Baseball Telecasts Swing For The Fences With Advertisers

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Not only are a number of baseball clubs getting creative with their own marketing, but interest in advertising during baseball telecasts appears to be way up, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The report indicates that baseball’s TV rights holders are nearly sold out of commercial time on their first few months of games, both at the national and local levels.

Fox, for example, is just about sold out for April and May. Two of the big sectors buying the ad spots are automotive and financial. There’s been a doubling in automotive ad dollars and a 75 percent increase in financial advertising, when compared to last season’s Fox Saturday afternoon games. Additionally, Turner said that it’s seen a 15 percent-20 percent boost in ad dollars for its Sunday afternoon MLB games. Ad revenue is also up by about 50 percent at Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (home of the World Champion New York Yankees), as six clients renewed for the 2010 season back in early November, which was a first for the network.

Check out the full story for more. {link no longer active}

Ads Going 3D

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3D has clearly become the new panacea for the movie industry, with most blockbuster films likely to premiere in stereoscopic format from now on. At the same time, this opens new doors for opportunities like 3D ads that run before the movie – for example, a recent ad called “Wonder-Full” demonstrating a Samsung television.

“3D is a new dimension, literally and figuratively,” says Peggy Ang, vp of marketing communications for the consumer electronics division of Samsung Electronics America to Adweek {link no longer active}. “Everybody has taken to the experience in the theaters, and consumers are saying, ‘How can I take this home ‘”

Movies like Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon and Clash of the Titans have all been leading the charge for the new generation of 3D movies, and now marketers that include Purina and the Air Force are looking to capitalize on the trend.

“In the past three months, we’ve seen more interest from advertisers than you can humanly imagine,” says Cliff Marks, president of sales and marketing at NCM Media Networks, the digital in-theater network that includes AMC Entertainment, Cinemark Holdings and Regal Entertainment Group. “We all have to agree that Avatar has changed the world.”

Hollywood has had an important impact on the growth of 3D but the technology is quickly expanding its reach. Samsung, Panasonic and LG Electronics are all putting out 3D home products and networks like ESPN have announced plans to broadcast more 3D.

“We’d all be fooling ourselves if we said it was a fad at this point,” Marks adds. “3-D is here to stay, and consumers love it. It is one of the most exciting opportunities to come our way in cinema in a long time. As brands learn how to use it, both cinema and TV will benefit.”

Still, there are going to be issues with penetration, with only 10 percent of TVs sold this year and eight percent of theaters 3D capable. “It’s a short-lived opportunity, but it is a real one right now,” says Ken Venturi, CCO and evp at NCM Media Networks.

Xbox 360 Hit With Old Spice Advergames

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Advergames on the Xbox 360 have been done before, but by gum, that’s not going to stop Old Spice from testing the waters on their own. Xbox 360 Digest {link no longer active} has the low down on the three indie games that released on Xbox Live for $3 apiece.

One game called Newton vs The Horde lets players use a variety of weapons and Old Spice to combat zombie Stinkies from destroying freshness. The Fresh Card Game is about playing the last deodorant stick in a competition to be the freshest. Finally, Old Spiced Racers is a side-scrolling arcade game with the ability to play with up to eight players on Xbox Live over 45 levels.

Online Ad Spend Usurps Print

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As print continues to degrade as an advertising medium, Internet options continue to grow. Survey group Outsell [thanks MediaPost] asked 1,000 advertisers and discovered that $119.6 billion (32.5 percent) of the planned 2010 U.S. ad spending of $368 billion is marked for digital media, with 30.3 percent designated for print, which is down over $8 billion.

Additionally, a report titled Marketing Budgets 2010: Effectiveness, Measurements and Allocation shows that 46 percent of the 1,000 marketers surveyed planned to increase their overall budgets but 66 percent were upping digital spending. By contrast, 13 percent were cutting their budgets, but only four percent were slowing down on digtal spending.

Not only is online increasing in importance, companies like it because they are better able to tie cost to value.

iPad: How Amazon Can Respond

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The launch of the iPad has undoubtedly been a successful one, beating Apple’s own expectations. While this has caused some to throw dirt on the grave of the Kindle device, PaidContent {link no longer active} ran a feature from Forrester Research arguing why Amazon might win round two.

They note, firstly, that Amazon’s online retail presence is much stronger than the iBook app. They also noted that books bought by Amazon can be read on any mobile device, compared to iBook downloads that will only be available on iPad.

