Firebrand Finds a Point?

January 29th 2008

When I first heard about Firebrand TV I actually laughed and asked, “are you kidding me?” to the person telling me about it. I mean a website and a television show that did nothing but show commercials with a cute host? Didn’t we already have YouTube and all the other video sharing sites?

I love creative commercials as much as the next guy and the idea of having a site where I can go and view them if I wish is an interesting one, but long term I don’t get how a site like this can survive. It is fun for a few minutes and advertisers might pay to have their ads featured, but after that what? What brings back an audience on an ongoing basis?

Then last week I read about their campaign around the Super Bowl which we all know is as much about the pimping as it is the pigskin. The Road to Firebrand Monday is a campaign across multiple channels featuring some of the best characters and commercials from over the years. Here you can see one of their advertisements for it.

They are also doing a series of special episodes gearing up for this and on the day after the game will feature a special episode hosted by Carmen Electra and Reebok’s “Office Linebacker” Terry Tate. I’m actually looking forward to watching this one episode because it should make for good TV and I always like seeing what other have to say about the commercials I loved and hated. The shows run on ION TV which I didn’t even know I had until I was flipping through the channels one night and discovered it.

I watch the Super Bowl for the game first and the ads second. Especially this year when the Patriots are rolling into town to crush the Giants.

I’m still not sold on Firebrand, but I am sold on this specific campaign. It is a natural and perfect fit for their brand. It is going to be interesting to see what they do with all this buzz they are getting and if it can take them anywhere in the months ahead.

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http://EdRoberts.TV Ed Roberts

See… now I’m interested. I was a big fan of the Terry Tate character. While I’m not sure how much branding help it did for Reebok, they were some of the most clever and most memorable skits I’ve seen in a while.

With regards to Firebrand… I’m also curious to see what kind of exposure it will net them. Like you said, it’s a perfect fit as the Super Bowl is the #1 time people are keyed into the ads. In fact, I would would say that it’s really the ONLY time when people really look forward to ads in their traditional sense. Broad appeal to an untargeted audience. Unfortunately, I think that it’s that fact alone is a huge red flag for Firebrand. While advertising CAN become a form of entertainment, most companies would be better served focusing on engaging a target audience.
http://marketingconversation.com/2008/01/30/firebrand-getting-some-love-and-grief-from-the-blogosphere/ » Firebrand: Getting some love (and grief) from the blogosphere – Marketing Conversation – New Marketing and Social Media by Abraham Harrison LLC Marketing Conversation – New Marketing and Social Media by Abraham Harrison LLC

[...] C.C. Chapman thinks the concept of Firebrand is cool, although he’s remaining cautious overall. But he thinks the idea of tying in past Super Bowl games to this year’s Big Game is a great strategy. C.C., being a Granite Stater living in Mass. is staying true to his New England roots and predicting a Patriot blowout. Good man!! [...]
http://chrisabraham.com/2008/02/04/lots-and-lots-of-folks-blogged-firebrand-monday/ Lots and Lots of Folks Blogged Firebrand Monday < Chris Abraham

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Firebrand Finds a Point?