As the British Comedy Awards once again (dis)graced the small screen with its infamous ceremony last Saturday evening, there was an embarrassing degree of mirth at the sponsor’s expense.

Highland Spring’s association with the Comedy awards stems from a hat-trick deal with ITV in 2006 that saw them take the sponsorship of the British Soap Awards and the National Television Awards as part of the same package.

Ironically, despite being both title sponsor and broadcast sponsor of the event and after show party, the increasingly raucous antics of the guests and nominees displayed little evidence that much, if any, water was being taken at the tables on Saturday night.

No fools ITV, ensuring that the later stages of the ceremony were taken off ITV1 and reserved for the smaller, more open-minded audience of ITV2 - as the behaviour of a resentful bottle-throwing Kevin Bishop proved testament to:

Bottles, undoubtedly, of the Highland Spring water that proudly adorned every table and remained largely unopened for most of the evening.

Admittedly, the creative was strong. The idents that wrapped each section of the broadcast were cute and wonderfully conceived. Simple but effective, positioning a bottle of Highland Spring as an award-winning celebrity itself, under the tag line, ‘If you’re this good, you must be rewarded’.

And that is where the brand presence should have ended. Instead, Sally Stanley (the brand’s courageous but arguably ill-advised Marketing Director) braved the toughest crowd in the business and took to the stage alongside Frank Skinner to present the highly coveted Best Comedy award as the pinnacle of the evening.

Error.

Angus Deayton [introducing Stanley]: ‘And of course a big thanks to Highland Spring - without whom tonight would certainly not have been as…cheap.’

And it only got worse. Granted, with the amount of subsequent mentions that Deayton and Skinner managed to notch up between them, the brand probably regained its rights fee in media value alone. But they also succeeded in presenting the brand as an intrusive, resented necessity, over-playing the contractual exposure that was guaranteed for them, and generally making Ms. Stanley look like a bit of a joke.

With marketeers across the country already cringing with embarrassment on her behalf, she then attempted to squeeze in a suitably ‘on-message’ introduction which was predictably ignored and cut short by her co-presenters and the less than captivated crowd:

Stanley: ‘[the sponsorship] is a perfect partnership as we strive all year round to make people feel better…’

(Err…what?)

Skinner [doubtless echoing the thoughts of the entire room]: ‘Well, it certainly makes me feel better - as a recovering alcoholic. Not quite as good as an actual drink, but you can’t have everything.’

Words alone cannot do the whole episode justice - watch for yourself: 

A prime example of when a sponsor should be seen and not heard - always engage, but never intrude. 

However, whether or not you believe that a television awards sponsor has a rightful active role in their presentation, one must ask how the brand association with this particular ceremonial joke can be seen as beneficial in the long run? The announcement of the 2006 deal suggested that Highland Spring did know what it was getting into, but as the calibre of this most ‘notoriously unpredictable’ awards night continues to decline, how much longer can the brand deem the association a desirable one? Can the value of numerous shameful on-air plugs really outweigh an association with an awards show that is increasingly becoming the laughing stock of the industry? And how does a high-profile water brand sit alongside an event renowned for the drunken, outlandish behaviour of its celebrity guests?

One last thing: take a look at the sponsorship section of Highland Spring’s website. In the brand’s list of ‘high profile Awards and Dinners’ with which they are proudly associated, the British Comedy Awards is not listed.

Go figure.

By Lucie Bartlett on December 11th, 2008

Tags: Brand marketing, Broadcast sponsorship, Media, Sponsorship, Television

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“The coming together of diametrically differing types of people, all glued to the same pitch or television screen…How can one activity – sport – unite such different strands of humanity?”

- Ed Smith, What Sport Tells Us About Life

All those who have ever dismissed sport as ‘just a game’ would be wise to spend some time absorbing the writings of Ed Smith. In a truly brilliant work on the place of sport within our modern lives, Smith discusses and examines sport in the widest possible context – all in order to learn more about the ‘game’ of life.

But not even he could have imagined how the narrative would play out in New Orleans in 2005/6, when an American football team proved to be the salvation of an entire town from deluge, devastation and ultimate destruction. It was a rare example of when sport not only united disparate strands of humanity, but re-built a completely broken city in the process.

The aptly named New Orleans Saints – the NFL’s Louisiana franchise – hit the UK headlines last week when they brought America’s number one sport to our fair shores, giving up a crucial regular season home game to bring football fever to London. But behind the glitz and glamour of the gridiron show that entertained 82,000 at Wembley, lies an intensely human story.

