Diet Coke has teamed up with Conan O’Brien to create the buzz around and give viewers a bit of a preview of his new show set to air on TBS November 8, 2010. Show Zero, a promotional teaser, according to Ad Age will feature Conan O’Brien, celebrity guests as well as a live commercial from Diet Coke. The show will be streamed on TeamCoco.com, and Monday, November 1, 2010 at 11:00pm eastern/8:00pm pacific. This triple cast is not new to any of Conan’s faithfuls as according to teamcoco.com, this is just another internet special.
Diet Coke Rallies Behind Team Coco
The outpouring of support that came with the departure of Conan O’Brien from late night television was quite remarkable. Fans were throwing their support behind Conan on Twitter, Facebook and TeamCoco.com and O’Brien has not disappointed. He has continued to reach out to his fans through his triple casts (streaming on his website, YouTube and Facebook), his tweets and Facebook fan page to promote the new show. Diet Coke, while not being named as an advertiser of the new show, is rallying behind Conan with the creation of Show Zero (one would think that Coke Zero would be the sponsor of Show Zero but maybe that was too obvious or maybe there will be a “celebrity” appearance by Coke Zero)?
Brands Celebrity Endorsers
Brands are not new to having celebrities endorse their products and while many have been forced to cut ties with some due to behavior that was not inline with the brand, we are seeing a bit of a reversal with brands endorsing the celebrities with promotions and online rebroadcasts of television shows. Not too long ago, Bing jumped on the Lebron train with sponsoring The Decision, continuing a long standing relationship with Lebron James. This shift from celebrity endorsers to brand endorsers has not seemed to ruin a brand’s image, the way that a celebrity’s behavior could.
The response to the Conan-Leno drama favored Conan but seems to have no long term affects on the Tonight Show once Jay Leno returned. The move by Diet Coke to team up with Conan and create Show Zero could prove to be a very smart decision but one would think that the viewers of Conan would be more inline with Coke Zero. Although Diet Coke’s distribution is greater when we consider the fountain drinks at restaurants, fast food and convenience stores.
Diet Coke Advertiser Exclusivity
The exclusivity that Diet Coke is receiving with Show Zero is not that unlike any brand sponsors an online rebroadcast of television shows. As a consumer, watching a program online with limited interruptions and the interruptions being from one advertiser is enticing. Big brands are able to capture the attention of the audience. The consumer is focused on that brand and that brand only which not only gains awareness but also builds brand loyalty. It is refreshing to watch a program online and not have 18 minutes of commercials. The downside is for the small business owner as many are not able to afford a sponsorship of this nature and for the local businesses, as the sponsorships are national and not regional, the geographics do not support this. As the online rebroadcasts grow, the regionalization would be key for small businesses as they would be much more affordable and localized.
Brand are always seeking ways to get their message in front of their target and sponsorships like Show Zero offer not only exclusivity, it also gets mainstream media talking. Diet Coke is positioned, with the live commercial and should all the Conan faithfuls tune in, to receive quite of free advertising or at the very least capture the other Team Coco supporters.
Is late night tv on your radar? Will you tune in to see the live commercial and Show Zero?
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