Can Ruff Ruffman Make Money on PBS

I have never heard of Ruff Ruffman. I would think that you were making it up if you mentioned it to me, but this character is apparently extremely popular. Why haven't I heard of him? Because he's on PBS so he can't be turned into a huge, lucrative brand like those on Disney and Nickelodeon...or can he? The Boston Globe reports that Ruff Ruffman is more popular than the Jonas brothers and "High School Musical" with 6-to-8-year olds. The article mentions that PBS tends to be highly watched by children who haven't started elementary school, but once they do, viewership is lost to cable channels and the Internet. PBS is working on taking measures to keep viewers after school starts. On top of this, we don't know who Ruffman is because the creators are very cautious to take the lovable, educational character and turn it into a full fledged money-making machine. They don't want parents to lose respect for the value of the character. This sounds like a great beginning position to be in. It's like you have a huge diamond that needs to be polished and you want to make sure the right person shines it so it doesn't get damaged. No matter what, you still have a diamond. With the right brand managers and marketing moves, there's no reason why Ruffman can't make tons of money and remain a valuable brand to parents.

Gods in Children's Cartoons

Could you imagine turning on Disney and finding a cartoon of Jesus Christ as a 9-year-old boy? He's skateboarding, going to school, hanging with his buddies and helping to fight off demons and evil just like a superhero. To many, this would be considered sacrilege, but in India, it's a hit. A recent article explained that Krishna, Ganesha, and Hanuman are a few of the characters that are outranking Popeye and Tom and Jerry in cartoons in India. Perhaps this popularity is comparable to Greek mythology and its presentation to children in films such as Disney's Hercules. We do have a cartoon that airs on basic cable that caters to Christians, but no character is supposed to be Jesus. Veggietales uses fun, cartoon vegetables to tell stories from the bible, but what's going on in India is different. The popularity of these cartoons is significant because young Indian children are being exposed to their own country's culture in their entertainment as opposed to getting imports like Popeye that reflect American sensibilities. The article mentions that from a financial standpoint, these cartoons are great for the market because the brands are already familiar. As opposed to the creation of a character like Spongebob, people must see him and understand his values and personality so that he becomes a lovable brand. When they use religious symbols to create a brand, they can't go wrong! Of course they love little Krishna for their kids. This is a very strong idea for India, but I question whether a move like this would be accepted in the Christian/American world.

Oooh, Disney's in Trouble

Stephen Slesinger, Inc. sued Disney over royalties for the Winnie the Pooh brand and won. This story was finalized yesterday and it details that Disney claimed their agreement with Slesinger was unclear, however a US District Court Judge disagreed. The article reports that Pooh makes up 25% of Disney's global retails sales in consumer products. That's a lot of money that Slesinger has been missing out on. Slesinger is credited with having given Pooh his red shirt and developing the brand since its beginnings as a book. Slesinger is now entitled to 1.5% to 2.5% of Winnie the Pooh's earnings so congrats on your win, Slesinger. You're rich!

Big Bird, Elmo and the Gang Turn 40

We all remember tuning into Bert and Ernie, Elmo, and Big Bird in the mornings when we were young. For the past 40 years, kids in more than 140 countries have shared in the same childhood experience. Sesame Street recently announced that it would be giving the program and new look and format to excite audiences. Apparently, Sesame Street has been constantly updating their programming to include changes changes in technology over of the years. They have said that they are the most well-researched show in television history which can explain the 122 Emmy's they have won. And don't forget toys like Tickle-me-elmo who has been the toy to get over the years. This shows just how influential and lucrative the Sesame Street Brand is. I can remember tuning into Sesame Street when I was a kid and loving it. It was funny, light, and educational, but of course I didn't care that I was learning when I was laughing. Sesame Street holds a fond place in many of our hearts. Happy Birthday, Sesame Street. Keep up the good work!

Casper the Friendly Ghost Returns in a Big Way

A well-timed story was just released announcing the return of a famous animated brand that has been around since 1949. Classic Media, a large brand media company, released a statement saying that Casper is going to be reintroduced to a new generation of children through a new CGI animated series on the Cartoon Network, a greeting card line, and with new clothing designs.

This news is especially important because 2009 marks the 60th anniversary for who is referred to as everyone's favorite nonthreatening apparition. In further news, there will be a Casper the Friendly Ghost theme park starting construction in Dubai next year, so if there was any question whether this brand had international potential, it's been answered. Casper the Friendly Ghost is worth $1 Billion. I would not have guessed it was worth that much, but perhaps the broad market appeal is raising the brand value.

