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HBO WHATS NEXT
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Meet Echo
Executive Summary
Research
Our Target
MEET ECHOAchieving our clients goal is our number one objective.
Like the echo of a sound wave, we listen to our clients needs and
generate fresh insights and ideas. Replication is not our goal. We
aim to filter through the clutter and discover a new perspective.
Our mission is to amplify your brand and to convey your message in
a way that will resonate with your intended target audience. As
active listeners, communicators and storytellers, we will return
your message with magnitude. We listen. We grasp. We amplify.
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Wired Life
Social Media
Positioning
Creative Brief
Account Executive Stragey Media CreativeCopywriter
CreativeArt Director
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Creative Executions
Budget
Media Plan
41 Measurement
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
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TV isnt what it used to be. The way people watch and what they
choose to watch says a lot about them. When was the last time you
heard someone bragging about watching Golden Girls versus Game of
Thrones? Probably never. Today, people take TV very seriously. And
its because your choice of show ultimately dictates how others
perceive you.
There is constant pressure for millennials to keep up with
trends in order to be accepted and deemed cool by their peers.
Seemingly basic decisions such as clothing or music preferences are
viewed as personal reflections. The notion of everyday decisions
amounting to who you are as a person holds true for TV.
And HBO is the authentic hipster that everyone wants to be
friends with.
But if millennials are in a constant contest with one another to
be cool, why arent they running to buy HBO? The truth is: they
think HBO is a little too cool to ever be a real friend.
Our target, HBO Flirts are the perfect segment of millennials on
which we plan to focus our attention. They already love the shows
but only have one or two favorites which isnt a strong enough
motivator to purchase. HBO Flirts also fear the price point that
comes along with a premium product.
HBO Flirts could be easily swayed if given reason to believe
that HBO is an attainable friendship that will provide endless
entertainment and cool points to impress trendy peers.
How? We will position HBO to be more of an attainable friendship
the still cool yet more approachable hipster that understands where
millennials are in their lives. HBO is, after all, already
perceived as the trendsetter of television networks incorporating
complex, real characters into their shows that perfectly match the
unique personalities and lives of millennials. HBO also has been
known to set the precedent in terms of quality. In nearly every
genre, HBOs content comes out on top and delivers the smart,
stimulating content millennials seek.
We developed a campaign that proves to HBO Flirts the necessity
to purchase HBO. Why HBO? Because HBO is the only network that
understands millennials and will help them to keep up with the cool
kids.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
HBO is Whats next.
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RESEARCHOur task was to build brand equity for HBO within the
millennial market. To do so, we knew we needed to inject the HBO
brand into todays cultural conversation, drive advocacy and
participation in social platforms and develop a badass campaign
that would break through the clutter.
We had to carve out something unique, personable and memorable
if we wanted to differentiate from our main competitors: Netflix,
cable and premium television networks and illegal downloading
sites. We may not be able to scream louder than the rest of them,
but hey we are HBO. We dont need to. We not only created an
integrated campaign but one that resonates with our target audience
of HBO Flirts.
6 in-depth interviews
3 ethnographic studies
27 research, scholarly & newspaper articles examined6 survey
responses
2 FOCUS GROUPS
social listening
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180 Survey responses
These are people who usually watch at least one HBO show
semi-regularly or regularly. They often feel passionately about
their favorite show and enjoy taking part in the fan obsession.
They are in love with the complex story lines and the high quality
that their favorite HBO show offers. They feel a strong connection
with their favorite HBO show mainly because the content mirrors the
struggles in their own life.
HBO Flirts are ambassadors when it comes to promoting their
favorite show, however they are not fully committed to the brand.
They find no need to purchase HBO. It is often cited as too
expensive, and they have a wealth of other ways to watch. They
watch with friends, borrow HBO Go passwords or illegally stream
content. They find no value in purchasing HBO because they are only
invested in one show the value does not supersede the cost.
