The Blog on Branding

The “Elmo” Effect – Use the Media to Market Your Product

Generating buzz is the key to successful marketing. Without generating buzz, your product, service and company will fall flat on its face. To have a successful marketing campaign, you have to have buzz, and to have buzz you have to generate excitement. I know you’re wondering, “Chris, where are you taking this? You’re rambling now, and honestly, I’m not paying attention anymore.”

Well, here’s something that will catch your attention:

That name alone conjures images of grown men and women fist-fighting in department stores nationwide. And that’s an awesome image to have in your head.

The buzz that was generated by the children’s toy Tickle Me Elmo (TME) in 1996’s Christmas season has yet to be rivaled (it nearly quadrupled the amount of projected sales), and subsequent Elmo toy releases have garnered the same amount of hype as the first, as seen by the 10th anniversary release of TME, nicknamed Tickle Me Extreme (!) Elmo. Scientists are still baffled as to how this may have happened.

“You’ve got to generate buzz for your product to succeed.”

So what?

What does this have to do with marketing? Well, Tickle Me Elmo was given to Rosie O’Donnell’s adopted baby, which was subsequently promoted on Rosie’s talk show. Bryant Gumbel held one in his lap on the Today show. People saw what the doll did, how simple it was and what effect it had on children; and then, went completely insane in an attempt to get their crazy hands on one of those Elmo’s. The media made the toy a sensation without much of a sweat broken or dollar spent by the marketers and manufacturers.

The use of the media, especially on shows like Rosie and Today (which targeted stay-at-home mothers, which was perfect for the Elmo dolls), in conjunction with an established marketing campaign, can be an excellent way to get your brand and product out to the public. You need to find your niche, something that will get your target audience’s attention and then capitalize on that. Selling sports equipment? Send some to Best Damn Sports Show Period and maybe they’ll use the product on their show.

“Use the media to get your brand out to the public.”

A continued sensation…

In 2006, Tickle Me Elmo Extreme (TMX) was released to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the first doll – this time using some slick, super-secret promotion which had even the manufacturers under wraps. The marketing plan was a force to be reckoned with, with Amazon.com not being able to fulfill pre-orders because of the demand for the doll. The TMX Elmo doll was finally revealed on Good Morning America…another way to use the media to generate buzz and reach a wide target audience.

Think about all the crap that Oprah gives away on one of her “Oprah’s Favorite Things” show. The people that watch those specific episodes are gonna think about buying those products just because Oprah said it was one of her favorite things. Oprah can make you rich, well, not Oprah specifically, but you get the point. Using the media, and not just the standard commercials and other ads, can help you successfully promote your brand.

“Media persons like Oprah have a huge influence on product purchases.”

Not a guaranteed success

But don’t be foolish. Tickle Me Elmo is a one-of-a-kind thing, and not all promotion-through-media is successful at generating cash money, dolla dolla bills, ya’ll. See, Tickle Me Elmo is the gold-standard of media marketing. On the opposite end of the spectrum is what only can be described as a marketing disaster….

Pontiac used media marketing in the promotion of their newest sedan, the G6. Oprah gave a boatload of them away on her show, one of many gifts given away. The buzz was out of control, but…the dollars didn’t roll in as expected, despite the hype. Pontiac reported that sales were 30% below what they expected. Sucks for them.

Tickle Me Elmo is a great example of how the media can be used to effectively and successfully promote your product and elevate your brand. Simple commercials and promotional ads may not be enough; sometimes, you may have to go that extra mile and send Rosie O’Donnell your product, as weird as that may be.

Chris Levkulich Want content written for your Brand that shows up #1 on Search Engines and brings you new customers? Contact us.