Hi, Me llamo Ingenio

I am amazed that this story is new. I thought this had happened at least 10 years ago and I'm shocked to discover that the first bilingual educational toy brand was just released in the U.S. Coming years after Dora the Explorer blew up and became the face of bilingual brands in America, Ingenio is creating an educational brand whose mission is to teach children from ages 3-8 how to speak English and Spanish. Considering the fact that 22% of children in America are Latino, this is such an obvious idea. My parents sent me to one Kindergarten school over another for the specific reason that it taught Spanish. Surely, we couldn't have been the only ones with this thinking. Ingenio announced that their line will feature electronic learning toys, puzzles, and educational games. It is particularly important that children pick up languages at a young age because they learn and remember the information more easily. To add to their announcement, Ingenio said that 8 of the 10 products they have will be under $15, so it will make a great gift for a child during these tough economic times. Ingenio should go ahead and start developing products to teach other languages as well before someone else makes billions off of it.

And the Oscar for Best Picture Goes to...

As animated films are becoming more and more technically and creatively involved, animated movies are getting greater respect in the film industry. The Academy Awards already have a category for Best Animated Feature, but is it enough? With innovative new films like Astro Boy, Coraline, 9, Ponyo, and A Christmas Carol, the category seems to be too small! I recently read that animated films can be considered in the Best Picture category if the major characters are present in at least 75% of the total running time. So that means, if scrooge (Jim Carey) is in the film for 3/4 of the movie, the film could win the Oscar! Unfortunately, as I have been told, the award business in Hollywood involves a lot of politics and BS, so it might never happen, but we can hope, can't we?

Nickelodeon Buys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

In yet another throwback branding effort, Nickelodeon just purchased the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand. For a mere $60 million, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael were theirs. Before even getting the brand, Nick started working on the many platforms that it could profit from TMNT from feature films, online gaming, television cartoons, and of course through merchandising toys, clothing, and anything else you can imagine. About their purchase, the Nickelodeon President said, "We are extremely happy to have the opportunity to be able to focus on this property and creatively reintroduce it to a new generation of kids."  Of course they're happy. It seems that there are few animated brands that appeal to the male 7-12 year-old set, so the acquisition of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is perfect. Fortunately, TMNT can easily be converted into the tech age and it already seems to have a nice balance of humor and action. Good luck, Nick. Sounds like a good move to me.

Rainbow Brite Steps it Up

Hallmark, the company famous for making greeting cards is also the brand owner for Rainbow Brite. In a story that was just released, Hallmark announced that it would be rebranding Rainbow Brite to appeal to the tween set. This move comes soon after American Greetings revamped Strawberry Shortcake and Nickelodeon and Mattel created a new image for Dora the Explorer. These competing brands are struggling to keep up with the generation of kids who idolize stars like Hannah Montana. She's fun, she's bubbly, she's nice, and she's flirty. They want to capture this new persona of a young female with spunk. When I was a child, I was a huge fan of Rainbow Brite and I can remember thinking she was a tart back then because she wore knee-high boots and a short skirt. I can only imagine what they are going to do to bring her into 2009. When I was a fan of Rainbow Brite, the brand image sold $1 billion in toys and products. Let's see if the new Rainbow Brite can top that. 

Disney's First Black Princess

There's been some buzz over the last few months about a new Disney Movie that will be done in the traditional Disney animated feature style. Of course, there will be a princess and just like Jasmine was the first Middle Eastern princess and Pocahontas was the first Native American Princess, Tiana will be the first black princess. In a move that couldn't be more topical, Disney announced that they were making The Princess and the Frog in March of 2007, while Obama announced he was running for President in February of 2007. Disney is taking a hint from the American public and finally recognizing that if America is ready for a black president, they're ready for a black princess. Now the next big question is, are they ready for her to end up with a white prince?

Barbie Does Your Nails

Today, Mattel continued on their mission to spread the Barbie brand into our technologically driven society. They announced the release of a new digital nail printer with thermal inkject technology. This product is marketed for both adults and children as there is a following of adults that collect Barbie dolls. Kids and adults can choose from a variety of colors and patterns to decorate their nails and the printer costs a mere $179.99. Ink is $10 and the nail polish kit is $30.