These HBO flirts are adventurous and are often the first in
their friend group to try new things. They like to stand out in a
crowd, often finding passion points to help distinguish themselves
from others. We found through proprietary research that many HBO
Flirts have extensive knowledge on one particular topic. These
passion points ranged anywhere from cars to entertainment to sports
depending on the person.
HBO Flirts are spontaneous, adventurous, and social. They love
going out with their friends and experiencing new and exciting
things in their free time. They are usually the center of
attention, never being shy about sharing their opinions with
others.
OUR TARGET 18 - 24 college students
HBO FLIRTS
I feel like its the best.
They have the trendiest shows.
They have less episodes per shows, so they are produced
better.
PEOPLE SAY MY ENTHUSIASM IS CONTAGIOUS 181
PEOPLE SAY I AM EXPRESSIVE WHEN SHARING MY OPINIONS WITH
OTHERS
140
PEOPLE ARE OFTEN SURPRISED BY THE THINGS I KNOW 145
I WORK HARD TO CONVINCE OTHER ABOUT THINGS I BELIEVE IN
176
HBO FLIRTS INDEX
I OFTEN DO THINGS SPUR OF THE MOMENT 168
I LIKE TO STAND OUT IN A CROWD 221
I LIKE TO PURSUE A LIFE OF CHALLENGE NOVELTY AND CHANGE
149
I WORK HARD TO CONVINCE OTHER ABOUT THINGS I BELIEVE IN
176
I LIKE TO DO THINGS THAT ARE UNCONVENTIONAL 180
I LIKE TO TRY NEW THINGS NO ONE ELSE HAS
238
I AM OFTEN CHOSEN TO BE THE SPOKESPERSON IN MY GROUP 196
Passion Points An area of knowledge that they are particularly
knowledgeable in. People with passion points often have more
knowledge on that particular topic than the general population.
# Answer Response %
Movies 80 51
Casual hangouts with friends 137 88
Going out (bars, clubs. etc.) 105 67
Going out to eat dinner 88 56
Other 11 7
HBO FLIRTS INDEX
What are your favorite social activities?
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College Students and Their Money
Most of the HBO Flirts are on a shoe string budget. Cash flow is
tight and they must make decisions on what they deem is valuable
enough to spend their money on. In fact, after speaking to these
millennials and asking them why they dont have HBO the number one
reason was that it was just too expensive.
But was is too expensive? Through our survey we found that 49%
of HBO Flirts believed that HBO cost over $20 dollars a month.
Furthermore, when we asked them which subscription networks they
currently subscribe to and wish they subscribed to 23% of
respondents said they were interested in HBO but did not think they
could afford it. HBO gathered the most interest surpassing their
interest in Hulu, Netflix, Spotify, and Pandora. When we dug
deeper, we found that many perceived the cost to be much more
because of the top-quality shows that the company produces. Most
were extremely surprised that HBO often costs less than $20 a
month.
#1 reason to not buy HBO was that it was too expensive.
Currently only 28% of people in this age group would ask their
parents to pay for HBO.
Only 17% like HBO enough to be willing to pay for it
themselves.Live TV
THE WATCHING EXPERIENCE
17%
30%
20%
8%
11%
5%4%
We found that HBO Flirts have various ways they like to watch
their preferred shows. Some enjoy watching their favorite episodes
with other fanatics, because of their shared enthusiasm for the
show. Others enjoy watching the episodes on their own, so they can
focus on the storyline. No matter the manner of viewing, HBO Flirts
all love sharing their TV experience.
86% of our target is likely to talk to friends about shows they
watch.
WIRED LIFE
Premium Chan
nels (HBO,
Starz, Showti
me, etc) R
ecorded TV Netflix HBO Go
Other online s
treaming
sites (Hulu, Dir
ectTV online, e
tc) Legally online
2%
Other
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75% of people in this age group are likely to watch TV with
friends
Other
88% are likely to watch TV alone.
