Get back
One of the advantages of living in the New York area is access to terrific museums. On a recent Saturday, I trooped my two boys down to The Museum of Television and Radio, which is tucked into a modest-sized building not far from Radio City Music Hall. The big attraction at the MTR is its voluminous archive of broadcast history. If you’re a media junkie like I am, the selection is intoxicating. Want to see for yourself the Kennedy-Nixon debates? View again the final episode of M*A*S*H? Hear the Hindenberg radio commentary? It’s all here. (By the way, there is also a Los Angeles branch of the museum.) ▪ While my sons combed the files for favorite cartoons, I zeroed in on an hour of footage I’d only seen before in snippets: The Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Yes, I was prompted by this month’s cover story: Our top EMMA for 2006 is awarded for Paul McCartney’s partnership with Fidelity Investments on the Music Lives Foundation (see page 24). With its overlay of funding for school music programs, this campaign exemplifies the very best bridging of commercial interests and pop culture. Not bad business savvy from a fellow who describes himself as an inveterate hippie. ▪ Just as fascinating for me were the television spots interspersed between the variety acts. What a time warping experience! First of all, 60-second spots — when was the last time a brand bought that much primetime for a media ad? And Sullivan personally introduced each “valuable message,” lending his endorsement to products from floor polish to aspirin. Finally, how nostalgic was it to see ads for cigarette and alcohol brands…it took me back to hours spent watching my grandmother’s old RCA set in black and white. ▪ And yet, as the MTR archives prove, marketing via pop culture hasn’t really changed that much. Product integration dates back to radio days. Celebrity endorsements go back even earlier. The challenge has always been to make it work for the brand, the entertainment partner — and the consumer. This issue, we’re delighted to honor 10 campaigns that have done just that.
The 2006 EMMAs will be awarded during the Star Power conference, sponsored by the Promotion Marketing Association, to be held June 6 and 7 at Universal City, CA. For more information, visit pma-link.org.