Now, I know that Christmas is coming up and Mattel is probably hoping that this product will sell, but don't they remember we're in a recession? The price tag for a children's product that can only do one thing is crazy! Perhaps they should have used cheaper materials to make the printer so it could at least be under $100. I am also curious about how much of the cost comes from using the Barbie brand or whether it's from the printer alone. For $179.99+$10 (for ink)+$30 (for nail polish kit), you could get 22 manicure sessions at a fancy New York nail salon! I predict now that this product will fail miserably if it stays at its current price point.

GOOOOAAAAALLLL for Astro Boy!

Most countries that are campaigning for the Olympics and other international sporting events use an animated character to represent their campaign. For the FIFA World Cup in 2018/22, Japan has chosen to use a brand that has already been created and used for an unrelated purpose. Astro Boy, a movie character, has been chosen by Japan as the official brand for its FIFA World Cup bid. This is particularly interesting because Japan is intentionally choosing a character that will appeal to children now. These children will be the adults that are going to be watching the FIFA World Cup by the time the games occur. They are intentionally choosing a brand that will grow with its fans. According to Phil Butler, Japan is very proud of the Astro Boy character because he a lovable and carries a hopeful message. Japan's choice of Astro Boy is significant because he wasn't developed for the sole purpose of the FIFA World Cup, but is being taken from a movie studio.

Epic Mickey

A lot of time, effort, and money are put into brand management. There is a reason why Superman, who was created in 1932, is still on children's bed sheets, in their books, and in their movies. Superman hasn't changed and adapted to the digital age. He doesn't have a keyboard that comes out of his stomach and he doesn't have a built-in computer in his brain, yet kids still see him as relevant today. There are people that have been actively working since 1932 on the development and correct distribution of the Superman brand. The same goes for Disney. 

Mickey Mouse is one of the most iconic animated brands of our time. He symbolizes joy, curiosity, love, friendship, and simplicity. But what would happen if a brand that has been carefully developed over decades changes its identity?

Last week, news was released about a video game titled, "Epic Mickey." According to Drew McWeeny, "Mickey Mouse might be involved in one of the most inventive uses of the company's overall iconography ever, and one that serves in some ways as a wry commentary on the way we devour and then discard pop culture as a whole."

The game uses "forgotten" characters from Disney like Mickey, Donald and Goofy. As the player, you are Mickey and you must use artistic tools like paintbrushes and erasers to prevent your character friends from being swallowed up by a black blob. Not only is this a push to promote classic 

Disney brands, it is also sending out a message about society and its disregard for historical art. Disney is taking a huge risk by releasing a video game like this. First of all, it uses very untraditional animation that Disney fans are not used to seeing. Epic Mickey has the potential to be a life changing branding move for Disney in a good way, but it also puts the characters at risk of losing their meaning. Will this be good or bad? We'll have to wait and see...

Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?

To many of us, Spongebob Squarepants is a popular children's brand that has a fanbase in the 6-11 year-old demographic. The cartoon airs frequently on Nickelodeon and was even made into a movie a few years ago. Yesterday, Nickelodeon announced that it will be celebrating Spongebob's 10th Anniversary with a Prime Time TV Event. First of all, it is amazing to me that Spongebob has been around so long. I was 12 when the brand first aired yet it seems like he's only been around for a few years. The beauty of Spongebob is that even though I got older and grew out of the cartoon, there are still millions of children that can appreciate the show today. In fact, thanks to the Internet, children can interact with Spongebob any time they like.

The beauty of an animated brand is that as long as the entertainment is delivered and the brand is properly managed, there is no reason why Spongebob should ever lose its power. Unlike other popular children's brands like Hannah Montana, Zach and Cody, and The Jonas Brothers, Spongebob will not grow up. He will not become rebellious and enter into the celebrity party scene. He can't become a has-been. As long as he is properly licensed and branded, he can continue to be like the Simpsons and air for over 20 years. Even after 10 years, Spongebob draws in over 100,000,000 viewers every quarter and is viewed in 26 languages. It is the most widely distributed property of MTV Networks' history.

If anyone wants to disregard the importance of children's animated brands, simply look at the numbers. Merchandising for Spongebob earns $8-BILLION a year. Just to help you compare, the ENTIRE gaming industry was worth 22 billion in 2008. Nickelodeon deserves to have a celebration after 10 years with Spongebob. I'm sure that the big celebrity appearance-filled anniversary show will only make those merchandising numbers keep going up.

