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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Rising Cost of "Free" Promotion
by: Mike Einstein
The following article by Mike Einstein of the Brothers
Einstein was first published 10/13 on Jack Myers
MediaBizBloggers.
There was an interesting article in this week's Chicago
Tribune: Can TBS promos avoid overkill? It questioned the
wisdom behind running so many promos in MLB playoff games
for Conan O'Brien's new show, and cited the resulting down-
side of a similar effort two years ago on behalf of Frank
Caliendo's, "Frank TV", perhaps the best example of a
program people grew sick of before it ever aired.
TV networks have always used their own inventory to promote
themselves. In fact, the total inventory consigned to this
practice dwarfs by comparison any network's biggest cash
advertiser. But it's really a carry-over from a less
fragmented time, when primetime audience reach really
meant something.
TBS's Frank TV debacle notwithstanding, and despite the
fact that only 19 months have passed since its demise,
the media landscape is less giving and less forgiving
than ever.
I remember speaking with a NASCAR executive at Turner
around the time Frank TV was digging its own grave, and
suggesting that NASCAR would be well advised to expand
its promotional efforts beyond its own neighborhood, to
which he replied, "Why would we do that when we have a
network at our disposal that doesn't cost us anything?"
"Because even though it doesn't cost you anything, the
price is too high", I said. The phone silence that ensued
spoke volumes about what TBS and NASCAR thought of my
opinion, and I never got the chance to explain, having
just told them what an ugly baby they had.
I won't say, "I told you so", but NASCAR ratings are in
the tank, there are more and more empty seats at the
venues every week, and there is no new Dale Earnhart, Jr.
coming down the backstretch. Even if there were, NASCAR
is stuck in an incestuous promotional pit stop. Good thing
it doesn't cost them anything. Or does it?
There are two flawed premises at work here. The first is
the foolish futility in preaching to a shrinking choir and
in throwing more promo pasta on the wall in hopes more of
it will stick. As Frank Caliendo might say to himself in
his best Dr. Phil: "How's that workin for ya?"
But the greater downside to this self-serving clutter ? the
second fly in this promotional ointment ? is the message it
sends to the advertising community at large when your
investment in yourself delivers such a poor return.
I remember several years ago having a conversation with a
mid-market TV-station GM whose early news was mired in
fourth place in a four-station race with a 3 HH rating.
He told me he was running 400 HH GRPs a week in news
promotion during sweeps. His goal was to increase his
rating by 33% to a 4. I told him he was making a big
mistake, because (and this predates Frank TV) even if he
could move the needle from a 3 to a 4, his ultimate yield
would not justify the sacrifice of 1600 ratings points
(over just four weeks) worth of sellable commercial
inventory. I also told him that the public had already
spoken on his news product as expressed by the 97% of HH
that had chosen not to watch, and that a blitzkrieg of
news promos (hello, Frank) would only distance them even
more. I summarized my POV by stating that if he succeeded
in jumping his news number to a 4, there would then be
only 96% of the audience that still wasn't interested. In
fact, I suggested he dump his news promotion idea entirely,
sit on his 3 rating, and let me sell the 1600 points on a
50/50 split of the found money. He wasn't amused.
The bottom line: His news needle didn't budge. He blew his
wad at the promotional track and came up a loser in more
ways than one because any advertiser watching this fiasco
unfold would be within its rights to question the value of
its faith and investment in a station that can't even help
itself. Clearly, 400 points a week just doesn't buy what it
used to.
Back to Conan...the promos aren't funny at all. In fact,
I find them embarrassingly unfunny, bordering on insulting
by the second viewing. I predict much ado about nothing
when November 9 rolls around and TBS suddenly realizes
that they have another Frank Caliendo on their hands.
Even if Conan wins his time period with a 1.5, it will
have been a very expensive pageant to crown the tallest
midget.
The good news is, now I know what the "ad" in ad nauseum
really means!
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