When Hurricane Katrina violently tore through the soul of Louisiana on 29 August 2005, claiming nearly 2,000 lives and causing $81.2m in damage, one would expect the local football team to be low on the list of priorities. Instead, the New Orleans Saints became the focus of recovery for the city and Katrina’s many thousands of victims.

The giant structure that the Saints had previously called home, the Louisiana Superdome, had been all but destroyed. But because it provided such a central beacon for the community, Louisiana’s then Governor made its restoration a top priority for the city’s relief effort. Doug Thornton, the Superdome’s General Manager, has explained why:

“The dome was a poster child for misery and suffering. We knew if we could turn it around and make it a symbol of rebirth that would provide inspiration and hope for the city and send a message to the rest of the world that New Orleans is back.”

The players themselves became ambassadors for the cause. The Saints’ golden boy, running back Reggie Bush, spearheaded a campaign to rebuild a High School football stadium in City Park, following major damage suffered during the hurricane. The rookie’s significant financial backing to the project came shortly after being drafted by the team and before he had even set foot on a football field as a fully-fledged Saint.

The Times’ Martin Fletcher’s moving experience of his time with the team this summer provides an intense snapshot of the players’ phenomenal efforts to put their city back on the map:

“One player, Joe Horn, was so distressed by the plight of refugees shopping in a Houston Wal-Mart soon after Katrina that he went up to the cashiers, gave them his credit card and said: “Give these people whatever they need.” Another, Ernie Conwell, bought an engagement ring for a man whose distressed wife had lost hers in the storm.

A third, Steve Gleason, bought 2,000 backpacks and filled them with pens and paper for children returning to school. Yet another, Deuce McAllister, takes 100 children shopping each Christmas.

Some players have discreetly slipped cash to hard-up parents so that they can take their children out for a meal.”

Clearly much, much more than a mandatory PR exercise. The numerous gracious, thankful and emotional comments and dedications posted in response to Fletcher’s piece by those who lived through the horror of it all, speak volumes about how vividly he captured the immensity of the Saints’ efforts for their city. As quarterback Drew Brees told him during an interview, fans don’t run up to players and congratulate them on a great game – instead they thank them deeply for being part of the city.

In his book, Ed Smith describes the utter immersion in a sporting spectacle as akin to following a novel’s narrative, ‘sharing a journey, caring deeply about something we cannot change’ – that ultimately, can extend our human sympathy.

The Saints cared so deeply about their extended adopted family of New Orleans that they did all within their power to make sure the narrative of their city was changed. America’s number one sport beat on as the heart of a devastated city, and New Orleans’ very own Saints extended their own human sympathy beyond all expectation.

By Lucie Bartlett on November 3rd, 2008

Tags: American football, NFL, community

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James Bond’s next slice of action, The Quantum of Solace, will be hitting the big screen in the UK on 31st October this year - but, according to the escalating buzz, with a much more selective marketing fanfare than previous recent deliveries.

Sony Pictures has revealed that the 22nd outing of Hollywood’s golden franchise will, apparently, feature markedly fewer brand placements. This comes following the widespread criticism of the commercial nature of 2002’s feature, dubbed ‘Buy Another Day’ by fans and critics alike.

However, despite this supposed u-turn in limitless brand engagement, companies are chomping at the bit to announce their involvement in Quantum - so far including Ford, Heineken, Omega watches, Virgin Atlantic and Diageo-owned Smirnoff. It should also be noted that a similar announcement of ‘increased exclusivity’ was issued in advance of Casino Royale, which nevertheless emerged as equally ruthlessly commercial as its predecessor.

Ascertaining the price tag of such deals is a murky area, as the Telegraph explains:

‘The financial relationship between the brands and Bond is complex. The likes of Smirnoff’s owner Diageo does not pay cash to appear. Instead it promises to put its enormous commercial muscle behind the film - essentially paying for Bond’s advertising during launch week.’

Unsurprisingly, Sony is remaining cagey on the exact figures of the respective investments, but we can hazard an educated guess. The current estimated value of associated brands’ advertising campaigns around Quantum stand at around £50m. Buy Another Day indeed.