Powermat...Wow

I recently read an article about a new product that would have the ability to charge any electronic item without using wires. The product, known as a Powermat, is essentially a pad that you place your laptop, phone, ipod, or any other electronic item on and it charges it.

Now aside from being really cool, this technological innovation has the power to change the way we use our gadgets. I think of the occasions where I am in an office and someone's phone is dying. They search the room for another person who has a charger that is compatible with them, but usually get no luck. Think about traveling where we have to pack a multitude of chargers for our music players, cameras, phones, and laptops. If the Powermat catches on, all hotels, offices, and homes will have one.

According to engadget.com, (http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/06/powermat-wireless-chargers-unleashed-into-the-atmosphere-for-re/) this product is already being sold at Best Buy and Target stores, so all of the naysayers that might think this is only for real techies are wrong. The concept of wireless energy is something that has been studied since the 1890's where Nikola Tesla demonstrated that it could be done (http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2009/01/powermat_launch.html).

For some crazy reason, this research had been mostly ignored until recently when an Israeli startup named Powermat came into the picture. One of the chief executives responsible for advertising for the Powermat was quoted as saying, "We are confident that Powermat can be a tremendous success in [the UK and U.S.] and are excited to play a key role in introducing it to customers" (http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/926568/Maxus-wins-Powermat-media-business/) Here is a link for their new commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooKhxk4m1ag

All I can say is, invest NOW.

Man TV

This past Sunday, I accompanied my boyfriend, an avid Steelers fan, to watch a football game at a Steeler's bar. I usually do not keep up with sports, so I am not as familiar with the graphics, advertisements, and overall set-up of sports entertainment. Of course, we have all seen the Super Bowl and its ads but the structure of NFL entertainment is different during the rest of the season.
I noticed that almost every aspect of the program is sponsored by one of three major industries; telecommunications, food and beverages, and automobiles (particularly trucks).

The ads are not only targeted to men but they are all pushing the image of masculinity. You're a real man so you need tough tortilla chips that can handle salsa. I also love the Ford trucks ads that only air during sporting events because they are targeted so specifically to the American male football lover. Power, authority, and toughness are attributes that these advertisers use to sell products. It's interesting to see how different the angle is for almost every other network program. Take a look at the Tostitos commercial that I saw during primetime network programming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-sWa517Yh4
While this addresses the health benefits of Tostitos chips, this ad has a different focus http://www.spike.com/video/lazy-co-workers/2695146
The men are relaxing and enjoying their food while the woman is sitting, completing the group's work. During many of the Football ads, children and women are rarely portrayed and there is a much more fraternal tone taken.

While my observations are pretty easy for anyone to notice, I still get a kick out of seeing how targeted these commercials can get depending on the market. It often takes not being a part of that market to see just how demographically designed it is.

What is the difference between Network programming and the Home Shopping Network?

It has become impossible to view programs like The Today Show, Ellen, The Tonight Show, or The Late Night Show without seeing a plug for a product or service during the program. Of course we are used to seeing the interviews where the celebrity or musician comes onto the show to promote their movie, television program, album, etc., but I have noticed another kind of sales tactic. I am not sure whether this is a newer habit or if it has been going on all this time and I only recently noticed it. I would have to assume that this has been happening for a while.

Between the monologue and the guest interviews, (not The Today Show) the host will do some random bit like having a Ford Hybrid race or a Pringles chip-eating contest. How about the sketch on Jimmy Fallon named iphone applications? The writers make up silly applications that are "available on the iphone." They even have the balls to further their sketches by mentioning the website of the company they are promoting.

Now, at least we can say that talk show programs are still trying to make people laugh, but I consider The Today Show to be almost exactly like the Home Shopping Network. They have bits on fashion, home decorating, and a variety of other domestic topics. Whenever I watch these segments, I see the television host accompanied by some industry professional (or Public Relations person). They go down a line of beautifully displayed products addressing each one, why we should get one, and how much it retails for. Even the layout of information on the television screen takes the same format as the televised sales programs. The host and guest also mention the website for the product they are plugging just to make it that much easier for you to find and buy it. To put it simply, turn the channel to QVC or HSN and you will see no difference. Many disrespect the QVC, HSN, and other televised sales networks and praise the quality and entertainment value of these network programs, but if we look more closely, who is really the deceptive one?