Oscarcast Post-Mortem

[Posted by David Card]

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The Nielsen overnights suggest that this year's Oscar telecast beat last year's all-time low. It's no Super Bowl, but the Academy Awards are still a big hit. I was worried ratings would suffer due to a lack of buzz-worthy -- ah, what the heck, I'll say it -- actually popular movies among the top contenders. While the all-time best rated Oscarcast coincided with the modern era's box-office champ's big day -- Titanic in 1997 -- it turns out there's no consistent trend linking big movies and big shows.

Like me, ABC and the Academy was also nervous, and they tweaked the show's format a bit. The critical reaction is mixed. The show still ran too long and its pacing moved in fits and starts, but I thought Hugh Jackman's Broadway via Hollywood act worked okay, and the raw star wattage of five previous winners presenting the acting awards was very compelling. Billy Crystal was the host back in 1997, and comics that skewed young have only done fair-to-middling with TV audiences, and have been murdered by critics.

Ads were discounted a bit, and the Academy allowed a few movie ads for the first time. But a lot of the usual suspects stayed away, leaving JC Penney, Hyundai, Coke, and ABC house ads to dominate. Hyundai's combination of "hey, we win awards and have luxury models" alongside its aggressive recession-protection Assurance Plus offer still feels just a little awkward to me, but they hammered the message home. I liked the Coke in Italy spot -- a classic, with a hint of movie homage -- and JC Penney appeared bright and cheerful. And there was at least one Bank of America spot that felt a bit risky but delivered a "we'll get through this together" sentiment.

Oh, and I won the Card family pool. I got 18 of 24 picks, the best I've ever done. I was swinging for the fences with Mickey Rourke, and I shoulda remembered Pixar never gets the short. And what's up with Foreign Language? I had Waltz with Bashir and thought I might miss out to The Class. But a Japanese heart-tugging comedy? My real faves.

Some Forrester recession marketing research reports.

"Oscar, Oscar, Oscar"

[Posted by David Card]

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OK. My Oscar picks are in. I'm going with a combo "Slumdog sweep" plus "conventional wisdom" strategy this year. It was that kind of year. I'm not going to jinx myself by listing my picks till I can crow about my inevitable victory in the Card Family Oscar Pool. But here are the movies I really thought were the best of 2008, a fairly lousy year:

• The Dark Knight. Post 9/11 superhero movie. Sadly, this is what the 21st century feels like. If Chris Nolan could only direct fight scenes, DK might have made my all-time list.
• Wall-E. Pixar's best since Toy Story. First half justifies the existence of CGI. Loses a point for preachiness.

big gap

• Rachel Getting Married. Altmanesque chick flick that feels all too real.
• Miracle at St. Anna. It's kind of a mess, but it's an ambitious, sentimental, polemical, fabulous mess.
• Cloverfield. A gimmick, but a fun one that doesn't succumb to irony.
• Speed Racer. Sure it's silly and a little incoherent. But it looks like nothing you've ever seen before.
• Iron Man. Fun.
• The Bank Job. Tight, twisty, old-school caper flick.

Couldn't even get to ten. Other than Frost/Nixon, which I'll probably see this weekend, I liked but didn't love all of the Best Picture noms. Say 2.5 to 3 stars each, with Benjamin Button the most lasting. I swear, I'm not usually such a nerd.  And for once, my two faves were also boffo at the box office. Bats and Wall-E are both fantasies, but at absolute polar opposite ends of the spectrum, and the combination amazingly captures the despair/hope zeitgeist of 2008.

What's your recipe for integration?

[Posted by Mary Beth Kemp]

Our panel of marketing leaders told us they work with, on average, 16 different agencies - ranging from traditional advertising and media shops, direct marketing and database specialists, digital, PR and events agencies and so on. 

Now, my mom used to say “too many cooks spoil the soup” (no doubt because it was quieter in the kitchen without us all there).  So, I’d translate that into marketing speak by: it sure is challenging to end up with a consistent, coherent and compelling experience for consumers from all these different players.  We’ve all heard the stories of missed opportunities - the search campaign that wasn’t when the TV flight sent millions running to the web for more information; the customers who pan a company’s service during a ‘customer-first’ messaged acquisition campaign…

My mom’s right - Integrated marketing often is a feat, much like coordinating a dinner in a well-staffed, four-star restaurant.   And it no doubt takes specialists and professional ways of working, just like in that restaurant.  But do we, as an industry, really acknowledge that?

I’m currently working on a report about working well with multiple agencies to deliver integrated marketing.  I’m collecting insights and best practices from both clients and agencies. Worse practices are great too! 

If you’d like to sound off on the subject, drop me an email, or comment here. 

Which marketers seem to get integration and which ones have proven themselves lacking?  Why?  And what should agencies and marketers do to make integration more possible among all those cooks? 

Keeping Score, Big Four Q4 Online Ad Revenues

[Posted by David Card]

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For those keeping score, calendar Q4 advertising revenues looked like this for the Big Four online players:

• Google - up 18%. Own sites up 22%
• Yahoo - flat. Own sites up 3%. Replaced its CEO.
• Microsoft - up 7%. New online head.
• AOL - down 18%. Replaced its head ad exec.

Sooperbowlin' 2009 XXVII

[Posted by David Card]

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Who cares about the ads? GoDaddy still promising porn.

Awww that wasn't a fumble. Warner's Hall of Fame slot may have slipped thru his fingers. But a great, great game.

Sooperbowlin' 2009 XXVI

[Posted by David Card]

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OK, it's now another officially great game. Two in a row?

Sooperbowlin' 2009 XXV

[Posted by David Card]

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Cute GE wind spot. McGruber - does anyone actually remember that routine? let alone the original show? - is sponsored by Pepsi. Wotta surprise.

Madden: "This is big; this is big." No duh. Under three minutes and 4 points. 'zona scores!

Sooperbowlin' 2009 XXIV

[Posted by David Card]

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Hulu, like TV, doesn't rot your brain, it only softens it like a ripe banana. What are you going to do, turn off your TV and your computer? Alec Baldwin + Hulu + NBC = best ad so far.

Sooperbowlin' 2009 XXIII

[Posted by David Card]

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Vizio ad has no visuals whatsoever. But mentions stimulus package. I'm torn. GE 'smart grid" with scarecrow CGI. Hmmm. Not sold.

Warner getting slaughtered but quick release and Larry Fitzgerald come thru.

Sooperbowlin' 2009 XXII

[Posted by David Card]

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Hyundai runs its "buy our car and we'll take it back if you lose your job" ad. Dumb Coke Zero parody of the classic Mean Joe Green spot. Boy, there seem to be a lot of NBC house ads.

Cards going no-huddle and driving. Gotta pay attention.