Octagon First Call

4 Tips for using Celebrity Spokespeople on Twitter

6 Factors to Consider when Using Talent at the Super Bowl

- Money. You don’t need to overpay for talent at the Super Bowl. The difference between A, B and C list celebrities is minimized this specific week because of the attention of all fans and willingness of the media to have all athletes and celebrities on their air. Friday media time is typically reserved for more A-listers as that is when the movie studios will fly in their actors to promote the upcoming movie.

- Day of Week. Consider using your brand’s endorsee early in the week before there is “brand saturation” or even the Monday after the Game when everyone is still listening to the radio, reading results online or watching TV (Monday post-Super Bowl is a hidden gem for brands if your talent has the credentials to discuss the Game the night before).

- Exclusivity. Make sure you have language in your contract ensuring that your promotional time is the athlete/celebrity’s first activities during Super Bowl week (you can’t afford to be cannibalized by another brand’s media day just a few days before your own media day).

- Hospitality. Events at the Super Bowl always run late. Make sure your athlete/coach does not have an appearance immediately following yours with a “hard out”.

- Autographs. Make sure you get extra personalized items. When you return from the Game and share stories; other clients and C-level executives get jealous. Have a surprise gift for them.

- Time of  Day. Everyone stays out late at dinners and parties. Remember that when scheduling morning activities – you don’t want the “type” of athlete that will be at a club until 3:00am when you have media at 6:00am. Same goes for early morning meet-and-greets (you want folks that are awake and want to engage with customers/fans).

On The Talk Shows May 2-6

Our Must-Sees  on this week’s Talk Shows:

1. Rob Lowe was a personable hit last week on Oprah and this week will be touring to promote his memoir Story I Only Tell My Friends and will surely be promoting Parks and Recreation prior to the May 19-25 Sweeps Week.
2. Cast members from The Office (Mindy Kaling, Will Ferrelll, Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Ellie Kemper ) are heavy in the media circuit this week sure to be talking about Carell’s departure and the future for the NBC comedy staple.
3. Christy Turlington’s self-directed and produced documentary debuts on OWN this  May 7- Christy is heavy on a media tour this week for the documentary featuring mothers. Don’t forget Mother’s Day on May 8^th!

Monday, May 2

Audiences will be tuning in to see what Office Cast members have to say about Carell's final Bow

Early Show: Melissa McCarthy, Dr. Phil

Today: Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, the Wiggles

David Letterman: Tracy Morgan, Rex Ryan

Jay Leno: Paul Walker, Donny & Marie Osmond

Jimmy Kimmel: Rene Russo, Kristin Gore, k.d. lang

Craig Ferguson: Mindy Kaling, Matt Lucas

Jimmy Fallon: LL Cool J, Judd Apatow, Ambrosia

Carson Daly: Fred Armisen, David Seidler, Broken Bells (R 2/24/11)

Tavis Smiley: Loretta Devine

Daily Show: Philip K. Howard

Colbert Report: Francis Fukuyama

Chelsea Lately: Josh Wolf, Brad Wollack, Heather McDonald

Conan O'Brien: Will Ferrell, Paul Bettany, James Blunt

Lopez Tonight: Mark Ruffalo, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rex Navarrete

The View: LL Cool J, Andrew Schorr

The Talk: Lisa Ling, Niecy Nash, Carolyn Glaspy

Regis and Kelly: Eva Mendes, "American Idol" castoff Casey Abrams

Ellen DeGeneres: Steve Carell, Alison Sweeney

Gayle King: Paula Patton

Tuesday, May 3

David Letterman: Caroline Kennedy, Ty Burrell

Jay Leno: Penelope Cruz, Maria Bamford, Ricky Martin

Jimmy Kimmel: Anthony Hopkins, Andre Agassi, the latest "Dancing with the Stars" castoff

Craig Ferguson: Geoffrey Rush, Reese Waters, OK Go

Jimmy Fallon: Whoopi Goldberg, Elmo

Carson Daly: Jason Eisener, Shane Smith, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Tavis Smiley: Tim Flannery, Bootsy Collins

Daily Show: Rachel Maddow

Colbert Report: Rex Ryan

Chelsea Lately: Paula Patton, Jo Koy, Loni Love, Chris Hardwick

Conan O'Brien: Steve Martin, Atticus Shaffer

Lopez Tonight: Kaley Cuoco, Idris Elba, 2AM Club

Lowe's on the rise (see regurlar Parks & Rec role, Vanity Fair cover, memoir, and more sure to come)

