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John Tantillo's Brand Winner... And Loser: TBS and Conan O'Brien and The Tea Party
Posted by The Marketing Doctor at 4/20/2010 11:25 PM 
Categories: Marketing, Branding
Tags: Tea Party Conan O'Brien Target Market NBC 18-34 marketing plan John Tantillo Tonight Show marketing strategy politics CBS/NYT branding abortion marketing TBS late night cable Times/CBS demographic Republicans Palin gun rights
Categories: Marketing, Branding
Tags: Tea Party Conan O'Brien Target Market NBC 18-34 marketing plan John Tantillo Tonight Show marketing strategy politics CBS/NYT branding abortion marketing TBS late night cable Times/CBS demographic Republicans Palin gun rights
| Brand Winner... | And Loser... |
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John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week:
Winner: TBS and Conan O'Brien
Loser: The Tea Party
This week it’s entertainment and politics —both need and demand consistent, intelligent branding.
The Winner
Conan O’Brien has done it again.
Instead of going for the obvious media play (i.e., a Tonight Show-like placement on a major network), he has reached a deal with TBS.
Basic cable? A bad idea?
Fuggedaboutit. Conan’s thinking about marketing. He’s thinking about his brand. And perhaps most importantly, he’s being a visionary who understands that the glory days of television are past and that we will increasingly be living in the world where performers must seek out, satisfy and then retain their Target Markets.
This is exactly what O’Brien’s move to TBS is all about.
O’Brien delivers a young demographic —a demographic who didn’t show up the way NBC has hoped when the talk show host migrated to the Tonight Show slot.
TBS is among the top cable channels, measured by the total number of viewers, but it is the definitive number one when it comes to 18-34 year-old viewers. 18-34 is O’Brien’s Target Market. Bottom line: this is a perfect marketing match. Not only is TBS a perfect match, but according to the president of Turner Entertainment Networks, late night television is prime time viewing for this age group.
Some people might be surprised that O’Brien didn’t decide to do a web-only format or some kind of new TV/Internet hybrid. But, fact is, even though we see the future, we’re not there yet, and cable (and even network) TV still has some room to run. Besides, O’Brien is reportedly making about the same with the TBS deal as he did at NBC —and the web still remains open to him.
What we’re seeing is someone who understands that marketing begins and ends with satisfying your audience, and he’s defied convention to do this. Stay tuned.
The Loser
Just a year or so after the Tea Party movement began, many people are proclaiming it a permanent player on America’s political stage.
I for one admit to being a little surprised by its durability, but my basic assessment of the movement stands: if the Tea Party movement cannot convert its fervor into a marketing strategy with centralized discipline and structure, then the movement is doomed.
A recent series of polls has only muddied the waters. Who are the Tea Partiers? Well, besides being mostly white and middle class, they are everyone. By this I mean that with the exception of their unity on government spending and size of government, Tea Partiers hold a wide range of conflicting beliefs and opinions. According to the Times/CBS poll, 57 percent support gay marriage and/or civil unions, and almost two-thirds favor access to abortion. But at least they’re 100% in favor of gun freedom? Nope. Two-thirds support some restrictions on guns.
Tea Party energy and diversity is a great testament to our country’s love of freedom and individuality, but as for its potential to serve as the base of a political movement, it’s a losing proposition.
Why?
Unlike those who want to marginalize the Tea Party movement, I believe that what the Tea Party movement really represents is us, the American electorate. And that’s the problem. Beyond the big rallies against government spending and the buzz, there isn’t enough consistency to create either a) a compelling political platform, or b) a dependable voting bloc. For example, Sarah Palin is one of the brightest stars in today’s political firmament, but what happens if she chooses to emphasize her pro-life credentials while de-emphasizing her small government ones? Bottom line: a conflict happens. After all, the poll numbers are probably indicating that many of the people who want the government to stay out of their financial lives also want the government to stay out of their moral lives. By the way —that CBS/NYT poll offers some support: the majority of Tea Partiers believe that Palin will not have the ability to be an effective leader (47%).
It’s impossible to predict where the Tea Party will go from here. No one can predict what history will throw at us next. But one thing remains clear: it is very unlikely that the Tea Party movement is sustainable, because it is unlikely that it will ever be able to put together a marketing plan that works.
Much more likely is this: at this very moment, the smartest Republican politicians are taking notes and starting to shape their own strategies around what they’re learning. These strategies will have to play down the “values” and culture war issues and play up the pocket book issues and the question of curbing unnecessary government growth.
