Marketers Pursue Entertainment 101
Content is king these days for consumer product companies. More are creating their own entertainment, giving consumers a reason to tune in to the advertising.
• Coca-Cola jumped into the online peer-to-peer music business, sponsoring videos with Jay-Z and Ne-Yo. The deal helped the hip-hop artists release concert clips for free, sidestepping problems with illegal downloads. The videos won Coke some "cool" factor: 3.5 million people downloaded the Ne-Yo video and 2.5 million the Jay-Z video.
• Geico far outspends its auto insurance competitors on advertising. Now its clever "caveman" spots are getting their 15 minutes. ABC has ordered a pilot, Cavemen, based on the ads. The show will be about the Neanderthals dealing with prejudice while living in present-day Atlanta.
• Burger King's "the King" character has taken on a life of his own with a MySpace page and even his own video games. Around the holidays, the burger chain released three Microsoft Xbox games: Pocketbike Racer, Big Bumpin', and Sneak King. They sold for $3.99 with a value meal.
• Budweiser spent $30 million to create its own online network, Bud.tv. The website, accessible to viewers who register, features some big-name talent as well as viewer contributions. Among the shows are a comedy program hosted by Vince Vaughn and short films from Kevin Spacey's Triggerstreet.com.
This story appears in the April 9, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.