials. That’s when I see it... a commercial for Fox Business Network. What?!

Then I find out CNBC allows their competitors to buy advertising spots on their network.  This is like Target doing in-store promotions in Wal*Mart - GM putting their cars or salespeople in a Toyota dealership - HBO showing previews on Showtime - you get the point, right?  It just doesn’t make sense ... NBC how did you let this happen?

A little Reasoning on this:

• CNBC – I’m assuming you don’t view these guys as a threat. And even if you do, the benefit of advertising revenue may outweigh the cost of attrition. But it’s just not smart. Don't let your competition use your platform to communicate with your viewers. You’re in a pretty commoditized market - if your competition wants to get a hold of your consumers, make them fight for it.

• Fox Business Network – Maybe shady, but smart.  Your target viewer is watching CNBC, go get them where they are (a la The Reason).  Doesn’t get much easier than that.