Is Image Promotion Set for a Comeback?

It's been a decade since we heard "The Address is CBS" and a quarter century since NBC urged all of all to "Be There." Gone are the days of those great network image campaigns that surrounded every recognizable network star eye-popping graphics with lavish sets.

But now ABC is bringing back the image campaign, according to MediaDailyNews. ABC Entertainment Executive VP of Marketing Marla Provencio kept mum on the campaign theme, but announced to the Television Critics Association tour that come mid-August, ABC will debut promos featuring network stars from primetime, daytime and even news.

Now we're talking!

Despite all the lip service paid to the importance of branding, networks and stations have all but ignored this most vital of tools — image campaigns that promote the brand itself. It's as if dwindling market share and profit margins convinced the networks the logo itself is sufficient to promote the brand.

Of course, they had their reasons: the need to squeeze every dollar out of precious commercial time and the fear that image spots give viewers one more chance to change channels. And so Fox, CBS and CW all promote their fall premieres one-at-a-time or in weekday blocks. NBC does the same, while taking full advantage of its Olympics coverage.

Ironically, the network that's reviving the old-fashioned image campaign is the home of the prescient "ABC Start Here" branding strategy, which advances the notion that broadcast TV is just the first stop en route to the wonders of broadband and mobile media. But then, arguably, ABC is the network with the most to gain from an image campaign. It's blessed with a wealth of scripted hits whose attractive stars are actually recognized by a wide range of demos.

Even so, ABC has announced no plan to persuade affiliates to adopt the new campaign. That's just as well because network branding appears to do little for local stations, even the O&O's.

So how can image promotion help a station? By reminding viewers what's special about the station, the market and the relationship between the two.

That almost always means focusing on a station's newscast and news team. One of the best examples can be found at the CBS O&O WBZ Boston in its "Declare Your Curiosity" campaign.

The brilliance of this campaign is that it completely reverses traditional image promotion strategies. Instead of the usual images of dynamic reporters dashing around town to the beat of the theme music, the creative focus is an artful display of the viewers and their concerns — in their own words.

"We're in a smart market that's opinionated and curious and has a lot of questions," says WBZ Creative Services Director Wendy McMahon. "We're embracing that. But, like a lot of media companies, we're also asking how to have a conversation with our viewers."

McMahon is approaching her second anniversary at WBZ, where she reunited with GM Ed Piette, who was also her boss at another venerable CBS station, WCCO Minneapolis. When we first encountered McMahon she had just begun the task of rebuilding WBZ's image by ditching the lamentable label CBS-4 and restoring its beloved call letters.

The "curiosity" angle is no accident, says McMahon. "Our research reinforced our awareness of the great local pride in Boston and New England. The word ‘curious' really exemplifies our viewers' desire to know more."

That's easy to believe about a region where citizens still debate major municipal decisions in lengthy town meetings. But if "curious" seems a peculiarly passive hook for the macho topic of news promotion, WBZ begs to disagree.

"We wanted a softer approach than typical news promo jargon," says McMahon, who insists the word curious "has its own kind of edge. It makes you sit back and think about the conversation you want to have with the news."

And this conversation is more than cosmetic. It's the core of the campaign, which is built around viewers' own questions — on air, online and in the newscasts themselves.

The on-air promos feature station news talent holding placards with actual viewer quotes "declaring their curiosity" about local topics. (To see a sample, click here and then click on "Watch video.")

On the WBZ Web site, viewers are invited to post personal comments or questions (along with optional photos or videos) declaring their curiosity about any topic. Viewers can also contribute to topical blog conversations with WBZ anchors and reporters.

"Blogs have been a perfect addition to the campaign," says McMahon. "It lets us feature viewers online and in the newscast, which lends a new personality to the news and to WBZ."

The viewer remarks often serve as the impetus for stories, but always add a local perspective, elevating, for example, what might have been a generic report about rising fuel prices to a story that speaks to Boston viewers.

The results of this image-driven strategy speak for themselves. After more than a decade languishing in second and third place, this May, WBZ posted significant year-to-year growth in household ratings for every newscast in every daypart — especially among the coveted male 18-49 demo. It was No. 1 at 11 p.m. for the first time in 15 years. And the growth trend has continued through June and so far into July.

So how much of the credit goes to the Curiosity-driven image campaign?

"Everyone asks if there's a magic formula, a mix between headline-driven promotion and strategic image promotion," says McMahon. "It's really important to give time to both."

And timing is as important as airtime, says McMahon, who held off with on the image spots until the newscast itself was ready for an infusion of new viewers — a strategy heartily endorsed and supported by News Director Jeff Kiernan, also a WCCO alumnus.

"Jeff is a news guy who gets the importance of creative services," says McMahon. "Our teams worked together closely to create and promote topical stories and special reports — all branded with the new WBZ logo and graphics. The increased viewer sampling and frequency gave the newscast and creative services a fresh platform to build upon."

Given this success, some stations might be tempted to extend the image campaign to other parts of the brand. Not WBZ. McMahon is determined to keep the "Curiosity" campaign separate from network and syndicated news and entertainment shows

"We're excited by our increased news ratings and the growing metrics of the Web site," says McMahon. "But at its core this is a branding campaign for the television station and the community."

Market Share by Arthur Greenwald showcases successful local marketing every Monday at TVNewsday. Have you got a hot image campaign running or launching in your market? Tell us about it. Send the details to Arthur at greenwald@tvnewsday.com.