Creativity, or a lack thereof, in an extremely cluttered environment looms large
as a cause for concern among entertainment marketers, according to results of the
first annual Entertainment Marketing Letter Census.
The survey, conducted in December '02, also explores the impact of the economy on the business
of entertainment marketing (See EML, Jan. 1, '03).
A number of executives bemoan what they feel is a lack of creativity in both the property offerings
of entertainment companies and the marketing programs built around them.
Citing what they consider to be a glut of entertainment properties and a lack of new unique content,
marketers stress the importance of finding ways to distinguish a property or brand.
As one executive writes, the emphasis is on "creating marketing approaches that are far out
enough to stand apart from all the messages consumers get while [at the same time] maintaining
a consistent brand image."
Gun-Shy Marketers
Of course, that mantra applies in any given year, but continuing economic woes are spreading
a fever of risk aversion that makes a marketer's job harder than ever.
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome, as one executive succinctly states, is
"gun-shy marketers with limited vision."
Others agree, although more sardonically. One says the biggest misconception at his company
is the belief that "progressiveness and innovation would actually be warmly accepted" by partners.
Instead, he writes, "People are not willing to 'look
outside the box.' "
Jim Erlick of entertainment sponsorship firm The Erlick Group (phone: 212-418-7372) says the
risk-averse attitude is understandable given the challenging economic times.
"Companies are understaffed and people may not be as receptive because they're preoccupied with getting their jobs done."
Erlick says the current climate can mean good news for properties that offer exclusivity.
"If you can show someone how to make a big splash at a relatively low price point they're going to respond to that."
The full palette of the field's diversity of backgrounds, experience and ideas is rarely used,
says one marketer. Another remarks that there's a sense among marketers and clients that "it's all been done before."
Among the reasons: Over-reliance on the media buy at the expense of alternatives; a lack of seasoned
executives; and poor job training.
One executive says entertainment marketers believe "Media leverage can gain you everything - thereby
minimizing creative input and vision control."
Executives say, however, that there's a perception among clients that entertainment marketing is risky
when it comes to execution and commitment. One marketer notes a lack of understanding about what entertainment
marketing offers. For example, he says, there is a lack of understanding about the difference between a
straight-on sponsorship and a complete, integrated marketing campaign.
There's also an uphill battle in getting partners to understand the value of newer promotional vehicles
and channels such as CDs, DVDs, CD-ROMs and Internet technology.
Vision and expertise are crucial in addressing these issues, not only in terms of in-house staff but also
in communicating the special needs of an entertainment marketing campaign to partner companies.
Indeed, one marketer says a big challenge in dealing with corporations is getting them to realize
that their own advertising and PR agencies "do not understand the full dynamic and activation points
for a successful marketing program."
Likewise, there is concern about the future health of a business where, as one executive writes,
there aren't enough senior marketers who are really mentoring their juniors and grooming up-and-comers.
Says another: "Marketing is an exciting, sexy sport and people gravitate to it. That's good. But you
often find yourself doing
business with people who don't really understand some of the basic tenets. They've had lots of on-the-job
training and picked up lots of marketing lingo, but from a real substantive standpoint, the big grasp is not there."
Getting peers educated on the basics and getting everyone to speak the same language is crucial.
For example, as one executive says, "All anyone talks about nowadays is 'strategy,' but stop 20 people
in the hallway and they really can't tell you what strategy means. It's overused and underemployed."
Although executives responding to the open-ended questions in the survey understandably have much to
say about business-to-business issues, surprisingly few bring up the consumer relationship.
Yet, ultimately, isn't influencing consumers the brass ring for all entertainment marketers? Worth
considering is this marketer's major challenge: "getting corporate executives to get out of the corporate
mindset/matrix and into the minds of the people who purchase their products."
Some stress retail as a crucial connector to consumers. A handful of marketers cite greater emphasis on
retail development as one of the biggest changes in the way they did business in '02. "We have moved much
closer to the consumer through retail," writes one.
Developing the retail relationship looks likely to gain momentum in '03. As one marketer predicts:
"We'll reinvent new ways to sell people entertainment - retail has got to become a real force again."
From Entertainment Marketing Letter, January 15, 2003. Reprinted with permission from EPM Communications
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