MEDIACOM Marketing Digest 17 January 2005

MEDIACOM Marketing Digest 17 January 2005

17 JANUARY 2005

T S U N A M I . F U N D R A I S E R S

BLACKCAPS vs INTERNATIONAL WORLD XI

Fast Footwork.

New Zealand and international cricketing organisations have revealed unexpected agility and flexibility in the aftermath of the Asian Tsunami. We can only marvel at the fast talking and speedy action which resulted in last week's World XI vs. Asian XI fundraising triumph, and the forthcoming three-game ODI series which sees our own Black Caps take on seven Australians, four Sri Lankans, two Zimbabwean rebels, two England players and a South African.

The local series is scheduled for January 22, 24 and 26, with matches naturally broadcast live on Sky Sport 1. Ratings for last Monday's 15.3 million dollar game peaked at 11% for that usual suspects demographic, Males 25-54. Sky are predicting lower but still attractive ratings of between 4% and 7% (M25-54) for the Kiwi series, and have set 30 second commercial costs ranging from $2500 to $4000 for spots during the matches.

The NZ series is not primarily a fundraiser, but New Zealand Cricket have announced that they will make a specific contribution to the Sri Lankan relief effort during the three one-dayers, and their aim is to generate enough funding to support the construction of a fifty-home village for dislocated Sri Lankan families. The NZ Government have come to the cricketing party, announcing that they will stump up $20 for each run scored, $1000 for every four and $5000 for every six hit.

Of course, it's not just cricketers who are stepping outside their comfort zones. Half a world away, the UK's commercial radio stations will be abandoning their usual broadcasts for twelve hours today (from 6am till 6pm UK time) for a nationally networked programme dedicated to raising money for the children affected by the Tsunami. UK Radio Aid, one single star-studded programme across over 260 stations, will reach an estimated audience of over 20 million listeners - the biggest ever UK commercial radio audience.

Participating stations have agreed to launch the appeal by each donating one day's profits. Listeners will also be asked to donate one hour of their time or money to the appeal. Bids from advertisers for sponsorship slots already top £500,000. In addition, major prizes have been donated to be won by listeners across the day (for example, one advertiser has offered a week on a luxury yacht in the Caribbean with crew). Competition entry will be via SMS texting, with every penny from the promotional text mechanics across the day going to the appeal.

ebay.co.uk is running a charity auction on behalf of the Radio Aid campaign. Topping the bidding so far: Dinner for Two with George Michael and Kenny Goss. A mere £9,200 is the current top bid, so you'll need a bit more than that if you want to join the table.

Fundraising in response to the tsunami has also seen the coming of age for interactive TV as a vehicle for emergency fundraising. Donate by Remote has caught on and so far, more than £900,000 has been raised for the tsunami appeal through the UK's interactive TV donation service, the Community Channel. Tens of thousands of British viewers were prompted by coverage on TV news channels to push the red button on their remote and give money to help victims of the tsunami disaster.

The desperate urgency for tsunami relief has fostered new creativity in fundraising efforts around the world. In Scotland, one lucky punter will get the chance of a part in a new film The Man Who Walks, the directorial debut of Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh. At a Southern Oregon school inspired by (or should that be obsessed with) Fear Factor, teachers must face close-up encounters with tarantulas and other creepy crawlies at an assembly in front of the whole school, in exchange for student donations - which we hope will be generous! Fashion brand Von Dutch Originals has created distinctive black T-Shirts carrying a Tsunami Relief logo, with all profits from shirt sales going to the recovery programme.

Meanwhile, back home, Air New Zealand is auctioning flight packages on Trade Me, including an amazing 3 Month Unlimited Use International Business Class TravelPass which will give two lucky people unlimited Business Class travel for three months, anywhere on the Air New Zealand international network. The top bid for this unprecedented offering currently stands at $19,050, but the organisers are ready and waiting for YOUR bid. You've got until 6pm on Sunday, here's the link: http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/0106-0421-/auction-21059484.htm.

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When Are Events the Right Tactic?

A new book, How to Sell More Stuff, by Steve Smith and Don E. Schultz, just published in the US by Dearborn Trade Publishing, provides some valuable insights into the use of Events as a marketing tool. An excerpt:

"Any promotion that relies on a property is relying on borrowed interest. That's not bad, but the promotion manager must recognize that the audience came to the property not to learn about the marketer's brand or even the product category. Instead, they came because they were interested in the activity or event or people associated with the property, whether it was the National Football League, the Olympics or Willie Nelson for Farm-Aid. The product or service the marketer is promoting through the property is generally a by-product of the event, not the main event.

"If there is no audience match between the property and the brand or organization, the sheer size of the audience generated is of no matter. For example, in some recent analyses we conducted for a marketing organization, we found that rather than helping build the brand, the association with the property actually hurt sales. The target audience for the marketer's brand simply ignored the sponsored property.

"In some instances, we found the brand's involvement with the property was actually a deterrent to continued use of the brand. So the key element is to know enough about your target market and the property's audience and reputation to make sure there is a fit.

"Events reach right into the community, from professional sports to grassroots festivals. The most crucial task is finding the right event. Or you can create your own event. As always, start out by defining your objectives, then reviewing the possibilities.

"Some objectives to consider:

* Creating a more exciting presence

* Changing or enhancing your image

* Increasing the market's scope (e.g., children plus tweens)

* Publicity

* Lending credibility to the product ("Must be a good deodorant if a wrestler uses it!")