The View: Rob Lowe, stylist Alison Deyette, guest co-host Betty White

The Talk: Jessica Capshaw, Cheryl Jackson, guest co-host Soledad O'Brien

Regis and Kelly: Andy Samberg, Melissa McCarthy

Ellen DeGeneres: Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, Star Jones

Gayle King: TBA

Wednesday, May 4

Early Show: Candace Bushnell

Today: Shania Twain, Christy Turlington, Mark Bittman

David Letterman: Brian Williams, Rick Harrison, a Top Ten List presented by Betty White

Jay Leno: Kate Hudson, Chris Hemsworth, Sergio Mendes with Siedah Garrett

Jimmy Kimmel: Kenneth Branagh, Ellie Kemper, the 2011 National School Scrabble Champions

Craig Ferguson: John Waters, Pauley Perrette

Jimmy Fallon: Alec Baldwin, Maggie Q

Carson Daly: Anthony Ameen, Sarah Vowell, Goldheart Assembly

Tavis Smiley: Tom Selleck

Daily Show: David Barton

Colbert Report: Amy Farrell

Chelsea Lately: Melissa McCarthy, Joe Matarese, Chris Franjola, Ross Mathews

Conan O'Brien: Eva Mendes, Dan Dunn, the Belle Brigade

Lopez Tonight: Paul Walker, Mike Rowe, Julius Sharpe

The View: Dick Van Dyke, Lala Vazquez & Carmelo Anthony

The Talk: Estelle Harris, Patricia Richardson, Marion Ross, Susan Burton

Regis and Kelly: John Krasinski, Maggie Q

Ellen DeGeneres: John Krasinski

Gayle King: Rob Elder, Sheryl Crow

Thursday, May 5

Model (remember CK, Maybelline, Versace) turned director, Mother of Two, and Media Friendly,Turlington appeals to a wide and coveted demographic

Early Show: Jim Parsons, Melanie Notkin

Today: Giada De Laurentiis

David Letterman: Jodie Foster, Tom Dreesen, Neon Trees

Jay Leno: Katie Couric, Ralph Macchio, Priscilla Ahn

Jimmy Kimmel: Chris Hemsworth, Calexico

Craig Ferguson: Juliette Lewis, Phil Rosenthal

Jimmy Fallon: Tina Fey, Tom Welling, Twin Shadow

Carson Daly: Eliot Rausch, Mini Mansions

Tavis Smiley: Kenneth Branagh

Colbert Report: Bill James

Chelsea Lately: Dita Von Teese, John Caparulo, Fortune Feimster, Greg Fitzsimmons

Conan O'Brien: John Krasinski, Ian Edwards

Lopez Tonight: Eva Mendes, Mike Epps, Carlos Santana

The View: Amy Poehler, Guy Fieri, a performance by the cast of "Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy"

The Talk: Angela Bassett, Dave Pontell

Regis and Kelly: Kate Hudson, Jennifer Hudson

Ellen DeGeneres: Meat Loaf, Sara Niemietz

Gayle King: Rob Lowe

Friday, May 6

David Letterman: Mike Birbiglia, "The Human Fuse" Brian Miser, Brother

Jay Leno: Steven Tyler, the Civil Wars

Jimmy Kimmel: Rerun TBA

Craig Ferguson: Will Ferrell, Olivia Munn

Jimmy Fallon: Edie Falco

Carson Daly: Paul Feig, Dan Harmon, the Airborne Toxic Event

Tavis Smiley: Raphael Saadiq

Chelsea Lately: Mary McCormack, Fortune Feimster, Gary Valentine, Ross Mathews (R 4/28/11)

The View: Edie Falco, Toni Braxton

The Talk: Eva La Rue, Gina & Patrick Neely, Crystal Darak, guest co-host Gina Neely

Regis and Kelly: Jodie Foster, Ginnifer Goodwin

Ellen DeGeneres: Kate Hudson

Gayle King: Christy Turlington

USA Today: How Small Businesses Can Use Celebrities Effectively

Here is a link to this morning's USA Today Money section where I provide some celebrity strategies for small businesses (plus there are some great tips from others).

In addition to my comments in the story, here is Octagon First Call's 10-step cheat sheet when considering talent for your marketing campaigns.

Define what marketing success is to all your marketing agencies. It is important to understand this so that you can research talent that can deliver these particular needs and goals.

