Therelationship Exponent
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ISSUE #3: The Relationship Exponent Relationships dominate our lives. At their best, they provide exponential value that is impossible to create individually. And in a world that’s driven more and more by social behavior, even brands are playing the relationship game. This issue examines what makes great partnerships work and what makes them break. LETTER FROM THE EDITOR May 12, 2016 Since I founded the agency fifteen years ago, I most often measure and evaluate the wider digital landscape by determining why our phone is ringing – what is prompting people’s calls? And for the past couple years, time and again, the caller at the end of the line is asking about the same thing – brand integration – one of those marketing buzzwords for what is ultimately a relationship between two brands. Transparently, that’s where this issue of Situation started. Let’s talk about partnerships, sponsorships, great brand collaborations. But as we scratched the DAMIAN BAZADONA is the President surface of what this meant, we discovered that this was a small piece in a much larger puzzle. and Founder of Situation, a digital agency that believes doing is greater than I’ll state the obvious and say that relationships are the byproduct of living in a hyper-connected having. Since its inception in 2001 and world. Put simply, there are just more relationships in our lives than ever before. Consider the from its headquarters in NYC, Situation various social platforms your business uses on a daily basis. You engage with those channels crafts brand experiences for some of the under an agreement in which you waive almost every right in exchange for data. Those biggest names in the global live event and relationships are arguably some of the most important business relationships we have, but how entertainment space. well do we really understand them? We’ve gotten lazy in how we treat some of these relationships, which is especially dangerous when there’s so much more that can go wrong. I’d be lying if I said it’s easy. Navigating this terrain is complicated. Yes, it’s about data, knowledge and understanding these agreements you’re entering. But it’s also about experience, wisdom, gut, and feeling – those subjective intangibles that, in my opinion, cannot be ignored when evaluating relationships. But the good news is that you’re on the right track – just by joining this conversation. We hope you walk away from this issue with a deeper understanding of the variety of dynamics that affect our relationships and how to fine-tune your instincts on investing in the relationships that win. Happy Reading, Damian Bazadona, President and Founder, Situation Contents Relationships That Win Spring/Summer 2016 06 BY JEREMY KRAUS www.situation.nyc Real Talk About Influencers and Marketers 08 BY MARK SEELEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAMIAN BAZADONA 10 200 Years of Relationships: MANAGING EDITORS ELLEN MULLEN, JORDAN PERSON BAM & Roundabout Theatre Company CONTENT EDITOR ELIZABETH GREENFIELD BY KATRYN GEANE ART & PRODUCTION Investing in Great Relationships – Literally 12 BY DAMIAN BAZADONA SENIOR CREATIVE OFFICERS TOM LORENZO, CHRIS POWERS ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR JOHN HOWELLS From Laptop to Living Room: DESIGNER MILES MORTON 16 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT JACKIE LAU Evolving Relationships in an On-Demand World PROJECT MANAGER SHAWNA MONSON BY PETER YAGECIC SITUATION CONTRIBUTORS Behind the Scenes @ Advertising Week KATRYN GEANE, JEREMY KRAUS, NICOLE LEMIEUX, 20 BY NICOLE LEMIEUX ELLEN MULLEN, AARON PFANNEBECKER, MARK SEELEY, PETER YAGECIC The IMAX Ingredient 22 BY AARON PFANNEBECKER SPECIAL THANKS The Relationship Ride: RACHEL BALDOCK, LISA CECCHINI, MARIA MARTINEZ, 26 KEVIN McAULEY, ALLIE MEIKLE, EILEEN MINNICK, Six Flags & Their Partnership Strategy NATALIA ORZEL, THE RUBIN MUSEUM, STEPHANIE SCIANDRA, BY ELLEN MULLEN KELLY SHERRARD, ERIC SMITH Relationships for Social Good 28 BY LINA RENZINA The Last Word 30 BY TEAM SITUATION “I’d be lying if I said it’s easy... experience, wisdom, gut, and feeling – those subjective intangibles cannot be ignored when evaluating relationships.” - Damian Bazadona, Situation PERSPECTIVES In the best partnerships, the resultant value is greater than the sum of the individual parts. These relationships provide exponential value that is impossible to create individually. We asked RELATIONSHIPS leading marketing minds in the live event and entertainment space the simple question: THAT WIN What makes an BY JEREMY KRAUS Executive Director of Client Services, Situation effective relationship? SITUATION >> THE RELATIONSHIP EXPONENT © Getty Images Clear understanding of campaign goals and metrics for success. When both parties bring forth their authentic selves. I