In the TV product promotion arena, starring roles are the most coveted, but ensemble casting often proves to be a shrewder move. Polaroid's I-Zone instant pocket cameras were hot gift picks for kids
during the 1999 holiday season, but instead of vying for five minutes of airtime, Polaroid's media relations team opted for a more modest two. Tapping the services of D S Simon Productions in New York,
the company hopped on board a co-op satellite media tour set to air live Dec. 9, and shared the spotlight with products from Humongous Entertainment, Fisher Price, Nickelodeon, Sesame Street and National
Geographic.
For counselors heretofore uninitiated in the ways of co-op SMTs (also known as "synergy tours"), here's how they work: D S Simon Productions anchored toy expert Chris Byrne (who actually owns the
trademark to the nickname "The Toy Guy") to host a co-op tour featuring gift ideas for kids. The production company then began trolling for interested clients to round out its product mix. Porter Novelli
New York saw an opportunity to gain increased exposure for its client, Polaroid, got approval, and signed on.
"A co-op tour is sometimes more credible [than a stand-alone] SMT and also a more reasonable, cost-effective investment for the client," says Stephanie Karp, Polaroid's account executive at Porter
Novelli. The average co-op tour costs each client around $7,500 (vs. the $25,000 price tag usually affixed to a stand-alone tour). And the use of a third-party spokesperson and a diverse product mix
lends extra editorial credibility to the topic.
"In some cases, the greater the number of commercial products mentioned, the less commercial the segment appears to be," says Doug Simon, president & CEO of D S Simon. "With Chris Byrne, the Toy
Guy, if he's on the air talking about one product only, it sounds incredibly promotional. If he's talking about five toys, it suddenly becomes interesting consumer information." And in the eyes of the
media, it's a well-researched piece.
Outside Expertise
Like the Toy Guy, other professional plugmasters usually have expertise in a particular area - such as gift giving, food, decorating or consumer electronics. And the fact that they are unaffiliated
with the products at hand makes them more credible to station producers.
"My first responsibility is to act as an advocate for the consumer," says Robyn Spizman, a book author and media darling who's especially popular on the talk show circuit during the holidays. "My goal
isn't so much to sell a product, it's to enthusiastically talk about something I love. If I'm a cheerleader for these products, they're deserving of my attention."
A good spokesperson will make product pitches more palatable to TV producers by providing viewers with not just gushing endorsements, but actionable ideas. "Maybe you take the ice cream carton, tie a
string to it, unravel it through the house and leave the end at your child's bedside with a note that says, 'Happy Birthday. Have ice cream for breakfast,'" Spizman says. (She touted Godiva ice cream in
a recent gig.)
Deborah Durham, a veteran spokeswoman and now president of the Spokespersons Plus Network (an LA-based talent broker) took a similar approach with a co-op SMT on outdoor entertaining, in which one of
the products was a citronella candle made by S.C. Johnson Wax. "We designed a party space that would appeal to all five senses," she says. Product wares included a fountain (sound), fun table displays
(sight), a food item (taste) and the vanilla-scented candles (which covered smell and touch - as in avoiding bites from unwanted guests). To reinforce the vanilla theme, Durham suggested making party
favors by wrapping vanilla beans in napkins and tying them with twine.
What to Expect
The average co-op tour features three to five products, targets 18-20 key television markets, and garners viewer impressions in the range of 1.5 to 3.5 million. Eyeball totals go up to 3-6 million if
there's a celebrity spokesperson involved, but so does the price tag for the client (in such cases, as high as $15,000). Lead times for tours run roughly three months out, and a good production company
will handle soup to nuts, including spokesperson procurement, station booking, production, satellite transmission and placement tracking.
Most co-op SMTs pique TV stations' interests by focusing on a holiday, season or topical theme such as "back to school," "fun in the sun," Halloween party ideas, or low-fat convenience foods for busy
moms. The key to a successful tour is an authoritative spokesperson and a mix of noncompetitive products. For example, a June package moderated by a bridal magazine editor might feature a designer
dress, a pastry chef's creation, an invitation engraver and florist. The more well rounded the product mix, the happier station producers will be with the segment.
The average co-op SMT is orchestrated by a production company and marketed to PR agencies (not directly to corporate clients). But this is not to say the end client has no role in the process. "It's
advisable for the client to be in the studio at least for the rehearsal, and ideally for the segment itself," says Simon. "We typically set up clients in the green room during rehearsals to watch. That
way they can talk to the director or spokesman in between segments to work out any problem areas [with the messaging strategy] in advance. It's more difficult to make mid-course corrections once the shoot
is live."
Hands-on client involvement is also critical when one of the products or services is a high-tech gadget that calls for a live demo (e.g., a digital camera or software package). "It's important to have
a representative from your company on hand in the studio in case there's a technical problem," Simon says.
Embracing the Unexpected
Clients sometimes balk at the idea of sharing the spotlight and shelling out bucks for less than two minutes of airtime, says Hillary Rivman, senior VP with Planned Television Arts (PTA), a N.Y.-based
production company. But then again synergy tours often turn the camera lens on products that otherwise would get no play at all. A recent PTA-driven Father's Day tour highlighted a "Get Fit" kit - a gym
bag stuffed with gift ideas for dad. Among the offerings: sneakers, socks, a workout towel, water bottle and Novartis' Desenex - a treatment for athlete's foot. (Who would have thought you could get
away with giving Dad athlete's foot cream as a gift? We didn't ask about jock itch remedies.)
In the end, co-op SMTs aren't the answer to all your branding needs. Like most PR strategies, they are most effective when they're integrated into a larger media relations campaign. "It rounds out a
bigger program and often offers a means of outreach to smaller markets that you might not otherwise have time to focus on," Karp says. "It's the icing on the cake."
(Durham, 310/455-3379; Karp, 212/601-8241; Rivman, 212/593-5867; Simon, 212/736-2727; Spizman, 770/953-6101)
Tips For Clients
Beware of b-roll. Unlike standalone SMTs, the best co-op tours are live and, therefore, don't include b-roll footage. "Sending b-roll to stations for co-op tours is a
disservice to the client, because it means you're relying on stations to edit [or edit out] your client's message," says Simon. Provide b-roll and one or more of the products on
the tour will inevitably get cut.
Don't expect immediate sales results. "Sometimes people see a gift idea on TV, but they aren't ready to make a purchase," notes Karp. They may write the idea down and
buy the product later.
Pitch your product strategically. "There are times we'll turn down people who want to pay because the product they're pitching won't make for a good TV segment," says
Simon. "If you try to force a segment that doesn't work, you'll end up with stations that don't want to book, or producers who are dissatisfied with the segment."
Conduct mock interviews. "Media training is as much for the client as it is for the spokesperson," says Durham. Practice runs will ensure the spokesperson is using the
right lingo and delivering the right message points.
Keep it simple. Pare your strategy down to two key messages and coach the spokesperson accordingly. Don't force him/her into a position of having to prioritize your messages, Durham
advises.
SMT Specialists
Auritt Communications Group, http://www.auritt.com
DWJ Television, 201/445-1711, http://www.dwjtv.com
D S Simon Productions, 212/736-2727, http://www.dssimon.com
News Broadcast Network, 212/684-8910, http://www.NewsBroadcastNetwork.com
On the Scene Productions, 323/930-1030, http://www.OnTheScene.com
Orbis Broadcast Group, 312/942-1199, http://www.OrbisBroadcastGroup.com
Planned Television Arts (PTA), 212/593-5820, http://www.PlannedTVArts.com
West
Glen Communications, 212/921-2800, http://www.WestGlen.com