1. Understand and embrace celebrity influencers – do not limit yourself to only traditional celebrities. Influencers like nutritionists, fitness pros, doctors, chefs, etc. have a built in level of trust and credibility in their particular industries.
2. Perform due diligence before enlisting talent (understanding talent’s role with other corporate partners and charities; learning about their future professional and personal goals/obligations, pre-existing media relations/publicity responsibilities and checking prior behavioral issues
3. Think ahead to who will be relevant at the time of your campaign launch and needs, not necessarily the time of the negotiation. Enlist Talent who the media will want to talk to in and around your campaign.
4. Integrate the celebrity’s available assets into your campaign tactics (their databases, website, social media (twitter, facebook), books, dvds, recipes, etc.)
5. Be diligent in your expense planning. Incorporate extra expenses into your celebrity budget rather than leaving them as an afterthought. Items include wardrobe, hair/makeup, air, hotel, ground, meals and Union expenses.
6. Use Talent’s time wisely. Fee consideration and interest in a program is often based on how much time the program requires. Think creatively about how you can be efficient with time.
7. Include exclusivity language in your agreement.  Media blackouts and pitching exclusivity are necessary in and around the term.  These will ensure that Talent is bookable and that you’re campaign coverage is not cannibalized by other efforts. And of course, exclusivity in your brand/causes category is essential.
8. Be clear (internally) about how ‘important’ Talent is to the campaign. This is relevant as it will dictate the contractual elements that are deal breakers and then ones the brand can bend on.
9. Negotiate

PS...make sure to check back soon as we will be writing and tweeting daily in-and-around the Super Bowl & Oscars.

The Power of Books: Celebs at BookExpo America 2010

A number of celebrities stopped by this week's BookExpo America in New York City to chat with media, mingle with fans and promote their new books.

Books and book tours have become useful assets for marketers looking to pitch celebrities to media outlets for PR programs. in some cases, an upcoming book can be as valuable as a soon-to-be-released movie.

Here are some of the celebs that will marketable and mediable thanks to the release their new books...

Nigel Barker - Barker became a household name for his work as a judge on America's Next Top Model. The photographer has compiled his fashion and style expertise into a new book, Nigel Baker's Beauty Equation: Revealing a Better More Beautiful You. The book provides readers with practical beauty tips and also challenges them to reshape their self-image. Barker would be an excellent spokesperson for any beauty brand looking to activate in August or September, as his new book is due out on September 7th.

Tori Spelling - The reality television star's third book, Uncharted TerriTORI, is slated for release on June 15th. The book discusses recent developments in Spelling's life and talks about the challenges of balancing a family and a very public career. She is also releasing a children's book, Presenting...Tallulah, on September 21st. With a book that touches on the challenges of motherhood and a children's book coming out within three months of each other, Spelling seems like a prime candidate for a mom-focused campaign in late-summer or early-fall.

Tim Gunn - The popular fashion guru has finished his second book, Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making it Work, and it's slated for a September 7th release. Gunn is expanding his trademark catchphrase ("Make it work!") to areas beyond fashion and is now providing advice for all aspects of your life. The release of Gunn's book in September makes him relevant without the support of a new season of Project Runway. So fashion brands and marketers should keep their eye on Gunn, especially if they're looking to activate programs around New York Fashion Week, which starts on September 8th.

Tony Hawk - The title of Hawk's new book speaks for itself...How Did I Get Here? The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO tracks Hawk's rise from niche sport icon to CEO of a multi-million dollar skateboard empire. Hawk is one of the few adult celebrities capable of resonating with tweens and anything that makes him mediable in the back-to-school time frame (October 4th release date) is good news for tween focused brands.

Buddy Valastro- The Cake Boss has become a reality TV phenomenon. His small pastry shop in Hoboken, NJ seems to have a line that stretches down the block everyday. Valastro is capitalizing on his new found popularity and is releasing his first recipe book Cake Boss: The Stories and Recipes of Mia Famiglia. The book will hit stores on November 2nd, just before the start of the holiday season. He could be a good fit for food brands interested in developing programs during the holidays.

Are there any marketable celebs who weren't at BookExpo America, but have books being released soon? Let us know on our Facebook page.

First Call’s Celebrity Marketing Back-to-School Survey Results (Part III)

Through which medium does your child find out about celebrity/character-endorsed product offerings? Rank the 3 most popular mediums in order (1 = most popular medium).

Winner: Television (70.5%)

First Call Analysis: While marketers should consider a child's age when choosing their marketing tactics, the medium is just as (if not more) important.  Results showed that 70.5% of parents believe that their children learn about celebrity/character endorsed product offerings via television.  And, 91.3% of parents of middle school children listed television as the top medium to reach their child.  Pre-K students on the other hand, tend to respond better to TV when coupled with another tactic, such as packaging.    