I kind of like True Detective with a friend, youre always
waiting for it so you watch it with a big group of people.
For True Detective, you have to watch alone because it requires
a lot of attention or concentration, cant concentrate
with other people around.
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Effectiveness of Digital v. Traditional Advertising According to
US Millennial Smartphone Users, Jan 2014 % of total
Theyre mosteffective whenused together 17%
Digital ads aremore effective 36%
Theyre equally effective 28%
Traditional adsare more effective 19%
Source: Adroit Digital, Millennials: The New Age of Brand
LoyaltyMarch 18, 2014
Millennials are digital natives. They live and breathe social
media to incomparable degrees. The HBO flirts are no different.
For millennials, traditional advertising does not get noticed in
the cluttered marketplace. 19% of millennials maintain that
traditional ads are effective but almost twice as many (36%)
contended that digital ads are more effective. They favor
advertising on new media. While statistics show that brand value is
largely influenced by television, 60% of millennials find that
social media can craft and impact brand perception.
Specifically, Facebook and Twitter are two of the greatest
springboards for conversation among millennials. In fact, 5 in 6
millennials connect with brands via Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.
Most content sharing takes place on Facebook. Of all internet
users, 70% post on their Facebook walls as opposed to sharing
information in-person (36%). Interestingly, compared to the other
age groups sampled, millennials are most likely to make a purchase
based on a friends social media post.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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17%
30%
91%
39%
27%27%
46%
Age 18-34
FACEBOOK
INSTRAGRAM
TWITTER
TUMBLR
PINTEREST
LINKEDIN
SNAPCHAT
U.S. Penetration Among Selected leading Social NetworkscomScore
Media Metrix Multi-Platform, U.S., Age 18+, November 2013
*Selected social networks based on those with at least 1 billion
combined desktop, smartphone and tablet minutes in November
2013
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HBO is attractive, smart and brings something different to the
table. It is the authentic hipster. It has an individual style and
always keeps up with the next cool thing. As HBO currently stands,
its a little too cutting edge and exclusive, which deters
millennials from considering purchase.
HBO Flirts perceive HBO as someone who is just a little out of
their friend zone. This is in contrast to Netflix the no pressure
friend. To further explain millennials relationship with Netflix,
they feel comfortable lounging around with Netflix all day and dont
feel pressured to impress. They have a wide variety of mediocre
content with only a few interesting shows. Netflix remains popular
among millennials because its perceived to be the best choice for a
low price point. In other words, Netflix is the safe choice.
But no matter how comfortable these HBO Flirts are with the no
pressure friend, they still flirt with the idea of being friends
with the authentic hipster. They love talking about their favorite
shows but wont take the relationship any further than that.
Unlike Netflix, HBO delivers smart and engaging content that
fits the unique personalities of HBO Flirts. Furthermore, HBO
stimulates the mind and incorporates honest dialogue reflective of
the lives of millennials. HBO Flirts need to be exposed to the
diverse offerings HBO delivers in order to build a strong
friendship you cant become best friends with someone you know very
little about. We will prove that HBO can be a best friend, if you
give them a chance.
We need HBO flirts to commit to this friendship. And to do so,
we will demonstrate how HBO is the only network that contains the
smart, relatable content they seek. We plan to leverage our
findings to build a long-standing friendship.
HBOS POSITIONINGTHE AUTHENTIC HIPSTER
Well I don't know much about HBO... I figure it's included in a
tv plan of about 40 or 50 a month... By itself?
