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Branded Entertainment

Written by: Andy Marken

Article Overview: A clear, concise, effective step-by-step guide on how you can efficiently, effectively embed your products in today's entertainment resources to enhance your firm's image and produce sales.

Branded Entertainment

Book Review


Branded Entertainment – Jean-Marc Lehu, Kogan Page, 525 S. Fourth St. #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147, (215) 928-9112, www.koganpage.com; ISBN-10 0 7494 4940-3; 336 pp, $39.95, May 2007

Reviewed by: G.A. “Andy” Marken
Marken Communications
andy@markencom.com


Professor Lehu of the Sorbonne researched and wrote his newest book – Branded Entertainment – at just the right time. Problem is most PR, communications and marketing people won’t grab a copy and read it cover to cover.

Pity!

Historically product placement has been thought of as strictly something companies did to get their products embedded in movies. And it required a dedicated team and lots of money.

Boy how wrong conventional thinking can be as professor Lehu points out in his roadmap to effective additional product coverage and exposure. There are literally virtual opportunities for product placement especially with new web opportunities appearing every day and second/third virtual worlds.

More importantly (for us) was that the book was a wake-up call that much of the product placement we were doing wasn’t as effective as it might be, should be. That was a hard reality.

Problem is most PR, communications and marketing people won’t grab a copy and read it cover to cover.

Pity!

Historically product placement has been thought of as strictly something companies did to get their products embedded in movies. And it required a dedicated team and lots of money.

We admit that we notice product placements in entertainment but perhaps that’s because we’re in the industry. But we see the Starbucks looking cup in NCIS. We see the Mac and Dell notebooks in 24. We make note of the car in Shark and Casino Royale. We look to see what the cereal is when people sit down to breakfast with in the TV shows. We view the product mini-commercials and spoofs.

But for the most part we have thought the opportunities were out of our reach…except if they just miraculously fell into our lap.

Boy how wrong conventional thinking can be as professor Lehu points out in his roadmap to effective additional product coverage and exposure. There are literally virtual opportunities for product placement especially with new web opportunities appearing every day and second/third virtual worlds.

More importantly (for us) was that the book was a wake-up call that much of the product placement we were doing wasn’t as effective as it might be, should be. That was a hard reality.

Often viewed as the domain of huge companies with dedicated entertainment branding teams, major budgets and expensive entertainment placement specialists; branded entertainment is now within the reach of every organization. The problem as professor Lehu points out is that for the most part we in the industry don’t spend enough time and effort blending the activities into the strategic marketing planning process. As a result, the exposure isn’t relevant and the effect is fleeting.

The author gives readers an excellent foundation for their product placement efforts by giving you a historical view of product placement and explains how it has developed, expanded and become a refined, measurable communications and promotional activity that should be at least considered by every firm – large or small.

To highlight the increasing importance of product placement and embedding product in news and entertainment activities, he covers how the DVR and TiVo – plus the pure magnitude of advertising bombardment – have weakened or shifted the role of conventional advertising. He explains how entertainment of all types have warmed to the idea of working more closely with firms and their products to lower production costs and strengthen the credibility of their own messages.

Clearly on the side of the marketer though, professor Lehu lifts the veil of mystery from entertainment branding and explains how companies and communications specialists can take advantage of branded entertainment for their firms, their products.

We found his how-to instructions and guidelines to be of considerable interest and assistance. But equally important were the case study vignettes that he includes throughout the book.

Fortunately he does not limit his exploration of branded entertainment to the conventional outlets – movies, TV – but covers the complete venue of today’s entertainment which includes video games, podcasts, web sites and mobile entertainment.

In addition to discussing the future potential of brand and product management with entertainment placement, he includes a very meaningful section on what people need to do (almost step-by-step) to make this opportunity/activity an integral part of your marketing and communications activity.

Certainly we lust for product placement in a big budget movie. But exposure in the right radio/TV shows, web blogs and video/audio podcasts may produce better results for the client. These are the types of activities that can create the emotional link with consumers that products need today.

The nice thing about reading Branded Entertainment is that you can come away with a dozen ideas on how you can improve the efforts you are doing for your product/marketing team, your management and your other stakeholders.

Branded Entertainment probably won’t turn you into an entertainment product placement expert but it can dramatically enrich your ability to do an even better job in placing product in entertainment activities that deliver results in the form of a better company/product image, enhanced retail presence, better relationship with consumers and improved sales.

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