* Flexible foundation to launch diverse promotions under one umbrella

* Leveraging property's popularity for store traffic and tie-ins-with community presence.

* Motivating trade, distribution, sales force, etc. (hospitality events, incentives, celebrity visits, event-branded merchandise, perks, etc.)

* Bringing corporate image to the community level

* Prominent signage like stadium banners appearing on national TV

* Product sampling or demonstrations

* New regional distribution launch-awareness, traffic, distribution

* New product introduction-awareness (both trade and consumer)

* Product sales/sales contracts

* Trial-sampling handout

* Trial-experience product

* Literature distribution

* Retailer tie-ins-from events in their parking lot to inclusion at your event

* Client/customer relationship building

* Lead generation

* Community goodwill via cause tie-ins

* Counter-competitive activities

* Research

* Recruitment

* Added revenues from refreshments, space rental, program advertising, etc.

"Do you really want your 15 minutes of fame? Some brands thrive on their own unique, even quirky, identity. If your brand has a respectable image and limited budget, you may want to focus on the long-term goal of making the brand the hero rather than focusing on the short-term, expensive, borrowed interest approach."

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2005

A Few Dates To Remember In 2005

We're already more than halfway through the month of January, and if you were hoping to take advantage of some of this month's events [despite the caveat above!] we're afraid it's probably too late. So, as a public service, we've degaussed the crystal ball and jotted down a few upcoming dates that could lend themselves to retail or promotional exploitation. The second half of the year is a bit fuzzier than the first, but we put that down to transmission interference as a result of the Huygens spacecraft landing on Titan.

09 Feb 05 Chinese New Year (Year of the Rooster)
14 Feb 05 Valentines Day
18 Feb 05 Auckland Arts Festival
20 Feb 05 Pet Day
25 Feb 05 Super 12 Rugby season starts
27 Feb 05 77th Academy Awards, Hollywood

01 Mar 05 Autumn begins
11 Mar 05 WOMAD New Plymouth
11 Mar 05 Girls Day Out Auckland
25 Mar 05 Easter: Good Friday

15 Apr 05 First School Term Ends
25 Apr 05 Anzac Day

May 05 Star Wars Episode III
May 05 University Graduation
07 May 05 Duckshooting Season starts
08 May 05 Mothers Day
11 May 05 Cannes Film Festival
20 May 05 Super 12 Semi-Finals

Jun 05 Batman Begins Movie
01 Jun 05 Winter begins
04 Jun 05 Lions Rugby Tour begins
15 Jun 05 NZ National Fielddays
25 Jun 05 All Blacks vs. Lions 1st Test

01 Jul 05 Queenstown Winter Festival
02 Jul 05 All Blacks vs. Lions 2nd Test
08 Jul 05 Second School Term Ends
09 Jul 05 All Blacks vs. Lions 3rd Test
15 Jul 05 50th Anniversary of Disneyland
16 Jul 05 Harry Potter Book 6 released: HP & The Half-Blood Prince
21 Jul 05 Christchurch Arts Festival

Aug 05 Doom Movie (based on the videogame)

01 Sep 05 Spring begins
04 Sep 05 Father's Day
23 Sep 05 Third School Term Ends

22 Oct 05 Labour Weekend

Nov 05 Ellerslie Flower Show
05 Nov 05 Guy Fawkes

Dec 05 Harry Potter Movie 4
Dec 05 Peter Jackson's King Kong movie
Dec 05 The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe movie
Dec 05 James Bond Movie 21
01 Dec 05 Summer begins (yeah, right)
09 Dec 05 Secondary School Year Ends
20 Dec 05 Primary School Year Ends
25 Dec 05 Christmas
26 Dec 05 Boxing Day

This listing based on the latest info available to us (E&OE), but subject to the vagaries of other peoples' plans!

GAMES

Disturbing Video Gaming Trends Revealed

New research released last week by the US Entertainment Software Association reveals that typical American video game players are not simply couch jockeys. They regularly volunteer, exercise, and attend religious services, although presumably not all at the same time.

According to a survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, computer and video game players spend more than three times as much time exercising or playing sports, volunteering in the community, reading, or engaging in religious, creative, and cultural activities than they do playing video games.

The survey found that:

* 45% of gamers volunteer for community work, for an average of 5.4 hours per month.

* 61% of game players engage in some type of religious activity for several hours each month.

* 93% of game players read books or daily newspapers.

* 62% often attend cultural events, such as concerts, museums, or the theatre.

* 50% spend time painting, writing, or playing an instrument.

* 94% follow news and current events.

* 78% report that they vote in most of the elections for which they are eligible.

The poll was conducted in September, 2004, based on a random national sample of 802 adults.

Based on this research, we now have a much more enlightened understanding of your typical gamer, and thus can confidently expect that the next generation of video games will abandon violence, mayhem and mindless chaos, in favour of:

* Halo 3: Good Samaritan Of St Benedict's

* Alien No More: Welcoming Newcomers To Your Neighbourhood

* Half Life Extended - Take Better Care Of Your Paintbrushes

* Resident Evil Averted - NIMBY Tactical Exercises

* Need for Speed: Exercise Faster For A Healthier Lifestyle

* MechAssault 3: Car Maintenance Workshop

Or are we misinterpreting the research somehow?

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