- GOT Flirt
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CREATIVE BRIEF
OBJECTIVE: BUILD ENOUGH BRAND EQUITY SO MILLENNIALS ARE INCLINED
TO PURCHASE HBO WITH THEIR CABLE PACKAGES
TARGET: 18-24 HBO FLIRTS WHAT THEY CURRENTLY THINK: HBO HAS
GREAT SHOWS BUT THEY ARE EXPENSIVE, AND I HAVE OTHER OPTIONSWHAT WE
WANT THEM TO THINK: HBO UNDERSTANDS WHO I AM
SINGLE MOST COMPELLING PROMISE: HBO IS THE ONLY NETWORK WITH
CONTENT THAT EMBRACES AND INCORPORATES THE COMPLEX PERSONALITIES OF
HBO FLIRTS. THEY KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU ARE GOING
REASONS TO BELIEVE: SHOWS ARE A REFLECTION OF WHO WE ARE. PEERS
CAN TELL A LOT ABOUT A PERSON BY WHAT THEY WATCH AND SIMILAR
FRIENDS WATCH SIMILAR SHOWS. HBO SHOWS TALK ABOUT CURRENT TOPICS
WHICH ARE IMPORTANT TO MILLENNIALS LIKE BEING YOUNG AND GROWING UP
IN A BIG CITY, OR BEING GAY AND PROUD. THEY HAVE SHOWS THAT SPEAK
TO THE CONCERNS OF MILLENNIALS. AND THE BEST PART IT COSTS LESS
THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK.
TONE: BOLD, CURRENT, RELATABLE
MANDATORIES: ELEMENT OF PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT, EXPERIENTIAL,
SOCIAL
CREATIVE
WHATSNEXT
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EVENTWhats Next as a tagline has many meanings. It encompasses
how HBO is forward thinking, trend setting and incorporates the
lives of millennials. It streamlines HBOs new brand identity in a
confident and unifying way. The first of our creative tactics is a
gallery event that showcases innovations of the future.
The event would contain all of the latest innovations in a
variety of categories: art, music, fashion, food, and technology.
HBO branded materials would be subtly placed throughout the venue
so event participants would know that HBO is behind the event.
The event would solidify to our target HBOs positioning as being
cutting edge and forward thinking.
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LEADING UP TO THE EVENT, WE WOULD RUN RICH MEDIA ADS DRIVING
TRAFFIC TO HBO GO AND ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO ENTER TO BE INVITED TO
ATTEND THE GALLERY EVENT.
THOUGHT LEADERS
Beauty GuruMichelle Phan @MichellePhan
Forever storyteller and dreamer.
Believer of love and light. - Mish
New York/Los Angeles MichellePhan.com
Fashion/LifestyleEmily Schuman @byEmily
I write the blog (and best-selling book) Cupcakes and Cashmere,
a lifestyle guide to
elevating everyday.
Los Angeles, CA cupcakesandcashmere.com
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HBO is at
Thought leaders including top so-cial media personalities as
well as HBO actors would also post/tweet to lead people to answer
Whats Next? and to enter the contest.
TechnologyHarry McCracken @harrymccracken
TIME technology scribe. Technologizer founder.
Boy journalist. Bon vivant.
Silicon Valley technologizer.com
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Once on HBO GO, upon clicking the Whats Next tab, people will be
able to choose between several options. They can take a personality
quiz determining the next show they could get hooked on, or they
could browse the Whats Next Sneak Preview Gallery. After watching
sneak previews, they will be prompted to submit their own videos to
be invited to the gallery event. They will also be encouraged to
share their videos on social media.
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Anyone who participates in making a video will be invited to the
event and their will be online streaming of the events for anyone
who cant make it. The top 25 videos with the most votes will
receive an all expense paid trip to the event in one of the five
disclosed locations.
HOUSTON
CHICAGONEW YORK
LOS ANGELES
PHILADELPHIA
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Digital videos and rich media ads will run throughout the year
after the event closes continuing the campaign and incorporating
HBOs content.
The videos will show how HBO has evolved since its origin and
adapted to the complex personalities of millennials. They will
demonstrate the forward-thinking nature of millennials and the
brand.
The digital video will end with an interactive banner that will
provide a quick overview of different trends to help millennials
stay up-to-date with cultural conversation.
