“As Seen On TV:” Sponsorship Lessons From Snuggie and Friends
Posted: 11/17/2009 2:06:20 PM by
Shelley Fasulko | with 0 comments
There’s an aisle in just about every Walgreen’s and CVS in the US that my friends and I like to call the “Cheesy TV Aisle.” It’s that awesome aisle where you can learn everything from how to “set and forget” your way to a perfect roast, “bump it” to give your hair that sexy volume and “sham-wow” yourself out of a mess. To date, I’ve used this aisle primarily for two reasons: to kill time while my prescriptions are being filled and/or as a great place to pick up gag gifts for care packages for friends. Here’s the really funny part about all of this: three of these said, “Cheesy TV Aisle” products either have posted or are on target to rake in sales of $300 million or more. (And that is the sound of my jaw hitting the floor followed by the sound of me slopping down a serving of humble pie).
Ad Age recently recognized Snuggie, 5-Hour Energy and the Ped Egg as three of the top brands of the year for their sales and marketing efforts, and after reading the corresponding case studies, you can’t really dispute it. Each one of these brands obviously has their own unique strategy, but besides for the “Cheesy TV Aisle,” they have something else in common: they don’t overcomplicate it. They do one thing, they do it well and they preach that – with a sense of humor and kitsch in many cases – to the consumer. That’s it. No bells, no whistles.
So what’s the sponsorship lesson in all this? As I talked to my colleague and fellow blogger Diane Knoepke, she said (quite astutely) – “maybe it’s not always about the next big thing? Maybe it’s about a few slight tweaks to something that already is?” We’re all always desperately looking for the next idea or platform that is going to change the face of marketing and sponsorship as we know it, but maybe that’s a bit shortsighted (and ego-driven)? Maybe, just maybe, sometimes the simplest ideas really are the best?
Taking this suggestion and putting it into action:
- From the property side – perhaps it’s not a matter of trying to do everything. Instead, when focusing on what you have to offer a sponsor, consider what the most valuable things are (e.g., a desirable audience and a way to get in front of them) and turn those things into sponsorship rights and benefits (e.g., communication vehicles, and promotional rights, etc.). Forego top-loading your offer with useless rights and benefits that do nothing more than drive up price and act as “throw aways” that a sponsor feels forced to buy, and you could be the next opportunity that looks just as appealing as a toasty, yet fashionable, Snuggie.
- From the sponsor side – perhaps it’s foregoing the masses in favor of the niche. Determining who your brand really “belongs to” and selecting sponsorships and activation tactics that make them happy. Forego shallow, broad activity in favor of deep, niche activity and you could just be the next brand with a legion as dedicated and hyped as those 5-Hour Energy junkies.
Moral of the story – ‘tis better to do one thing really well than many things poorly. Sometimes people really do just want a blanket with arms, a boost of energy that doesn’t require guzzling 12 oz. and a foot file that catches those oh so unsightly callous shavings. It ain’t pretty, but it sells.
Read more blog posts
Filed under: branded entertainment, digital media, entertainment, new media, product placement, retail, selling, activation