Promo - May 2008 - (Page 9)

for the whole show, so there is no clutter. It’s a pretty costeffective approach,” says Toyota spokesman Chad Harp. Cars.com has been advertising around full episodes on NBC.com and Sci-Fi.com. “Overall we believe it’s reaching a different audience that’s not exposed to our ads on traditional media,” says Carolyn Crafts, Cars.com vice president of marketing. Crafts also notes that online ads enable interactive customization so viewers can click-through to access more information. Meanwhile, NBC and Fox have erected in a joint venture Hulu.com, an ad-supported, free clearinghouse for current TV fare including “The Simpsons,” “House” and “The Office” the morning after they air. The site also offers classics like “Miami Vice,” “Hill Street Blues” and “Kojak.” Each half hour of a program on Hulu.com has “limited commercial interruption,” which is actually a total of two minutes of advertising from the sponsor. Media analyst Gary Arlen attributes the flurry of online TV to audience fragmentation. “You have to pick up users wherever you can,” he says. Arlen sees the proliferation of Web video from the networks as a direct appeal to “generation M” users, whose mobile phones are at the center of their lives. But he believes the networks’ overall objectives with Web streaming are a continuing need to build TV set ratings. “They’re trying to get more audience and trying to make sure that viewers who missed a show will come back next week,” Arlen says. For MTV, the online gambit is a continuation of a strategy that put the music video programmer on the frontline of the video Web wars with short-form content that lent itself to the first wave of Web watchers. Now, with a full slate of regular series dominated by reality formats, it’s selectively streaming full and short episodes of some shows. “We are building a generation of people who are living on demand,” says Courtney Holt, executive vice president of digital music and media for MTV Network’s Music Group. MTV’s ultimate objective, admits Holt, is monetizing its online content. “An engaged consumer is fed by multi-platforms,” says Holt. “If you’re a fan, [the channel’s Web presence] enables you to become the uber-fan.” MTV’s “The Hills” has drawn the broadest audience online, according to Holt. And he cites “America’s Best Dance Crew” as an example of a series that grew its audience through a “cyclical” viral spiral between on-air viewers and buzz that drew Web watchers and brought them to the other screen. Last month, the Sci Fi Channel streamed its season premiere of “Battlestar Galactica” during lunchtime on a Friday in advance of the episode appearing on cable that night. It also put episodes online, under the moniker Sci Fi Rewind, as well as specially created Webisodes that provide back stories about incidents from the prior season. The Webisodes generated 1 million downloads, reports Craig Engler, Sci Fi senior vice president of consumer marketing. The initial fear of some TV programming executives that streaming full episodes could cannibalize ratings was unfounded. “We feel it’s just the opposite. What we find is that they’ll watch it online, watch it on air and buy the DVDs,” Engler says. Comedy Central can’t quantify the effect that online viewing is having on air, but ratings for “The Daily Show” have peaked in the last six months. Coincidentally, that’s when segments became accessible online. “South Park” has also shown a ratings surge since Comedy Central created a Web site that offers a full cache of episodes from the adult animation series’ 11-year run. Erik Flannigan, executive vice president of digital media for the MTV Entertainment Group, notes that “Daily Show” clips are often transplanted to other Web sites, where additional viewers find them. “We love that these clips take on a viral life of their own,” Flannigan says. l P NBC MAKES ‘LAW & ORDER’ A MOBILE GAME Fans of NBC’s enduring “Law & Order” series can now assume all the principal roles in the crime drama, investigating, solving and prosecuting a murder case on their mobile phones. “Law & Order: Celebrity Betrayal” is the latest incarnation of the multi-series franchise, offering mobile game afficianados some 18 hours of play to figure out who killed a Los Angeles nightclub singer. Players examine the evidence at the crime scene, interview witnesses, identify the perpetrator and ultimately take the case to trial. The overall game, developed by LimeLife, includes mini-games that enable the player to sort out the crime and score additional points. “It’s really ripped from the headlines, as a ‘Law & Order’ episode might be. It’s very true to the show,” says Jeremy Laws, senior vice president of mobile and broadband for Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. NBC has previously aimed at a college-age audience with mobile games created around “The Office,” “Heroes” and, most recently, Bravo’s “Top Chef” series, according to Laws. But NBC figures to draw an older, upscale audience skewing female for its crime game, reflecting the show’s audience appeal. Laws says NBC expects to draw loyal fans of the series, as well as the casually curious who may try the game and gravitate to the show. “If the ‘Law & Order’ name is on those phone decks, I think it’s great marketing for the show,” he says. The “L&O” game is already a hit for T-Mobile, where it became one of the top sellers as a one-time download ($6.99) or a monthly subscription ($2.99). It’s also available through AT&T, and will eventually be available on all mobile carriers. Game development took nearly one year, with the cost in the “mid-hundreds of thousands,” according to Laws. —Richard Tedesco Promo / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / may 2008 9 http://Cars.com http://NBC.com http://Sci-Fi.com http://Cars.com http://Hulu.com http://WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - May 2008

Promo - May 2008 Contents Editor's Note Eyeballs All the Same... NBC Makes 'Law & Order' a Mobile Game Recession Rewards Comfort Virally Toaster on Wheels Commentary Ay Caramba! The 2008 Interactive Marketing Awards Winners How Bulletproof? Q&A: What a Ride Resource Center The Agency Center Blogging 101 Index of Advertisers

Promo - May 2008

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