Marketing Masters — October 2008 - (Page 26)

❚❙ event Event Wenner Media - Rolling Stone’s 40th Anniversary Weekend Rock On Last year Wenner Media, publisher of the the iconic Rolling Stone magazine wanted to celebrate its 40th anniversary in a way that would garner press and attract sponsors for integrated initiatives, while offering multiple touch points for consumers. visibility can be a lost cause. However, our event production company, TOAST, did an amazing job in securing outdoor advertising and visibility at the Hard Rock Hotel that made Rolling Stone just as present that weekend.” Advertiserpalooza! Rolling Stone saw an increase in ad pages (87) and revenue as a result of their advertisers’ sponsorship of the event. Advertisers gained an added value presence from their investment and Rolling Stone was able to secure an advertiser schedule with all of the sponsors. Notable media outlets that covered the Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary Weekend were MTV, VH1, Entertainment Tonight, US Weekly, and People.com. Event attendance included a wide range of celebrities and industry bigwigs. The program was so successful it has been used as a template by RS for future integrated programs. Viva Las Vegas Targeting music and pop culture enthusiasts, celebrities, music industry VIPs and press, the Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary Weekend event (September 6-8, 2007) was born. The place was Las Vegas, specifically the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (which Rolling Stone worked with to secure talent for events). It’s All Part of the Plan The program components encompassed public concerts by top artists, such as Snoop Dogg and Linkin Park; in-book custom advertising; backstage interviews with performers on Rollingstone.com; and widespread TV, print and online coverage. The magazine’s advertisers were offered a plethora of diverse sponsorship packages, which included brand access for the audience and interactivity with consumers, attendees and celebrity guests. Among the sponsors were Cadillac, Ray-Ban, Nike, Patron, Old Spice, Camel and Newcastle. In Hindsight “The biggest lesson was learning how to use a competitive event at your advantage,” says Allcock. “Scheduling was key to make sure that we were attracting consumers and celebrities at times when possibly higher profile events were going on. For instance, we knew NOT to schedule any of our events during the day of the VMAs.” Toasting a Milestone and Dealing with MTV “The biggest challenge was producing an event that would be worthy of Rolling Stone’s 40th Anniversary,” admits Thom Allock, the magazine’s executive integrated marketing director. “Not many magazines hit this milestone and we didn’t want to do something that wasn’t anything but spectacular. ”Also adding to our challenges was that the weekend we picked for the event coincided with MTV coming to Vegas for the Video Music Awards,” he adds. “On one hand, competing with MTV on Best Practices Based on his experiences working on the Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary Weekend, Allcock, has this advice to share: • “Secure a production firm that has ties to the market you plan on working in. TOAST not only had experience in the types of events we planned but more importantly, knew how to get things done in Vegas.” • “Organization is your biggest and best friend. With so much going on, it’s essential that a master timeline/calendar is maintained throughout.” • “Don’t plan on sleeping until AFTER the event, especially if you’re doing it in Vegas.” ■ 26 min ❚ Marketing Masters Issue October 2008 ❚ minonline.com http://www.People.com http://www.rollingstone.com http://www.rollingstone.com http://www.minonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marketing Masters — October 2008

Marketing Masters - October 2008 Customized Web Site/Microsite Retail/Merchandising Tie-in Top Integrated Marketer Top Integrated Marketing Teams Custom Publishing Project Multiple Magazine Title Program Sweepstakes/Contest New Event Program Online Event Special Advertorial Section Print/Online Bundle Print Bundles: TV/Video/Mobile Total Integrated Program: B2B Total Integrated Program: Consumer Event

Marketing Masters — October 2008

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