I know Wendy at WBZ will probably read this - so I'll keep the gushing down to a low roar.
I said it months ago - Wendy and her team are reinventing news promotion in my book. Gone are the days of generic spots that babble on about choppers and preparing and protecting you. These spots have heart. They have impact. They have a sense of humor. They respect the viewers. Love or hate some of the approaches of their promos - the recent spots from WBZ command attention and create buzz. They are simply not just promos - they are advertising.
For those that do not know - WBZ management is made up of 3 people who did wonders at WCCO first. The GM, news director and creative services director work very well together and the trust that has developed allows for some amazing work. I think that kind of teamwork is key to success.
Wendy sent along this spot and the accompanying website of their newest campaign:
declareyourcuriosity.com
I love the tone and charm of the spots. What a great way to say "We report on the stories that impact your life" without saying those overused cliche words?? The blog invites viewers to share their stories and concerns. But not in the "We are the news. We are better than you" way that most stations do promotion.
And lastly, before I go and set up my fan club...lol... if you are "curious" how WBZ is doing with this new, respectful approach to news and promotion?
Check out the May book. For the first time in 15 years(123 straight books) - WBZ was #1 at 11 in all demos. From 4th to 1st... in a year.
Now do they have your attention?
9 comments:
This is great! But why not upload the entire campaign on YouTube? Shouldn't stations use this "new" medium as another (FREE) avenue?
I agree. This is something you'd expect to see from a national ad company promoting phones, drinks or cars. This is not a typical news image promo, yet it delivers the same message as a typical news promo does. Very well done. I like how they tied in the "cross" which was used on the bagpipe spot. You can add me to the fan club list.
I only wish Wendy could send along the promos they did for the Boston Marathon the past two years. Great stuff playing on the "we're covering the race every step of the way" idea. I work out in Springfield and consider myself fortunate to be able to catch WBZ on cable out here still just to see the great promos the station puts out!
You see one of their spots, and like the old song says, everyone knows it's Wendy. I want to know what they do to capture the local flavor so well, and tap into things that seem to resonate so acutely with their viewers. It's like she's lived there all her life, but I know she hasn't. Is it research? What company do they use, and what questions are they asking? Because all our research ever led to was "Brag about your chopper, your doppler, your 24 hour cable channel..."
My guess is that a truly unique marketing plan and subsequent strategy was actually the hard part, and if you can get that done, amazing creative like this is pretty easy.
And while WCCO's spots are still different and fresh, I'd argue that they don't have the soul they did two years ago when Wendy was there. I love Wendy. Don't tell my wife.
Wendy and her team are the very very best at this in the country.. hands down.
The key is very evident, this is ADVERTISING! It's selling news as another product against the cacophony of choices that consumers have today.
Well done guys, another home run.
In a DVD that I created to help news and marketing drive viewers to the news, Creating a Thirst for News, the main premise is that local TV news viewers are naturally curious. I just wish I’d taken that idea a step further and created some news image spots like this.
Wendy, way to go! Local TV news promos are all so the same. You've taken the central element to why people watch local TV news and made some creative that speaks to them.
Can I borrow those cue cards for my shoot?
Paul Greeley
paul.greeley@news9.net
Hi Wendy! Great stuff.
Oh, and I'm biased...but I think 'CCO's still doing some great things, and it's exciting to be a part of it all.
Fantastic spot that works on so many levels.! It's excellent online-broadcast integration.
I'm curious as to what phase 2 of the campaign is or would be. Perhaps some sort of stylized POP showing how viewers' curiosity queries were answered?
They're running what could be "phase 2" right now, with questions directly inside of :05 and :10 spots, simple graphics, styleized text and no voiceover. As for answering questions, they appear to be leaving that to the website.
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