Best use of online media

January 23, 2009 | Written by

Last week, finalists were announced for the 2009 PR Week awards. Ruder Finn makes an appearance this year in two categories. The first, I’m proud to say, is a campaign I had the honor of working on: Ruder Finn and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Celebrating the Spirit (up for Arts, Entertainment & Media Campaign of the Year). There’s a great sample of a placement we got on CBS Evening news here.

More relevant to Left Brain’s focus on digital business trends, Ruder Finn is also up for the Best Use of Online Media award with: Ruder Finn and TiVo: Beyond the Usual Suspects: How TiVo Leveraged a YouTube Launch with Equal Parts Frugality, Street Cred, and Mind-Numbing Speed.

The gist is that the name "TiVo" has become synonymous with "DVR," endagering brand differentiation for TiVo. They were looking to once again set themselves apart by promoting TiVo’s ability to include YouTube.

The PR campaign focused on working with YouTube celebrity Corey "Mr. Safety" Williams to integrate TiVo unobtrusively into this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKRX5Z68sZk#

The concept reminds me of TV product placement, but is much more compelling than traditional placements like those spoofed in Wayne’s World. If done correctly, online placements can be much more effective because it seems to me that Internet audiences tend to be much less impacted by standard advertising than traditional TV audiences are.

The risk associated with a placement, however, is decidedly greater online, where personal reputations are built over long periods of time, are closely guarded, and highly reliant on relevancy and authenticity.

The Ruder Finn TiVo team worked hard to ensure that the placement would be integrated into the video, and campaign was extremely successful in terms of impressions, tone of response, and impact on a limited budget. Fingers crossed!

There’s also a great case study of our work with TiVo HD and Rhapsody located here.