How do you keep millions of TV viewers tuned in when the show they want is between series and cut marketing spend when it launches again? Aussie firm The Project Factory has the answer and has been tasked by the makers of Sherlock with delivering the same kind of audience growth – a cool 25% - as it has done for Reg Grundy's The Restless Years in the Netherlands.
Guy Gadney predicted the rise of “transmedia” production - that is, creating bespoke content for specific channels - four years ago. Today it may seem obvious, but it was a sage call at the time and now it's paying off.
In the Netherlands, the company launched an app for the Grundy show two years ago, backed by Coca-Cola, Samsung and Subway. The show had become “an institution,” says Gadney, “but audiences had plateaued”. Pushed out in the summer void between series, it kept audiences tuned in on their mobile phones, and when the next series launched, audiences increased from 1.5 million viewers to 1.8 million. The next series also rose by 25%.
Now the firm is doing the same thing for Sherlock. Series three was the most watched UK TV drama since 2001. Bettering that could be a big ask. But Gadney's confident it can not only be done, but monetised – and that it can reduce TV and studio marketing costs.
Find out how in the latest issue of AdNews. Out now in print and iPad. You'll also find out what marketers, media agencies and some of Australia's biggest companies are planning to do with data. That's our special report.
Weighing in on who's doing what, what works, and what is bullshit are: Qantas's Steph Tulley, Quantium's Tony Davis, Bohemia's James Collier, OMG's Leigh Terry, Turn's Ben Chamlet, Torque's Oliver Rees, Switch Digital's Lee Stephens, Yahoo7's Paul Sigaloff, Rocket's Fuel's JJ Eastwood, Xpand's Dan Sheppard, ADMA's Jodie Sangster and a mystery automaker CMO. He would have got away with it too if it hadn't been for those pesky kids.
Speaking of media agencies, the chiefs are planning to weed out rogues within the ranks of the Media Federation of Australia and unite in the face of new competition eyeing their lunch. Paul McIntyre spoke with IPG Mediabrands honcho Henry Tajer, OMD boss Peter Horgan, and his boss Leigh Terry, MEC chief Peter Vogel, Mindshare CEO Katie Rigg-Smith, Match founder John Preston and MFA leader Sophie Madden.
See what they had to say by paying less than a fistful of dollars for the thing. Subscribe in print and iPad if you're an urbane cross platform content consumer. Adding a triple play to that package, we've partnered with Bauer's Viewa app. If you download that app and hover over the page you can watch Horgan and Tajer debate the enemies within: agency rogues and procurement.
Meanwhile top creatives are invited to scoff at the notion that the consumer is in charge. Some accept the invitation. See what Jim Elliot, top creative at Y&R New York, Julian Watt, ECD at Host Sydney, Damien Hughes, digital strategy director at The Works, David Angelo, founder at LA-based David&Goliath, Paul Reardon ECD at Whybin TBWA Melbourne, Saatchi & Saatchi NZ's Corey Chalmers and Guy Roberts and R/GA Sydney ECD Gavin McLeod all had to say on the matter.
Elsewhere Puma's top cat Jon Yarnall talks to Rosie Baker about a major marketing push to get the brand back on its feet.
Accenture Interactive tells Paul McIntyre about its services design company, Fjord, and what it will bring to Australia when it launches this year. Presumably that's services and design, but read it to make sure.
In a coincidence masquerading as editorial planning, John Steedman speaks out on what he'd do if he were a client. On the same spread, Andy Lark says what marketers need to do with their agencies.
At the back, Cummins&Partners' Alex Waldelton and his genius progeny Roarke put jingles to the test.
There's also news on which big creative agencies might be next out of the full service ranks, MCN's programmatic push, Facebook's video ads and how long tail luxury is booming for magazines.
Final call: Subscribe here, iPad here.
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