I know…that’s a pretty bold headline. I realize it may be wishful thinking, but after what I witnessed, hopefully we’re not that far off from seeing it happen.
Target Shows The Future Of Commercials
Did you watch the 2015 Grammys? In my opinion, it was quite boring. Losts of pomp, not much circumstance.
What was noteworthy was the activation that Target deployed. Instead of the typical commercial, Target went way out of the box. They took one of music’s biggest acts and simply broadcast their performance…LIVE!!!
As a part of their #MoreMusic campaign, Target arranged to show the Imagine Dragons performing in concert, from Las Vegas. The “commercial” was the live performance.
The entire “show” was staged to take place in front of an extremely targeted and relevant audience, at a time that was at the epitome of opportunity. It was content marketing, real time marketing, social TV, and native advertising…all at the same time!
Target didn’t spend time coming up with the perfect witty tweet. They weren’t polluting our timelines with one-liners attempting to become a part of the “conversation”…they weren’t seeking to be in the pool of Grammy night engagement. Rather they CREATED the conversation. That’s social media at its best.
4 minutes and 5 seconds…not a 30 second spot…no this was content that we didn’t change the channel from.
In case you didn’t know, this is the first time something like this has ever been done.
“We had this idea that was very bold and very simple, too. What do fans want when they’re watching the music awards? More music performances.” (William White, VP-marketing at Target)
There’s a novel approach to marketing. Giving people what they want. I’m sure this “innovative breakthrough” will be lauded in the trade mags and sites. But why? There is NOTHING innovative here at all. It should be marketing 101.
Why is it so hard for most marketers to understand these days that giving people what they want should be a foundational tenet of ALL advertising?
Why is it so hard for advertisers to grasp the concept of providing audiences with value? Value gets you noticed and endeared. Here’s hoping that a lot of brands and their agencies now begin to let that novel idea set in.
By the way, I understand that the peeps at Deutsch LA put this together. You guys deserve some serious props! Hopefully you just broke new ground in how brands will market their products.
Here’s what some people had to say about it on Twitter.
Safe to say this live @ImagineDragons show is the most fun commercial break ever! #MoreMusic #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/H652NLn56N
— Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
Shaking things up with a concert/commercial by @Imaginedragons Nice move @Target #MoreMusic #GRAMMYs
— Havas (@havas) February 9, 2015
This @Target #GRAMMYs @Imaginedragons #moremusic interstitial is pretty much the TV version of native advertising. interesting.
— Randall Lane (@RandallLane) February 9, 2015
i think every commercial break should be a live musical performance. forever and always. #GRAMMYs #MoreMusic
— Josh Ridley (@thejoshridley) February 9, 2015
Awesome show!! ❤️ @Imaginedragons #MoreMusic @Target #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/HUi9jxQDpv
— iJustine+ (@ijustine) February 9, 2015
SO PROUD of @Target @Imaginedragons #bts #commercial #MoreMusic #timelapse http://t.co/760p7IO9fK
— Nora Frost (@NoraFrost) February 9, 2015
Genius, Target! All content competes w/all content. Don't make ads. Make #MoreMusic
— scotthess (@scotthess) February 9, 2015
. @Imaginedragons is in Vegas performing "Shots" #Grammys #MoreMusic
— CNN Entertainment (@CNNent) February 9, 2015
Loving the Imagine Dragons cut-in. Thanks @Target #MoreMusic #GRAMMYs
— NBC Charlotte (@wcnc) February 9, 2015
