Integrated Marketing Communications, Essay Example

Reality television is a growingly popular form of entertainment. There are more and more television shows that are surfacing, some finding success, others not-so-much. The purpose of this paper is to analyze two shows, American Idol and Top Gear, and determine the integrated marketing communications utilized. There are many different areas of marketing communications which will analyzed and discussed for a better understanding of consumer behavior. Understanding consumer behavior and its association with integrated marketing communication will provide a basis for which marketing on these shows have been successful or unsuccessful.

Show Information

American Idol in an American based television show that has expanded off into many different geographic locations. For the purpose of this paper, American Idol in America will analyzed. The commentary allows for the viewers to know exactly what the judges are thinking about the performances and areas where they need to improve. The show is hosted by Ryan Seacrest and he seems to be more involved than merely sticking to the commutation. The judges are Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick, Jr. There are commercials that play, many of which are focused on appearances such as skin, teeth, and new cars. I noticed that the show and commercials full-filled an ideal of what the ‘American Dream’ consists of.

Top Gear is an England based television show. The television show revolves around everything car. The host James May, Richard Hammond, and Jeremy Clarkson review not only new cars, but they race and do stunts and bloopers that will entertain an audience who are car enthusiast. It was very clear to see the commercials were geared towards more of the male viewers as the show has more of a male entertainment value. Top Gear does more than introduce the latest and greatest for car enthusiasts, but it also add comical value with stunts and activities that take place on the show. It is a show whose target market is primarily the male population, however it has features which can appeal to all viewers.

Visuals and Branding

American Idol is a Coke-a-Cola sponsored show. There is a large red Coke cups that sit on the judges table show an obvious branding for the sponsor. Coke it the most obvious brand associated with this show. The visuals are very vast, depending upon the genre that the singer is performing. There are lights, props, stools, instruments and many more visuals used to promote the performance. There is no obvious pattern for the music, however they select an artist or artists for the week and the artist chooses the song they want to perform. Top Gear, in contrast, has far more visuals and obvious brands. They have forty-five car brand sponsorships where the brand or logo is available for use on the show. The cars that sit in the audience also serves as a branding opportunity. The show is set up for all things car, all the way down to the host’s seats.

Branding Product Placement

In comparing and contrasting the two reality shows, Top Gear and American Idol, it is easy to conclude that Top gear does a far more extensive job at branding product placement. “Billions of dollars are spent to place speci?c branded products within entertainment media, but previous research provides little evidence that those expenditures in?uence adult consumer behavior. Work related to the in?uence on preteen was also limited. In questioning the in?uence of product placement on tweens, the present study underscores the complex dynamics of consumer socialization” (Toomey & Francis, 2013). American Idol has a few branding opportunities which they have capitalized upon, and has geared the product towards their viewers.

Repetitive Information

The repetitive information on American Idol is related to the advice the judges give the artists in their singing and performance critics. Neither show, American Idol or Top Gear, has a verbally repetitive marketing or advertising ploy.

Character Appeal

American Idol has gone through the judges, however the current judges on the show definitely appeal to all viewers because they are successful and established artist in the industry. Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick, Jr. represent ‘cool’ and established. “Generation Y’s understanding of ‘‘cool’’ is evidenced by the labels that they wear, activities they pursue and music that they like and the meaning that is bound into that consumption” (Ferguson, 2011).They are icons in today’s society. Millions of people have paid to see the in concert and have followed their careers. “Repeated exposure however does not equate with a deep and abiding relationship; the informants indicated that celebrities may operate on several levels ranging from early impressions — both positive and negative — to physical or social attraction that holds some potential for modeling or imitative behavior” (Alperstein, 1991). The celebrity status of the American Idol judges has aided in their character appeal for the show.

Top Gear host may not have had the celebrity status when they started, but they have built it. James May, Richard Hammond, and Jeremy Clarkson are appealing characters. “A college student’s description of an imaginary social relationship with Bill Cosby, who several informants have grown to admire over a long period of time, also exemplifies this predictability:

Bill Cosby is a fine example of the well-rounded celebrity. He possesses many attributes which he has applied to his career. The way in which he presents himself is unique because of the way he shares himself and his personality in everything he does” (Alperstein, 1991). The hosts of Top Gear have created an environment where they are now celebrities to their viewers. “As Herbig et al. (1993) note each generation seems to be more materialistic than the previous one, so forms of consumption are becoming increasingly important to each generation in their process of differentiating themselves from the previous generation, Generation Yare the most materialistic generation yet and forms of consumption are central to their sense of identity and the acquisition of status or ‘‘cool’’ through this consumption” (Ferguson, 2011).  They built their cool, and are now considered celebrities to their viewing audience.

