Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Pretended, Recommended, Offended, Suspended, Contended, Amended

Well, this is splendid.

I recently wrote about the Mad Men craze that had taken over Twitter. Characters from the hit television program sprang to life on the chattiest of social networks - including Don Draper, Peggy Olson, Roger Sterling, Bert Cooper, Paul Kinsey, Pete Campbell, Bud Melman, Bobbie Barrett, Sal Romano and Joan Holloway.

But as of about 2:00 p.m. EDT this afternoon, the jig was up. Evidently, AMC marketers discovered that their show had been brandjacked, and they quickly put an end to the fun, citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMAC).

Given a recent high-profile Twitterjacking of a brand, it's not surprising that Twitter and AMC would have this reaction. But AMC should have been prepared for the backlash that the account suspension created. These are characters that inspired a cult following on Twitter - in some cases, garnering nearly 1,000 followers in nearly a week of twittering; and they're featured in one of the most critically acclaimed television shows of all time.

But this is where it gets interesting. By about 6:45 p.m. EDT, AMC's agency, Deep Focus, convinced them that they should be playing along, and the accounts were reinstated. Evidently, the advice that the hip agency gave their client was that it's "better to embrace the community than negate their efforts."

I suppose it raises a valid concern. In this day and age when we're seeing more opportunities for brand ambassadorship, both sponsored and consumer-generated, when should it be embraced and when should it be shunned? If fans are being faithful to the brand and encouraging interest in the brand, clearly the brand is benefitting from the increased attention and interplay.

But it's got to be incredibly unnerving for brand managers and marketing managers watch this happen. At any point, a fan with less than enough restraint might do something "off-brand" and jeopardize how people think of the company or its products. And then there's a problem.

Which is why savvy marketers should be on the cutting edge of social media. If AMC had the foresight with which I had credited them, they would have been the ones who established these accounts. But the fact that their fans did so on their behalf shows how dedicated the fans are. To quash the effort just as it was getting off the ground was foolhardy.

What do you think? Did AMC make a big mistake (or two)? When should a brand be concerned with brandjacking and when should it embrace passionate fans? Is there necessarily a fine line, or is it a gray area?

Labels: Mad Men, strategy, Twitter

Posted by Scott Monty at 10:34 PM

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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Mad Men Gets All 2.0

I've been a fan of Mad Men since the series premiered. The production values are amazing and the story lines are gripping, with some very complex characters. And I wrote about the unique advertising model that the show used, essentially making the ads relevant on a show about advertising in this day and age when we can skip right by commercials.

Back then, the show's blog was already in full swing; now it's even more so, with show highlights, previews and interaction with the various commenters. The categories that the authors are selecting fit right in with the show as well: 1960s Handbook helps we modernistas understand what life in the Kennedy era was like; Fashion File is a testament to both the cool styles of the early 'Sixties and the difficult and detailed work that the fashion designers perform for each episode.

There's also a very active forum, Mad Men Talk and a contest: the best impression of a character (by popular acclaim) wins a walk-on role on the show. And naturally, there's the long-standing Facebook group.

But now it looks like the show's marketing team has stepped up the game again by really jumping into the social media space. Mad Men - this show with such rich characters - is now on Twitter. Specifically, you'll find the following characters there, tweeting with each other and with you, if you "@" them:

Update (8/25/08): Also added to the roster are:

Their profiles link to www.sterlingcooperadvertising.com, which is a mirror for the show's site at www.amctv.com/originals/madmen.

To the marketing geniuses behind Mad Men, I say, "Well done!"

Labels: blogging, fun, Mad Men, Twitter

Posted by Scott Monty at 3:09 PM

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Monday, September 17, 2007

Truly, Madly, Deeply

When I first heard about AMC's series Mad Men, I was going to pass. I thought, "Uh oh. Here's a chance for a network to unleash all that's unholy on the industry that it already forces to bend over and take it in the upfronts every year."

I've seen Hollywood try to recreate the Madison Avenue scene before - from Darrin Stevens on Bewitched to Bruce Willis' role in Perfect Stranger, the ad man goes from bumbling to evil. And somehow, the TV and movie industry doesn't understand the divide between creatives and account executives.

So it was with great trepidation that I programmed the DVR for Mad Men. But I was pleasantly surprised, for a number of reasons.

First off, it's fair to say that the production value is top-notch. The wardrobe, props, setting, etc. are all genuine, so that it really feels like you're looking through a window to 1960. Even the title sequence is vintage 1950s-60s, echoing a homier yet hipper time. While the smoking may be overdone, the habit of drinking in the office leaves me feeling a little nostalgic...

And the writing - from a former Sopranos executive producer - is stellar. There's lots going on underneath the shiny surface of this period piece, and you can tell it's going to get pretty dark.

So much for the nuts and bolts of the production. Let's move on to advertising and social media and how those come in to play.

As I began to fast-forward through my recorded episode 30 seconds at a time, I noticed an interesting feature. Done in the same font and style of the title sequence, there are little 10-second facts and trivia about many of the advertisers for the show. Things like:

Jack Daniels took the meaning of 'Old No. 7' to the grave
More dollars are spent on drug advertising than soda advertising
Bud Light debuted nationally in: 1982

And then they throw in some industry wisdom such as:

"The enemies of advertising are the enemies of freedom" - David Olgivy
"I'll put the accuracy of the average ad in this country up against the accuracy of the average news story any time" - Jef I. Richards
"An advertising agency is 85% confusion and 15% commission" - Fred Allen

Let me tell you, as someone who typically tries to avoid the 30-second spot in my TV viewing, this innovative approach is really getting me to stop. I may or may not watch the ads after the trivia, but I'm more likely to, just to see how they're following it up.

I'm also impressed with the interactive / social media components on the show's web site. Clearly, they're looking to make themselves part of their viewers' everyday lives, with the likes of typical downloads such as wallpapers and screensavers. But they go one farther with offering instant messaging icons.

And while many shows feature a discussion board or community forum, Man Men has decided to build its community via...a blog. There's typically a summary of each show, as well as announcements or interviews, and the commenting started out slowly. But the last two posts about the episodes garnered 300-400 comments each, as of this posting.

I'm looking forward to the story arc and to seeing more of a glimpse into the past of the storied Madison Avenue game. Just call me a mad man.

Labels: Advertising, blogs, Mad Men, social media

Posted by Scott Monty at 12:10 AM

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