Timberland's Pandora creative-media integration

As “media professionals,” it is tempting to look at a platform and want to categorize it.  Is it digital? Is it mobile?  Is it TV? How should it be bucketed?  This makes our jobs easier and less complicated. Yet, in today’s environment, these conventional labels are becoming obsolete.  A perfect illustration of this conundrum is Pandora, an entity with tremendous momentum.

To start, here are some facts that you may or may not already know about Pandora:

• Pandora is among the top 3 local radio stations in all the top DMAs.
• Pandora is being built directly into Ford automobiles.
• The Pandora iphone app is the number two most downloaded application (behind only Facebook).
• The Pandora iPad app is number 20 and gaining ground quickly.
• The service has reached 50 million registered users.
• Pandora is building out applications for the Droid.
• VUDU is bringing the Pandora app to connected TV’s like LG and Mitsubishi.

As you can see, it is difficult to categorize Pandora in conventional terms.  Is it a website? Mobile application? Radio station? TV platform?

Really, it’s all of the above.

As marketers, we need to stop thinking in terms of prescribing media vehicles to target audiences.  Instead, we need to find the right people, find out what they really care about, identify what devices they are using and then meet them there to provide something of value.  We need to rely on consumer information to guide our media practices.  Instead of creating flowcharts with line items for TV, print, or digital, we should make flowcharts with line items for various consumer passion points (i.e. music, the outdoors or travel) and build media or better yet “experiences” around them.

It doesn’t matter if we consider Pandora to be a digital entity, a mobile application, or a radio station, but rather if our consumers are passionate about listening to music.  If they are, we should strive to bring this experience to them via Pandora across various platforms, so consumers can interact with our brands on their own terms and find value in them.

When one of my favorite pastimes is morphing, I take note. I’m specifically talking about the 3D craze. 3D movies have been around since the 1950s, but newer technology and advanced special effects are helping 3D movies become more mainstream. With movies making billions like Avatar (making $2.5B worldwide) and Alice in Wonderland (making $116M in it’s opening weekend) as well as 3D TV emerging, this enhancement is one we can’t ignore. I really think that Hollywood will initially drive adoption of 3D in the home. But will 3D work in the home? There’s been lots of chatter about the 3D TV technology since CES in January with manufacturers such as LG, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and Panasonic jumping on board. ESPN plans to roll out the first official 3D network on June 11. Sporting events are the perfect fit for a 3D experience and ESPN’s technology capabilities are very strong. Makes sense. But what about other networks? Will people actually want to watch The Real Housewives of NYC in 3D?  How about Anderson Cooper? Probably not. I think we, as distributors for our brands, need to take this enhancement on a case by case basis, and then deliver. Not everything will resonate in 3D, but those networks/messages that fit the bill, will win with relevant content delivery. Here’s why we can’t miss out on this opportunity to connect and make a splash:

• They WILL buy them. The 3D TV market is expected to expand to a $17-billion market, with sales increasing from 200,000 units in 2009 to 64 million units in 2018.
• It won’t cost more to have it. Pricing for today’s 3D ready TVs is comparable to other flat-screen HDTVs and the cost of the 3D glasses is minimal.
• Demand is increasing. Movies like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland have put the concept of 3D viewing on most consumers’ minds. They are expecting more.
• The rest of the media world is helping. Other technological changes will help make this an easier transition than originally predicted. Mobile apps and interfaces that make it simple and pleasant to watch programming will help consumers get used to transition.

Overall, it is on us, as deliverers of content, to make this experience all that it can be. ESPN has jumped on board, we must as well. This is a turning point for media consumption. As consumers we are in for a treat. As advertisers, we need to pick up our game to match this need for a more in-touch reality. What that game is exactly… more to come in my next blog entry.

Here’s the entry describing the Ask.com campaign:

“There was a moment during the Daytona 500 on Fox when Ask.com’s “Crawl” campaign from Mullen took the checkered flag. A trivia question from Ask.com appeared in an animated search box on the screen. An announcer followed with: “We’re not going to tell you, you have to go to Ask.com.” Most of the time during the campaign, however, when the Ask.com search box suddenly popped up during programming — documentaries on National Geographic, movies on FX, etc. — there was no voiceover. No matter, the DVR-proof tactic of weaving in content-related questions and sending viewers to the search engine for an answer was a winner. Knowing some networks would balk at the integration, Mullen approached 30 and persuaded 16 to go along.”

Credits mediahub from Mullen: John Moore, Executive Vice President, Director of Media Services; Steve Kalb, Senior Vice President, Director of Broadcast Media; Elaine Heilemann, Associate Media Director; Kate Monsalvatge, Jackie Heath, Network Buying Supervisor; Marissa Maltese, Senior Media Planner; Brenna Hanly, Assistant Media Planner; Julie Jaenicke, Network Assistant.