The writer admits that he does not believe that the long term prospects of the Kindle are all that great, and expects major discounts soon. However, he believes that the paradigm has shifted and that Amazon must launch a full-color, full-media, touch device.

A fully featured device from Amazon could compete with the iPad, he asserts, because it could present a comfortable and pleasant customer experience like Apple. Additionally, if the device could sync up with a DVR or had an over-the-air HD tuner, it could deliver video content in such a way that the iPad does not. Partnering with Google and their experience in cloud-based devices, productivity and OS could also be valuable; Sony is also mentioned as a potential partner, considering their experience with electronics.

Rockstar Guns For Ambitious Ad Campaign With Red Dead Redemption

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Rockstar has high expectations for Red Dead Redemption and is giving the game an ambitious marketing campaign to match. The company will not only be teaming up with companies like IGN, YouTube, Microsoft and LoveFilm to promote the game, but they will also be launching an ambitious theater campaign that will include downloadable game content in the foyer.

“This is our most ambitious game to date and our biggest UK release this year,” said Rockstar GM Neil Stephen to MCV. “We are spending a larger proportion of our TV budget pre-launch than we ever have before to ensure Red Dead Redemption is established as a massive triple-A title. For the first time as a company, we will be running an on-screen cinema advertising campaign. We think the cinematic nature of the game makes it a perfect fit for cinema and we will be executing a nationwide ad campaign targeting the audiences of Robin Hood, Iron Man 2 and Prince of Persia.”

“The game has garnered an incredibly positive reception from the gaming and lifestyle press with many outlets placing Red Dead Redemption as a possible game of the year contender,” added Stephen. “In terms of sales projections, we are aiming high and as such are focusing more attention on retail channels than ever before. Once the game is released we expect that word of mouth and our massive launch media campaign will propel the game to excellent sales. This leaves us with very high expectations for what we think is our next blockbuster gaming franchise.”

Source: IndustryGamers {link no longer active}

Disney’s Split/Second Trailer Burns Rubber

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The racing genre in video games can be quite competitive. There have been dozens of failed franchises, and only the best of the best really stand out, like Gran Turismo, Project Gotham, Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed and Burnout. Disney Interactive is hoping to grab that checkered flag with its upcoming racer Split/Second (shipping May 18), and with the right marketing we think the game will do just fine. This latest trailer does a great job in showcasing the Hollywood-style racing action, with high speeds, explosions and big air jumps. It also helps that the game is definitely a looker. Check out the video below, courtesy of GameTrailers.

{video link no longer active}

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Stephen Colbert Pimps iPad

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While product placement in video games can be a win-win, especially when it adds to the realism in a sports or racing game, getting your product airtime on a popular TV show is even better, especially when that show is The Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert rubbed in the fact that he has an iPad all throughout the show while holding the tablet device and playing with it. Apple must love getting that exposure in front of Colbert’s valuable demographic. Check out this clip below for example.

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Stephen Gets a Free iPad
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

Burger King Raids McDonald’s For McMuffin Recipe

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Ronald McDonald may be more instantly recognizable to the public, but in recent years Burger King has done a phenomenal job in raising its profile with its King mascot, who’s even been featured in his own video games. This time, in a new ad spot, the creepy-looking King raids McDonald’s headquarters just to snag the recipe for the fast food chain’s McMuffin sandwich. It’s definitely one of the more entertaining ad spots we’ve seen. Check it out below courtesy of Adweek.

Ayzenberg Honored At MI6 For Resident Evil 5, WET Campaigns

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The MI6 conference in San Francisco took place last Thursday and culminated in an awards show to honor the best achievements in video game marketing. According to IndustryGamers, {link no longer active} Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II stole the show with seven gold awards, including the Outstanding Overall Integrated Marketing Campaign award.

That said, Ayzenberg Group was well represented at the show too, taking home a Silver award for its great Resident Evil 5 campaign. Ayzenberg’s 5 Part Viral Flashback Video Series for Capcom’s latest survival-horror title won for “Outstanding TV or Theatrical Ad Campaign” (watch it here) {link no longer active}. Additionally, Ayzenberg’s Shot At Love video for WET (watch right here) {link no loner active} won a silver award for “Outstanding Promotional Trailer.”

“The winning work featured at this year s MI6 Awards showcased how game marketers are creatively leading while strategically adapting to the shifting media landscape,” said Jonathan Block-Verk, President and CEO of MI6.  “This community is driving the growth of the game industry by expanding the reach and definition of gaming, while continuing to appeal to the traditional gaming audience.”