I Feel for the Bud.TV Marketing Manager

So Budweiser is creating an online entertainment network called Bud.TV. Plans call for Bud.TV to have seven channels of programming ranging from comedy to sports to news to the now trite “consumer-generated media.”

Sure that’s interesting marketing stuff, but what I found more interesting were comments made by Tony Ponturo, VP of Global Media & Sports Marketing at Anheuser-Busch.

When asked by the Wall Street Journal (Sept. 13 issue) to talk about the dangers of emphasizing the measurement of marketing programs, Ponturo replied, “Companies, marketing departments and the top-level executives need to give a little room for experimentation. I don’t think you want to allow measurement to override creativity and the adventure of new media.”

The Wall Street Journal followed-up with a question asking Ponturo to talk about the traffic goals Anheuser-Busch has for Bud.TV. Ponturo replied, “So we are saying: ‘Can we be in six months what YouTube is?’ Bud.TV is unknown today, but with our marketing and awareness programs that reach is not an unreasonable objective for the first 90 days.”

This is where I feel for the Marketing Manager responsible for Bud.TV because s/he is setup to fail. By setting the success bar at equaling YouTube’s impact, Tony Ponturo is asking a lot of Bud.TV to accomplish from the get-go. YouTube streams over 100,000,000 videos a day and handles 60% of all videos watched online. Is it realistic to expect Bud.TV to deliver stats like that? I don’t think so.

Coca-Cola has similar widespread marketing and awareness programs to Budweiser. However, we recently learned Coke’s efforts to attract viewers to their online entertainment network, The Coke Show, have faltered.

Maybe Tony Ponturo should revisit his earlier statement saying companies should allow room for experimentation and not allow measurement goals to override the adventure of new media.

Comments

[Sean]

Honestly, I don't really want to interact with a brand more than I have to. Every podcast I listen to is for informational purposes. Same with the blogs I read (save for google blog) and the videos I watch. I don't want a broadband channel from Coke, I want a delicious, refreshing drink. Same goes for Bud.tv.

I have no desire to interact with a commodity unless it is offering real value.

[patmcgraw]

Amen to Sean's comments. Aren't we all busy enough? Why do I need to waste time on valueless online stuff?

And adding one more thought - does anyone read “Companies, marketing departments and the top-level executives need to give a little room for experimentation. I don’t think you want to allow measurement to override creativity and the adventure of new media.” and get the impression that creative drove this 'experiment' because 60-second spots are dying?