EVOLVE WITH US
DIGITAL VIDEO
VIDEOS
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BANNERADS
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FACEBOOKFor us, Facebook is not just about getting the (most)
likes. In fact, statistics reveal that Facebook likes have no
serious impact on purchase intent. Only 13% say they are more
likely to commit to buy after having liked a brand on Facebook. But
we recognize the platforms enor-mous potential. Facebook users have
conveyed their expectations for what happens after liking a brand:
Interaction with other customers and share my experiences. These
users crave an outlet for personal expression and collaborative
exchange. So, were giving them that space. The virtual invitation
to our Whats Next live event/gallery will be extended through
Facebook, prompting our target to create videos of themselves
explaining what they believe to be the next big cultural
phenomenon. Whats more, 67% of Facebook users expect to receive
exclusive offers.
HBOGOThe marketing of the live event will also live on HBOs
website, an integral part of its digital ecosystem. Avid fans flock
to the website for updates and discussions. HBO flirts flock to the
website to be included in (the latest) conversation. The website
will not only help pivot the target toward HBO shows but also
entice them into active participation.
TWITTERThough Twitter can give Facebook a run for its money in
popularity, it is limited in word count flexibility. But a lot can
be said in 140 char-acters. Even more is conveyed by celebrity
tweets. We intend to leverage the power of influence wielded by
thought leaders, actors/char-acters of HBOs most popular shows in
encouraging fan video entries. In the weeks leading up to the live
event/gallery, the paid tweets will help launch the campaign to be
front-and-center in consumers minds.
WHY SOCIAL?
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HBO will continue to post on its social media platforms after
the event closes using tweets from followers that best tie into
Whats Next.
The ads will run on popular sites HBO Flirts frequent such as
YouTube, ESPN, IMDB and Facebook.
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BUDGETTo tackle the problem of perceived cost, we will run
promotional deals in the form of direct mail and email blasts. The
promotions will encourage HBO Flirts to split the cost of HBO
subscriptions. We will show them that sharing could mean that they
only need to pay $5 or $10 a month for HBO once weve built brand
equity with our campaign. The promotions will run in late August at
the beginning of the academic year after the event closes
encouraging millennials to subscribe together with friends and
roommates. The promotion will also include deal of 10% off your
first six months if you refer a friend to subscribe.
DIRECT MAIL
# Budget
Direct Mail/Promotions $2,200,000
Rich Media $2,250,000
Digital Video $1,067,000
Website Renovation $5,000
BuzzFeed $120,000
E-mail Blasts $547,000
Events 1,000,000
Facebook $690,000
Twitter $552,000
Total $8,431,000
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MEDIA PLANWe plan to use a series of methods to gauge the
success on the campaign. The results of these evaluations will
determine the suc-cess of our campaign and help shape and/or change
parts of the campaign moving forward.
Awareness and perceptionWe will begin with an awareness survey,
which we will be conducted before and after the campaign. The pre-
campaign survey will be sent to a random sample of college students
within the target market gauging their knowledge of HBOs content
and cost. The post-campaign survey will measure the effectiveness
of campaign determining if the perception of cost and HBO offerings
is accurate.
InteractionWe will also measure the interactivity on the Whats
Next HBO web page by tracking website traffic. We will examine how
long people go the page and how long they stay on it. We will also
track the click-through rates from the rich media. As well as track
the likes and shares from the HBO social media outlets, the thought
leaders twitter accounts, and the user generated content.
EffectivenessFinally, we will see if purchase consideration has
gone up by interviewing students at the beginning of the school
year and de-termine how many are thinking of purchasing HBO with
their cable package. As well as examine actual purchases by
comparing purchases by millennials in previous years.
MEASUREMENTJune July August September October November December
January Feburary March April May Traditional Direct mail
Promotional Tie-Ins
OHHWhats Next Gallery
Digital E-mail Blasts
Rich Media_EventRiche Media_Brand
Digital Video_Event
Digital Video_Brand
HBO Page
BuzzfeedSocialFacebook
Twitter