DBG expands dimensions of Diet Coke’s ‘Style Series’
ADOTAS – Rick Kleczkowski, chief operating officer of the Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG), is watching actor Edward Norton on the Reuters electronic billboard in Times Square. Norton is being filmed live in the studio next door and Kleczkowski is monitoring the web stream in the Thomson Reuters building for the second season of Diet Coke’s “Style Series.”
The feed is being featured live on various sites such as E, Cosmopolitan and Bravo as a rich media banner. He dials a number on his cell phone, switches it to speaker mode and we listen to Norton’s explanation of why New York is a great city for running.
Norton is participating in the New York Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 1, but he won’t be running alone. Accompanying him are three Masai warriors from Kenya; one has joined Norton in the broadcast and is speaking to a host while dressed in traditional garb. Norton is using the marathon — as well as the “Style Series” — to raise awareness and funds for the Masai Wilderness Conservation Trust, a charitable organization that promotes preservation of East African ecosystems and support for the Masai.
Norton’s appearance is fitting for the “Style Series” theme of balanced living. The online events and webisodes feature artists such as Michelle Branch (who has taped a performance earlier in the day), Jewel and Rihanna explaining the many dimensions of their lives beyond what they’re famous for. In other words, these celebrities are complex people like you and me — and they probably enjoy Diet Coke too, nudge nudge.
But the branding message stays subtle; sure, as Norton speaks about staying fit by practicing martial arts a cold glass of Diet Coke rests on the table, but there are no overbearing logos or other gimmicks to beat the advertising message into the viewer.
“With branded entertainment, you have to find a balance — you can’t create creditable content and hit them over the head with the brand,” Kleczkowski says. “There are a lot of nuances in the video to bring it out. We’re trying to weave the brand into the show.”
The mechanics of the series also exemplifies this dynamic of balance. The live event is a groundbreaking integration of new media and traditional advertising. Kleczkowski points to street teams on Broadway who encourage passerby to listen in on their cell phones and text comments to the screen. The stream is also beaming out to mobiles.
“Given the challenge of how fragmented the media is, we feel we’ve succeeded in giving consumers content wherever they may be,” Kleczkowski said.
DBG, which has been presenting live streams since 2005, has its own studio and production team. The company offered Diet Coke a one-stop shop for the “Style Series”: both production and distribution capabilities for a web stream and broadcast on the Reuters and the NASDAQ electronic billboards in Times Square.
For Diet Coke, only working with one partner created efficiency in the process and offered significant value, Kleczkowski says. Sprawled-out production creates gaps; that’s not been the case with this session as Kleczkowski notes the stream has gone very smoothly.
DBG will also produce several smaller webisodes, a lesson learned from the first go-round — quick bits are more appealing to consumers. The first season produced encouraging metrics in viewership and engagement. The median age of visitors to Diet Coke’s website hit 26, a dip of 20-odd years. In addition, Kleczkowski comments that both Diet Coke and DBG learned a great deal about what their consumers want from the “Style Series” from feedback.
After the broadcast, I’m chatting with Kleczkowski in the narrow studio hallway. I turn suddenly and Norton is standing right beside me. It takes me a moment to recognize him; he’s quite tall, which surprises me.
We match eyes and nod politely at each other, two New Yorkers acknowledging each others’ presence instead of fledgling reported being awed stage and film star. Balance? Possibly.
Reader Comments.
The first episode of “The Style Series” will remain available at DietCoke.com, while edited versions will continue to appear across the DBG network that reaches 105 million unique monthly users.
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