As ever, what these brands and (possibly with a greater degree of responsibility), Sony need to ensure is the credibility of their inclusion in the movie. Bond fans already seem fairly incredulous about the Ford Ka as the car of choice in Quantum, openly decrying Sony’s ‘obvious product placement’, pleading:

‘a Ford Ka? Come on…Bond can do better than this.’

Not quite the brand message they were aiming for, I’ll warrant.

Sony would do well to learn from previous over-branding and the wider implications it can have, especially when a rival brand takes action. Following the ridiculously blatant presence of Virgin Airways in Casino Royale (where Richard Branson happened to be passing through a security gate in the background of the action), British Airways actually cut the offending scenes from its in-flight showing of the film.

When the movie content itself is compromised, die-hard fans of a franchise are alienated and the branded content is removed altogether, surely nobody wins.

By Lucie Bartlett on August 19th, 2008

Tags: Brand marketing, Branded content, Product placement

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It’s official: according the The Los Angeles Times, the Sex and the City movie (SATC) has officially been heralded as the most successful romantic comedy ever to grace the big screen, trouncing Will Smith’s Hitch of 2005 to gross $55.7million in its opening weekend. 

But as women on both sides of the Atlantic flocked to the cinemas, the eyes of brand managers worldwide flashed with dollar signs - and here is why: initial studio estimates position the demographic of the cinema audiences as 85% female and 80% over 25. In other words, a target audience of 20 and 30-something, Cosmo-drinking, fashion-conscious females was delivered on a plate to any brand willing to invest.

And invest they did, in droves. While the casting directors scoured the Hollywood talent pool for the supporting ensemble, the producers held commercial pitches like casting sessions to find just the right (read: highest bidding) brands to star in the show. One of the more controversial appointments being Skyy Vodka, who engaged in a bidding war with incumbent SATC vodka brand, Absolut, to win the role. Chief executive of Skyy, Gerry Ruvo, admitted quite simply to the FT: ”We engaged in a very competitive pitch with Absolut…and we won”.

What exactly did they win? Unfortunately for the likes of Ruvo, the initial (albeit fairly unscientific) feedback from my own focus group of girlfriends indicates that the real winner of the movie was not the traditionally, crudely placed product. Carrie drowning her sorrows with the signature blue Skyy Vodka bottle and, later, munching on a Pret sandwich in Central Park were not significant to the average viewer. More often than not, they were barely noticed.

Step forth, Bag Borrow or Steal (BBoS), the online store offering ‘borrowed luxury’ to fashionistas not able to buy the real thing. It was the credible integration of this online retailer as an aside within the main storyline that sold it to the audience. Arguably, this editorially-led incorporation of a brand into a movie is the silver screen’s version of branded content. And amongst an increasingly marketing-savvy audience, subtlety and credibility are absolutely key. While it is rumoured that Pret snuck into the movie for free (allegedly because SJP is a genuine fan) whereas Skyy certainly paid through the back teeth for the privilege, I would wager that neither Pret nor Skyy will experience the same increased popularity as BBoS in the movie’s aftermath.

At least in part, the success of SATC’s brand integration was a result of its legions of fans who were so entrenched in the ultimate will-they-won’t-they love story, that they were more than willing to overlook the more overt product placement. It was the brand that found itself woven into the fabric of the film that impressed itself upon the viewer. Essentially, the point is this: if the girls on film demonstrably valued the brand, so could the girls watching. Carrie waving a bottle around for 10 seconds didn’t quite have the same effect.

Perhaps then, SATC marks an evolution in big-screen marketing: while Pret and Skyy were traditional product placements, BBoS was positioned as genuine branded content - with potentially far greater ROI. By super-sizing branded content for the big screen, we do run the risk of the brands becoming bigger than the content, but SATC got away with it. Just.

In the run-up to release, there were enough column inches dedicated to the film’s marketing deals to stretch from one end of Fifth Avenue to the other - far more than genuine previews of the film itself. But seeing this love for the labels far outweigh the love for the film, even before opening weekend, I couldn’t help but wonder: is the silver screen really the right arena for branded content to take hold? Does this not present a new Hollywood of ‘micro-targeting‘ - a world of film development where script editors succumb to the power of the brand manager, and storylines bend to the will of the highest bidding brand?

Although SATC may be a shining example of astute brand integration and a target audience thoroughly understood, how long before the love of labels (and the revenue they generate) overrules the love of a good movie?

By Lucie Bartlett on June 4th, 2008

Tags: Branded content, Product placement

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