Apr 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Amy Johannes

Five 20-somethings selected to personify the new Jennifer Lopez fragrance, Glow After Dark, are starring in a Webisode series designed to promote the product.

The eight-part online reality clips, as created by cosmetic maker Coty, kick off April 7 at www.GlowAfterDarkShow.com. The girls are sexy, pretty, ambitious, fun-loving, they all adore JLo and they passed an audition to become pitch girls. The Webisodes show them partying, dancing and playing for two weeks in New York City.

“This specific market is online,” says Amanda Whittemore, assistant marketing manager, celebrity brands, Coty Prestige. “It's kind of a no-brainer in that's really where we need to reach [our customer].”

Coty is not alone in discovering that these mini-movies, whose continuing storylines entice repeat visitors, are a fun and engaging way to tie-in promotions and build brand awareness and sales.

Coty plugged the fragrance and series during Spring Break in Panama City, FL, last month, with help from agency Mr. Youth. Brand reps distributed perfume samples and premiums with tune-in information. The firm also sponsored VIP parties where it ran teaser clips of the Webisodes.

Going viral

Domino's Pizza used a Web series to introduce a contest.

Its most popular storyline, which drew more than 4 million views, followed a rich girl named Mackenzie who didn't like the color of the car she got as a birthday gift.

“We wanted to create a compelling story in places where our customers spend time,” says Trisha Drueke, vice president of brand marketing, Domino's Pizza. “It's a unique outlet for telling your story.”

Viewers watched home-video style clips, created by JWT, as Mackenzie's plight unfolded. Upset about the car, she put it up for sale on eBay for $9.99, a play on a Domino's contest. The contest — in partnership with eBay — showed customers that they could get a great deal for under $10 and had them bidding on items they saw in the Webisodes.

While online, players could also order a pizza. The final clip showed the contest winner with the car and Mackenzie eating a Domino's pizza.

The contest, which drew 112,000, ended in February.

Part of the allure of Webisodes is the demographic: more than half of all viewers are 18 to 35, according to CNW Marketing Research. Of that, nearly 59% are male.

“Webisodes are being used all over and in different ways,” says Kathy Sharpe, founder and CEO of Sharpe Partners, a New York-based digital marketing company. “Moving stories are very compelling and get an audience.”

Like Coty, Mini Cooper supported a product launch, a 2007 model, in February with a six-part series, which played off TV shows Knight Rider and Starsky & Hutch.

The episodes were supported with trailers in 1,900 theaters, print ads in Maxim and Rolling Stone magazines and on the Internet.

“We want to show the performance, exhilaration and nimbleness of the car, and the fun personality of the brand,” says Trudy Hardy, marketing manager for Mini USA. “You get, through the film, to take a virtual test drive.”

As of last month, the episodes had generated 800,000 views. They were directed by Todd Phillips, the movie director on Old School and Starsky & Hutch. Butler, Shine & Stern, handled the content and marketing.

To determine the ROI, companies track viewership, pass-along rates and other factors specific to the brand. Mini Cooper monitors how many people build their own car on www.MiniUSA.com and send it to dealers, but had no details yet available.

“One of out every three leads sent to a dealer converts to a sale,” Hardy says. “From all indications so far, it's been very effective.”

Reality check

Webisodes can also be used as a way to show how a product or service actually works in real-life situations.

AT&T features a behind-the-scenes look into several well-known athletes' lives and how they use its services.

Its latest effort shows videos of Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin and other athletic hopefuls at www.attblueroom.com/sports. In all, the firm created 19 six- to eight-minute clips that have received more than 2 million views since its launch in 2006.

“A program like this raises the coolness factor,” says Amy Engallina, associate director of sponsorships for AT&T.

In each video, viewers can click on an AT&T icon for bonus footage, trivia and details about company products and services. An instant-win game, which runs through yearend, offers the chance at autographed memorabilia.

The Marketing Arm, Dallas, manages the program and develops the storylines; GSD&M, Austin, TX, produces the content.

Taking the heat

As brand marketers have found out, putting up content on the Web draws all kinds of reactions. Domino's Webisodes were no exception.

Some viewers didn't know Mackenzie was part of a promotional campaign. Domino's planted the series on www.YouTube.com and other sites where it was discovered by users. Some liked it, others didn't.

One critic blogged, “By god I've been had! Curse you Domino's and your devient marketing sceams.” Another wrote, “WOW i'm never eating Dominos Pizza again for putting this dumb (yet hot) chick on the web.”

Others applauded Domino's. “get the door, it's dominoes. Hat's off for the engaging advertising tactics.” Another wrote, “ok i've got to hand it to domino's. they had me fooled.”

The costs to produce Webisodes vary widely, depending on a host of factors including who produces it, how long it runs and the quality of the script. The expense can be as low as a few thousand dollars to as high as several hundred thousand dollars, Sharpe says.

But, no matter what the content, marketers still have one rule to follow.

“If people perceive something as being too much of a commercial, they will do the same thing they do with TiVo,” says Art Spinella, president of CNW Market Research. “They will skip it and they won't go back.”

Who's Watching

• More than half of all Webisode watchers are between 18-35 years old.

• Some 58% of viewers are male

• Some 93% of people said they are turned off by Webisodes with too much product promotion and 68% by weak endings.
  Source: CNW Market Research

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