Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 5:18PM The partnership between Walmart and P&G: The more things change--the more they stay the same.
It'll be a mini Indiana Jones event!
Who says the economic recession is bad for business--for some firms the current setting represents a perfect time to try something different--and likely make a profit as well. Two companies that see things that way are Wal-Mart and Proctor & Gamble. They are seeking to do something kind of unusual in the pursuit of making money--which would include to improve television programming [geared to families], pilot-test the feasibility of a new TV series, and support family values in the process.
Here's what's coming down. On April 16, these partners will sponsor a two-hour prime-time program that will air on NBC, Secrets of the Mountain. Here's a trailer that's meant to entice the identified audience to tune in:
The problem.
At first glance, what's seems so unusual is that we normally think of Wal-Mart and P&G as being "advertisers," not producers of television programming. They say, however, they're most interested in becoming sponsors of better, more family-friendly programming; executives in both firms point to 2009 research findings from the Association of National Advertisers that show that less than 1 in 4 American parents are satisfied with the amount of family programming on television today.
Indeed, they and many other major advertisers have complained about the content of TV shows; their objections are based on the reality that sponsors readily become linked in the minds of viewers with the content of programs--and risqué material of much of what passes for prime-time shows threatens their images and brand acceptance, to say nothing of the ineffectiveness of their commercials for failure to gain viewership when non-family friendly shows are run.
Why it makes sense for Wal-Mart and P&G.
"We're at a point where we really couldn't increase our advertising significantly from here unless we have more programming options," says Wal-Mart's chief marketing executive, Stephen Quinn. Speaking for other marketers, he goes on to say that they "really worry about the last 10% to 20% of the ads that they have to place, because they're squeamish about the reaction they might get from the audience."
What makes this decision so interesting from a marketing point of view...let's count the ways: It will
1. Directly speak to and addresses a perfect audience, one that heavily shops Wal-Mart as well as uses P&G products in relative bulk;
2. Strongly support Wal-Mart's emphasis on families, family activities [per their Family Activity Night campaign], and family entertainment;
3. Be a perfect way to get bargain rates--and perfect placement for their commercials--over a two hour period [and remember, to an ideal, attentive, sympathetic audience]--since they already will have paid for the programming; and
4. Provide a perfect, feel-good, calculated-to-resonate story back-drop to accompany the presentation of their commercial messages.
How clever on the part of Wal-Mart and P&G, you say? Maybe. But be very sure of one thing--this is not a new idea...to the contrary, it's a very old one. The roots of this strategy go back to the very early days of television when soap-operas were in their hey-day!
Pretty smart on the part of Wal-Mart and P&G? Maybe. Pretty tried and true, too!
Indeed, the younger incarnation of today's P&G [and its competitors as well] were among the early sponsors of programming paid for and produced by vendors who had consumer package goods merchandise to advertise, a specific audience to reach with repeated messaging, and a perfect opportunity to do so when television programming was...yes, you guessed it: scarce! Thus, they had to produce it themselves.
Even that's still the same: Wal-Mart and P&G are doing this because, they say, not enough prime-time programming exists--well, enough family-oriented programming that is. The more things change, the more they stay the same!
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Reader Comments (1)
they should have at least been carrying fancy new flashlights now available at WalMart for just 9.99!