Overall the top 5 mediums with the highest rating averages are as follows:  

1. Television
2. Packaging
3. Friends/Peers
4. Online
5. Point of Sale

With companies increasingly using social media to launch and promote campaigns, it is surprising to see online ranked fourth.  While it would seem companies are not using the most effective platform, perhaps this discrepancy is a result of the online space being difficult for parents to monitor.  Time will tell if Ryan Sheckler's JCPenney line and other celebrities with Facebook and YouTube promotions capture the back-to-school audience. We anticipate online campaigns to continue to grow and produce positive results.

How does your child stay up to date with their favorite celebrity/character? Check all that apply.

Winner: Television

Runner-Up: Friends, Network websites, Magazines, DVDs

First Call Analysis:  Consistent with the previous question, children stay up to date with their favorite celebrities/characters mostly through television.  Therefore the best way for a company to advertise products is through commercials when utilizing a celebrity figure.  The following chart shows which age group each medium resonates most with.  

From these results, you can see that college and high school students clearly prefer the internet when catching up on celeb gossip.  As a result of their age and parental control, younger kids (Pre-K) tend to stick to DVDs.  Marketers should consider where their target age group is spending most of their time before creating campaign tactics.

Eight Celebrity Cause Marketing Tips

Click here to get the PDF version of First Call's "Eight Celebrity Cause Marketing Tips."

Five Tips for Companies Dealing with Celebrities

In an economically challenging time, we are all being very careful on partnering with celebrities to ensure ROI. Here is a little cheat sheet of things to look for in a deal you are creating.

How to Better Programs and Save Costs

Five Negotiating Points to Pay Attention to in 2009

1.    Always ask for more but don’t get stuck with tactics you don’t need.  In the early stages of a negotiation, it’s a wise strategy to ask Talent for more services than you actually need.  This gives you leverage/flexibility so you can negotiate both dollars and services (you don’t need). However, as the negotiation winds down, make sure to eliminate/trade items you won’t need in the program. Otherwise, you’ll end up paying extra for useless services.

2.    Consider wardrobe, hair/make-up and travel buyouts.  Try to ncorporate these expenses into your celebrity budget rather than leaving them as an afterthought.   Give Talent a pre-approved budget for incidentals and let them decide how to best make use of the allotted funds.  While Talent may not always agree to this approach, it will help you stay within budget and avoid surprise expenses as the program progresses.

3.    Term Length.  Talent’s fees are tied to the length of the term, so be realistic when deciding how long you need usage and exclusivity rights. Remember to protect your brand, but similar to number one above, not at the expense of your budget.  Find the correct balance between how much time you want and how much you actually need for a successful program. 

4.    Specifically define internet needs.  The proliferation of the internet has blurred the lines between traditional advertising and PR programs.  When drafting deal points, be as specific as possible when defining what, where and how the Talent’s likeness will be used on the internet.  While this may make the negotiation a bit more difficult, you will know where you stand with usage rights from the program launch.

5.    Take advantage of the celebrities’ assets.  Examine all assets that your Talent can bring to the table.  Databases, books, facebook pages, personal websites, blogs, CD’s and product lines are among items that can add value to your campaign.  Evaluate which assets will be most effective for your campaign and make sure to include them in your deal points. Also, take advantage of all of the unofficial fan sites online (potentially from both an editorial and advertising perspective).

Tis' the Season

As the temperatures drop and the leaves continue to change colors, the holiday season is rapidly approaching. With the current economic crisis, Americans are expected to spend less during the traditionally extravagant season. Yet, companies still depend on the boost in sales to meet projections. Companies will have to work harder than ever to appeal to consumers and make their brand visible and appear worthwhile.

Some companies may consider using a media-friendly personality to break through the holiday clutter and increase brand visibility. Giuliana Rancic, for example, has the ability to increase brand awareness and influence consumers during the holiday season. As the host and managing editor of E! Entertainment News and the red-carpet correspondent for award shows, she is an expert in the entertainment industry. With the award season just around the corner, she will certainly be on a number of TV shows (in addition to her daily hosting responsibilities for E! News) with the ability to reach a large audience with brand messages.  She would be a great face to represent a fashion or beauty product for the holiday season.

PR Week features First Call's Celebrity/Cause Marketing Work

First Call understands the value of a celebrity. As celebrity consultants, we work to integrate celebrities into campaigns with various objectives. An increase in the publicity surrounding a campaign is one of the many benefits of incorporating a celebrity into the mix.

The current issue of PR Week features an article with First Call's David Schwab. In "Putting the campaign's best face forward"  Schwab shares practical advice on how to best use a celebrity in a PR campaign. An interview in which Schwab gives three pieces of advice to keep in mind when choosing a celebrity for a cause-related campaign can also be viewed on PR Week's homepage.