Message for Show Promoting

The message that American Idol is promoting is that everyone has the opportunity to use their talents and become the person they want. They have had many singers enter the show over the years, who have had no training but an extensive amount of talent that could allow them to pursue their singing careers. American Idol promotes individual’s ability to dream and to follow their passion.  It also sends a confusing message that some individuals who can sing may not be American Idol material. It is based upon total presentation, such as physical appearance and demeanor. The confusion associated is the fact that ability to sing may not be enough to capture ones dream. Top Gear promotes cars and everything car related. It creates a short of dream for the viewers to one day own the latest and greatest in automotive products. It also promotes the idea that the viewers can do their own repairs and improvements by expanding their knowledge of cars.

Brand-Related Messages

The most obvious brand-related message was on Top Gear. There were several commercials for new cars that appeared during the show. Considering the show is everything car, it is an obvious message for viewers to consider investing in the new cars which are currently available on the market. Top Gear shows all the latest and greatest, ‘the most appealing’ to the consumers because it sets a status quo of being ‘cool’. American Idol too capitalizes on marketing products which will make you more appealing. For example, within the first half of a show there were two make-up commercials, a tooth-paste, and body wash which all emphasized the value of external beauty. American Idol is a dream for many viewers, to be appealing and beautiful, to be an idol. The brand-related message takes the target market and presents an option for them to be whom they dream of being.         

Brand Messaging

Brand-related messages are present in both American Idol and Top Gear. “Branding involves creating mental structures and helping consumers organize their knowledge about products and services in a way that clari?es their decision making and, in the process, provide value to the ?rm” (Keller, 2003).  Using products which would most appeal to the viewers is important. “Brand equity can offer focus and guidance, providing marketers with a means to interpret their past marketing performance and design their future marketing programmers. Everything the ?rm does can help to enhance or detract from brand equity. Those marketers who build strong brands have embraced the concept and use it to its fullest as a means of clarifying, communicating and implementing their marketing actions” (Keller, 2003). A strong advertising campaign can promote not only a product, but can show how that product benefits the viewer. American Idol depends upon things that appeal to the idol dreamer and Top Gear advertising is based upon the car enthusiast.

Paid Advertising

Top Gear and American Idol both utilize paid advertising around the show which promote items which were best suited for the viewers. There are some paid advertising which do not appeal to the ‘fit’ of the advertising with the reality show. American Idol had a commercial promoting a male erectile dysfunction medication. American Idol is popular among teens and young adults, traditionally female, and they do not have to consider the need for such medication. During the Top Gear show, there was a commercial for toothpaste, which does not appeal to the fit of the show.

Show Support across other Media

Top Gear and American Idol are both heavily publicized television shows which gain support from other media sources. Radio shows and the news shows discuss the weekly results of American Idol, indirectly supporting the show. American Idol has established a social status for the youth viewers. “On the other hand, they are actively involved in the discourses about Idol and are well informed about issues discussed in the playground, in internet debates, newspapers, etc. In this respect, the Idol phenomenon is highly relevant as a theme for re?ection, a cultural frame of reference, from which value issues and discussions emerge” (Tingstad, 2007). The study conducted by Tingstad shows there is a direct connection of cultural knowledge between age groups which is mainly maintained through the internet. The process shows the differentiation of two regimens of truth with the Idol concepts: “?rst the creation of a superstar, and secondly the broader phenomenon that Idol represents, namely the creation of consumers through participation” (Tingstad, 2007). Top Gear has a lot of support from other media’s as well. The same type of promotion as presented in American Idol, news and radio shows discuss the events that take place on the show and provides a form of support Top Gear.

References

Alperstein, Neil M. (1991). Imaginary social relationships with celebrities appearing in television commercials. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 35:1, 43-58.

Ferguson, Shelagh. (2011). A global culture of cool? Generation Y and their perception of coolness. Young Consumers, Vol. 12 Iss 3 pp. 265 – 275.

Keller, Kevin Lane. (2003). Understanding brands, branding and brand equity. Interactive Marketing, VOL.5 NO.1. PP 7–20.

Tingstad, Vebjørg. (2007). “Now it’s up to you!” Children consuming commercial television. Society and Business Review, Vol. 2 No. 1, 2007 pp. 15-36.

Toomey, Deborah A. & Alisha L. Francis. (2013). Branded product placement and preteenaged consumers: influence on brand preference and choice. Young Consumers, Vol. 14 Iss 2            pp. 180 – 192.