One thing these strategies shouldn’t do, however, is treat the Tea Party as a single, unified group or focus on its most outspoken margins. Instead of getting caught up in the hype and the extremes, the smart conservative politician will remember that there are millions and millions of voters —many of whom might even attend a Tea Party rally or two— who are moderate when they enter the voting booth and choose a leader. The smart American politician never markets to the extremes.
And, remember, things are always easier when you keep marketing and branding in mind.
Loser: The Tea Party
This week it’s entertainment and politics —both need and demand consistent, intelligent branding.
The Winner
Conan O’Brien has done it again.
Instead of going for the obvious media play (i.e., a Tonight Show-like placement on a major network), he has reached a deal with TBS.
Basic cable? A bad idea?
Fuggedaboutit. Conan’s thinking about marketing. He’s thinking about his brand. And perhaps most importantly, he’s being a visionary who understands that the glory days of television are past and that we will increasingly be living in the world where performers must seek out, satisfy and then retain their Target Markets.
This is exactly what O’Brien’s move to TBS is all about.
O’Brien delivers a young demographic —a demographic who didn’t show up the way NBC has hoped when the talk show host migrated to the Tonight Show slot.
TBS is among the top cable channels, measured by the total number of viewers, but it is the definitive number one when it comes to 18-34 year-old viewers. 18-34 is O’Brien’s Target Market. Bottom line: this is a perfect marketing match. Not only is TBS a perfect match, but according to the president of Turner Entertainment Networks, late night television is prime time viewing for this age group.
Some people might be surprised that O’Brien didn’t decide to do a web-only format or some kind of new TV/Internet hybrid. But, fact is, even though we see the future, we’re not there yet, and cable (and even network) TV still has some room to run. Besides, O’Brien is reportedly making about the same with the TBS deal as he did at NBC —and the web still remains open to him.
What we’re seeing is someone who understands that marketing begins and ends with satisfying your audience, and he’s defied convention to do this. Stay tuned.
The Loser
Just a year or so after the Tea Party movement began, many people are proclaiming it a permanent player on America’s political stage.
I for one admit to being a little surprised by its durability, but my basic assessment of the movement stands: if the Tea Party movement cannot convert its fervor into a marketing strategy with centralized discipline and structure, then the movement is doomed.
A recent series of polls has only muddied the waters. Who are the Tea Partiers? Well, besides being mostly white and middle class, they are everyone. By this I mean that with the exception of their unity on government spending and size of government, Tea Partiers hold a wide range of conflicting beliefs and opinions. According to the Times/CBS poll, 57 percent support gay marriage and/or civil unions, and almost two-thirds favor access to abortion. But at least they’re 100% in favor of gun freedom? Nope. Two-thirds support some restrictions on guns.
Tea Party energy and diversity is a great testament to our country’s love of freedom and individuality, but as for its potential to serve as the base of a political movement, it’s a losing proposition.
Why?
Unlike those who want to marginalize the Tea Party movement, I believe that what the Tea Party movement really represents is us, the American electorate. And that’s the problem. Beyond the big rallies against government spending and the buzz, there isn’t enough consistency to create either a) a compelling political platform, or b) a dependable voting bloc. For example, Sarah Palin is one of the brightest stars in today’s political firmament, but what happens if she chooses to emphasize her pro-life credentials while de-emphasizing her small government ones? Bottom line: a conflict happens. After all, the poll numbers are probably indicating that many of the people who want the government to stay out of their financial lives also want the government to stay out of their moral lives. By the way —that CBS/NYT poll offers some support: the majority of Tea Partiers believe that Palin will not have the ability to be an effective leader (47%).
It’s impossible to predict where the Tea Party will go from here. No one can predict what history will throw at us next. But one thing remains clear: it is very unlikely that the Tea Party movement is sustainable, because it is unlikely that it will ever be able to put together a marketing plan that works.
Much more likely is this: at this very moment, the smartest Republican politicians are taking notes and starting to shape their own strategies around what they’re learning. These strategies will have to play down the “values” and culture war issues and play up the pocket book issues and the question of curbing unnecessary government growth.
One thing these strategies shouldn’t do, however, is treat the Tea Party as a single, unified group or focus on its most outspoken margins. Instead of getting caught up in the hype and the extremes, the smart conservative politician will remember that there are millions and millions of voters —many of whom might even attend a Tea Party rally or two— who are moderate when they enter the voting booth and choose a leader. The smart American politician never markets to the extremes.
And, remember, things are always easier when you keep marketing and branding in mind.
TODAY'S TANTILLO TAKEAWAY -
Energy is great for marketing, but without a marketing plan, it is just the noise before failure.
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