Contemporary Marketing 16th Edition by Louis Boone,David Kurtz

Exercise 12

Generating Buzz
Scripps Networks Interactive's brands-Food Network, Cooking Channel, HGTV, DIY Network, Travel Channel, and Great American Country (GAC)-are founded on lifestyles that promote exploration, imagination, and passion within the confines of everyday life as well as the broad spectrum of adventure and global influence. The company's marketing communications strategy is a natural extension of this kind of lifestyle programming. "It's talking to people about the right things at the right times, in the right places," says Jonah Spegman, director of digital media and database marketing for Scripps Networks Interactive.
Marketers at Scripps engage in integrated marketing communications (IMC) not only within each branded television network but also across most of its programming. "A lot of our networks play in the same spaces; women age 25 to 54 is a common target audience across most of our networks," notes Spegman. Many of Scripps' cross-promotional efforts have a lot of touch points for the same audiences; it's a natural fit. For example, a single commercial might involve HGTV's speaking to the Food Network audience about an upcoming Design Star episode that features celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis.
While traditional TV advertising conjures up the 30-second spot with a catchy jingle, advertising at Food Network is much more complex and interactive. Because the audience is so connected to the content of its shows, advertisers actually look to Scripps for ideas and resources that they can use. "Advertisers are very sophisticated now," observes Traci Topham, senior vice president of interactive ad sales marketing at Scripps. Advertisers approach Scripps looking to integrate with the Scripps social media space. Topham and others develop ideas that their advertising clients may run on the Food Network website or across their own mobile platforms. For example, food manufacturer Kraft might develop recipes with Food Network that consumers can access from their mobile devices.
"We're programming and selling advertising to all the screens," Topham continues. Recipes from a single episode of Chopped or Iron Chef may be driven to an advertiser's website or Food Network's site, where consumers can access them to try on their own. Nonfood advertisers participate as well. If Lexus wants to advertise its RX Hybrid on an episode of Restaurant: Impossible, Food Network may integrate the car into the show by having host Robert Irvine drive it-then stream that footage online at the Food Network site where Lexus ads are being shown.
Sponsors and other advertisers also want to tie Food Network talent to their own Facebook pages with celebrity testimonials. Some even develop recipes in conjunction with Food Network to post on their Facebook pages. Scripps and Food Network marketers don't see this as a competitive threat; instead they view it as co-marketing. "We try to do a 360," explains Sergei Kuharsky, senior vice president and general manager of licensing and merchandising. Food Network joins marketing assets with its partners-such as retailer Kohl's-to gain greater exposure and interaction with consumers. "Generally, in marketing you want that kind of crescendo," Kuharsky advises. He points out that one of the great advantages of being a media brand with a daily dialogue with an audience is that when the conversation focuses on a topic-such as a television show episode, a particular restaurant, or a competition-something positive happens.
Sales promotions are an important part of the Food Network promotional mix. "Promotions always have the opportunity to generate buzz and excitement around a show," says Rich Ma, manager of digital marketing for Food Network. "People love to win stuff." Ma explains that an effective sales promotion must go beyond a simple giveaway. Food Network's promotional goal is to engage viewers, so marketers tie their promotions to the TV experience. During the series Great Food Truck Race, Food Network marketers created an interactive promotion that allowed viewers to nominate their own local food trucks at the Food Network website, then vote for the "best" food truck in the country. The contest generated buzz for the show as well as for local food truck businesses. "That's the nature of social," says Ma. "When you have something that's hot, people start talking about it and you can add fuel to the fire by contributing to that conversation." It's also free advertising- for the network and the local businesses.
Social media is still very much in the growth stage of the product lifecycle, which means that corresponding promotional efforts are as well. Susie Fogelson, senior vice president for marketing, creative services, and public relations at Food Network, acknowledges that she has "far more questions than answers" about the most effective ways to leverage social media in an integrated marketing communications strategy. In fact, she encourages marketers to ask the most basic questions. "It's being willing to learn, explore, and be a little outside your comfort zone," Fogelson says.
Questions for Critical Thinking
1. If you were a Food Network marketer, how would you state the network's overall marketing message?
2. Describe the types of advertising appeals that you think would be most effective with Food Network viewers.
3. In what ways do Food Network and its advertisers benefit from cross-promotion?
4. How might Food Network marketers use sales promotion techniques to build loyalty among viewers?