An argument for broadcasters turning into narrow-casters

I was catching up on some reading this morning, and came across an article in a Wired magazine I hadn't bothered to break the spine on. Nothing mind-blowing - a review of a new book about why traffic is so screwy and why the human factor is what makes it so bad. In the process of explaining the basic theme of the book, the reviewer brought up the concept of Nash Equilibrium, and it made me think of TV.

Nash Equilirium? You know it. It's a classic of Game Theory. It's the idea that if you have a strategy, based on the expectation that you now what your competitors will do, and that their srategy will not change, then you have no incentive to change your strategy. You know what - that was a clumsy explanation. Why don't we just see how the movie "A Beautiful Mind" summed it up. (Yes, this theory was developed by that Nash...)



OK, got it? Good. Now, here's my question: When will broadcasters get this? Let me explain.

Who are we all after in the broadcast game? Who's our blonde that we're all chasing? Young females, preferably 18 - 49, with some disposable income. She's everybody's favorite target. The problem, however, is just like this illustration with the blonde. We can't all get her. So, why can't we follow our best interests by pursuing other options?

Don't get me wrong - I get it. The broadcast game is still interested in the most fish in the net at any one time. But I've never worked at a station that named a different target viewer than the young female. And, yes - I get that we want her because she's the one who chooses between Minute Maid and Tropicana in the household, and that what advertisers care about.

At some point, though, this game changed on us. She's had too many other options for too many years. Still, there we all are, chasing after her.

Aren't there some guys who'd like to be sold something? Maybe some older viewers out there? Kids? There are so many different audiences, and pursuing each of them than can be pretty lucrative (although I grant that your daytime numbers can be painfully low with some of these audiences).

So why are we all in this tug-of-war for the same viewer?

This may sound like sacrilege, but imagine how off guard your competitor would be if you gave up pursuing the same old audience?

Consider the words of Sun Tzu (Translation by Lionel Giles):
"Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected.

An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not."

Like the movie clip explains: Pursuing the young female may be what's best for us individually, but it's not necessarily what's best for both ourselves and the industry.

The Most Interesting Ad Campaign in the World

I love those Dos Equis"The Most Interesting Man in the World" ads. (You know what? Let's just agree to refer to him by MIM for the sake of typing...) They're not only painfully funny, but they're a prime example of approaching a sales problem in an unconventional way. Corona has owned the Mexican beer market for a long time, but Dos Equis increased its market share 18% Y/Y in the first half of 2008. Read Heineken's earnings report here. (It should be noted Dos Equis is brewed by FEMSA Cervezas, but they operate in partnership with Heineken. Heineken's report had the most ready data on Dos Equis' market share growth.)

What's more, Dos Equis has extended the campaign past traditional media. Radio and TV ads drove the initial push (long live TV!), but now the creative team behind this campaign is engaging the audience on multiple platforms.

There's the hilarious website where you can track the MIM in all his glory, sign up for a chance to become his assistant, and engage in other high-jinks.

And then, there's the Facebook fan page, which you really have to appreciate, especially when you see fans dressing as the character. It's not often we get an advertising character that draws a fan base. When was the last time, really? The "Time to Make the Donuts" guy? Or the "Where's The Beef?" lady?

Some of the most entertaining advertising in the world... Plus, it worked for sales... Let's enjoy! And, as always, "Stay Thirsty, My Friends".

United Airlines' "Heart"

Lovely spot. Gets you right in the - well, you know where...

New links added to recommended sites

Hey, just wanted to point out there's some new links over to the left for "Ads of the World", an online advertising archive, and "Idea Sandbox Blog", a creative forum.

I'm already really starting to dig "Ads of the World", especially since you can browse by medium. Here's a couple spots I found just this morning...

Beautiful setup on this one...


Absolut takes their "Absolut World" campaign to a new place...


Really nice spot for a computer - and it's NOT APPLE! Go figure!


OK, I'll warn you... The product being advertised here may be objectionable to some... But, I have to applaud their gumption to spoof one of the best loved spots of the past couple years here....


Alright, hopefully this encourages you to dig around on these sites. I think they're really helpful for sparking ideas... Enjoy.

A Tribute to Gnarls Barkley

Remember when music videos were cool because they were interesting to watch? When videos had a narrative and weren't just some formulaic amalgam of shots? You know, the good, old days when MTV actually played music?

After checking Motionographer (link can found under recommended sites to the left) this morning, I've been thinking about Gnarls Barkley and how much I appreciate their inventive music videos. So, I dug some up to share just because.









As a bonus, here's a good performance I ran across... Gnarls covering my favorite track off Radiohead's In Rainbows, "Reckoner".

FX does it again...

Great new spots running on FX and FXnetwork.com for the upcoming season of "The Shield". I admit I am a huge fan of "The Shield", so maybe these send bigger shivers up my spine than they will for you. Nevertheless, I think this is great promotion.