TBS Pushes Payne For HD Gain

Tag : Foot Ball Product

Turner Network Sales is hitting the ground running to helpaffiliate partners sell HD and other products, crafting localpromotions that also leverage awareness of two of its marqueeprograms: its Sunday Major League Baseball package and House of Payne.
The channel created the TBS Clubhouse tour, which has already begunand which visits ballparks in major cities including the Comcastmarkets of Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, Detroit and Boston; TimeWarner Cable’s Los Angeles and Cleveland markets; andCharter’s St. Louis system.
TBS ran a baseball-related promotion last September, but the eventswere quickly crafted to maximize exposure for its Division Seriescoverage, said Turner Network Sales vice president of networkmarketing and operations Gary Brockman. The channel quickly rushedout “Postseason Pete,” a giant bobblehead doll (modeledafter no specific Major League player) to draw park crowds to aTurner booth.
The version this season, which began July 12 in Philadelphia, has anew name and a “bigger concept,” Brockman said. Adirect sales tent, shaped like a baseball, is co-branded with thelocal cable partner and set up at each venue, allowing the operatorto sell HD packages or whatever product or bundle is the localpriority. TBS designed the marketing effort with its media agency,Cenergy, of East Aurora, N.Y.
Visitors to the sales site can try their hand against a big-leaguefastball in front of a pitching simulator or being recorded singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
Baseball fans can also have their picture taken with the giantbobblehead, an effort that adds a viral element to the promotion.Fans must go to a designated Web site to download their free photo,which again is branded with the logos of TBS and the local cablepartner. That branding gets passed along as friends share the“Pete” picture with friends via the Internet, Brockmannoted.
Operators also have an opportunity to sell ads against the localevents; Brockman said most are focused on the product-sales effort,though.
The second tour is called the “ House of Payne : No Payne. No Gain” tour. Since the show has anAfrican-American cast and fan base, TBS wanted to design apromotion that would reach that audience in a different way,Brockman said, and “provide value they haven’t gottenin the past” from cable promotions.
This marketing effort provides health screenings of conditions thatare especially prevalent in this population: diabetes, heartdisease and high blood pressure.
A van is sent to health fairs, fire stations or other locationsspecified by the local cable partner. The vehicle is co-brandedwith the name of the local partner, and two 10-foot-by-10-footdisplays fold out to display health information. Brockman said thesize of the unit makes it easy to get into just about any displayspace.
At each event, House of Payne water bottles will be given to the first 100 visitors to the van,which is staffed with experienced medical technicians. Localpartners will also set up tables near the vehicle to sell HDpackages, awareness of video on demand or programming packages. Thepartners will give away co-branded prizes.
This tour has already begun, but in future will hit Comcast’sDetroit system; Charter’s St. Louis system; Time WarnerCable’s Los Angeles system, then Comcast operations inSeattle, Cleveland, Atlanta and Boston. The stops are planned eachSaturday and Sunday through August.
“These family and community-based events give our brands andour affiliates the unique opportunity to connect face-to-face withour viewers and their constituents,” Brockman said.