By: T.L. Stanley
LOS ANGELES -- Brand integration is hitting the third screen and, for the first time, marketers will be stitched into the fabric of an original series created specifically for cellphones that follows three 20-somethings as they get makeovers.
Producers of the unscripted beauty makeover series, called "Primped," have
created 30 episodes that they could repurpose for any number of other
platforms, including TV and the web, if it proves popular on cellphones.
Marketers including Conair, Union Bay, Dollhouse, Samsonite, Converse
and Vespa are taking part in the series, which is hosted by supermodel
and FHM cover girl Vida Guerra. It's aimed at young women,
though creators expect to also draw in male fans of Ms. Guerra, who's
on the cover of the current Playboy and has become an internet
staple.
Episodes come with VOD feature
"Primped" will run in two- to four-minute installments that will be released once a day to subscribers who pay a flat $6.99 fee. The program will be available over Sprint, Nextel and Boost mobile networks. Consumers can watch the episodes whenever they want, via an on-demand feature.
A number of marketers are experimenting
with mobile content, though it's often been confined to contests,
games or repurposed material from ad campaigns. At the same time,
a few TV producers and networks have created mobile-specific offshoots
of popular shows, such as Fox's "24" and "Prison
Break," and just began
adding advertisers as sponsors.
"Primped," though, is believed to be the first fully realized series
for cellphones with brand integration.
"It's very nascent right now," said Elizabeth Brooks, exec VP-marketing
at GoTV, a mobile content creator that's one of several partners behind "Primped." "So
many marketers want to be in mobile, and they need it translated
for them."
Marketers paid an undisclosed integration fee to be part of "Primped" and
provided products that are highlighted during the episodes. Some
of the integration partners are participating in related promotions.
Teen apparel marketer Dollhouse, for instance, is running a contest
so viewers can text message to try to win $5,000 in merchandise.
Three companies worked together on "Primped" -- GoTV; Zingy,
which specializes in ringtones, wallpapers and other cellphone content;
and Matrixx, a Hollywood production company with a track record in
branded entertainment.
A platform for the centerfold
Executives at Zingy
already worked with Ms. Guerra on wallpaper and other mobile content
and wanted to extend her footprint further into the mobile world.
They looked to GoTV to help refine and produce a concept. Matrixx
brought in marketing partners and helped integrate brands into the
series.
Once executives had an idea, they approached production as if it
were a TV series, with some notable exceptions. Editing for the two-inch
screen is much different -- no nighttime shots or busy backgrounds
-- and products need a call out in order to be clear in such a tiny
environment.
"We made sure there was clear signage and that the brands were merchandised
on the set," said Van Vandegrift, executive producer at Matrixx. "And
you have to include verbals where you say the brand's name out loud
because it's a story point."
Products were woven in based on fashion challenges, where the three
makeover candidates had to pick out clothes and accessories, as well
as makeup and hair stylings. The winner receives $20,000 worth of
goods from the sponsors.
Producers followed guidelines specific to the wireless world. GoTV's
research has shown that consumers respond best to two- to four-minute
episodes, instead of shorter stories, and need to see new content
more than once a week, as some early experiments had done.
There are about 2 million subscribers to mobile-video services, according
to estimates from wireless carriers and industry groups. While the
number may seem small, it's expected to increase exponentially in
the coming years as technology improves.
Rise of video-enabled cellphones
Industry executives
point to these statistics as a harbinger of things to come. In spring
2005, of the 180 million handsets in the U.S. there were only 350,000
cellphones with video capabilities. In about a year, that number
jumped to 205 million cellphones, with 4 million being video enabled.
By the fourth quarter of next year, there are expected to be 30 million
video-enabled cellphones.
Dollhouse has had a long history of product placement on TV, frequently
popping up on MTV, the WB and other young-skewing networks. The brand
has been integrated more fully into shows such as UPN's "America's
Next Top Model."
Executives at the marketer said they've been diving deeper into the
web, building out its site to mimic popular social-networking sites.
They've set their sights on mobile marketing, including a deal with Lucky magazine
that will let consumers buy their merchandise via text messaging.
They moved quickly when they were approached about the "Primped" project.
"We've been pushing toward more tech-based advertising," said Aretha
Sarfo, founder of Visions Entertainment and Publicity, Dollhouse's agency that
worked on the deal. "And a makeover show is perfect for our
demo."
Cheaper than creating own content
It made more sense, Ms. Sarfo said, for Dollhouse to integrate into
someone else's original content as oppose to creating its own, which
could be cost prohibitive.
Entertainment for the cellphone, like other digital platforms, is attracting
lots of marketer interest.
Fox's "24" was a groundbreaker in the area, creating "24: Conspiracy," a
series of two-minute mobisodes. The series didn't have a brand-integration element
or sponsor. "Prison Break: Proof of Innocence," which ran for six mobisodes
this spring, included Toyota's Yaris as a sponsor. A character in the story also
drove a Yaris.
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