engage But we should strive to be more than just effective. Exceptional with influencers from diverse audiences to grow the audience relationships — those that transcend the RFP process and create of our premier sporting event, the US Open. The most effective meaning for brands and audiences — are built on true passion partnerships allow the influencers to exhibit the brand in a way and love for the work. In this way, business relationships and that remains true to the voice of the influencer while maintaining romantic relationships are one and the same. the brand integrity. Consumers appreciate authenticity, and the MATTHEW BORST partnership is more successful as a result. Director of Connected Content, NICOLE KANKAM MTV Events/Viacom Music and Entertainment Group Managing Director of Marketing, United States Tennis Association Seamless and unified collaboration across the entire campaign Communication. The fruits of effective relationships within lifecycle for all the key stakeholders. That means understanding the NASCAR are easily visible — drivers and cars sport sponsors’ logos importance of the ‘value-exchange’ — architecting and executing in multimillion-dollar races attended by hundreds of thousands campaigns that are equally beneficial for all parties. Start with the of loyal fans — but it’s those relationships cultivated daily that underlying premise: Does this program add value for the brand, the allow for ‘race-day’ magic to happen. How? Emphasis is placed on property/asset-holder, and the fan? The idea can be brilliant, teeming collaboration, creativity, and critical, yet constructive feedback with cutting-edge technology and oozing with innovation — but if it’s amongst all stakeholders, including NASCAR, tracks, teams, not supported by all the parties critical to the campaign’s success — drivers, sponsors, TV partners, and (most importantly) fans. then you will not be building an ‘effective relationship.’ KYLIE EASTERLING SCOTT CARLIS Digital & Social Media Manager, Senior Vice President of Digital Media, Talladega Superspeedway Learfield 7 BRIEF The exponential growth of social platforms and online communities blurs the line between what’s a brand and who’s a friend. Everyday people find fame on REAL TALK ABOUT Vine, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, and their fans and followers trust their Real Talk opinions and recommendations. Slowly, celebrity endorsements have taken a backseat to the creation of integrated content from these influential internet stars. Brands seized the opportunity to access these active and niche fan bases INFLUENCERS AND in unique (and lucrative!) ways – and the influencer campaign was born. Although the philosophies of how to utilize, engage, and evaluate influencer MARKETERS campaigns vary, the most important steps are universal: BY MARK SEELEY • Define the relationship: Influencers aren’t a one-off band-aid solution. It’s never successful to just “bring in the influencers!” Influencer Engagement Supervisor, Situation integrations work best when built into the campaign from the start. • Build the relationship: Build and invest in your relationship with the influencers before, during, and after the campaign. Don’t fall into the trap of undervaluing influencers – treat them as you’d treat any other valuable organizational partner. SITUATION >> THE RELATIONSHIP EXPONENT In our experience in the live event and entertainment space, there are four common types of influencers that we use to support our brands: THE PROMOTER THE ARTIST THE LOOK-ALIKE THE CHEERLEADER Brands use The Promoter’s platform The Artist is brought on board for An influencer whose audience An influencer who has genuine to deliver a sales message or to their artistic talent and perspective matches the brand’s desired affinity for a brand and talks about push branded content out to their to produce content that matches audience. Through and through, the it willingly and often. A relationship audience. The relationship between the aesthetic of the campaign. The influencer’s digital presence reflects with The Cheerleader happens the brand and The Promoter is relationship between The Artist the lifestyle of the brand’s audience. organically and naturally. more transactional and less about and the brand requires extensive Metric: Audience growth and common interests. discussions and meetings to ensure Metric: Frequency. brand engagement. a consistent brand message. Challenge: In order to identify a Metric: Conversion. Challenge: The Look-Alike’s true Cheerleader, marketers must Metric: High-quality content Challenge: Unlike other types of audience may not necessarily have constantly be listening. Once a that both the brand and The influencers, the content and message affinity for the brand. While a Cheerleader finds a new interest and Artist’s audience can enjoy and being pushed