When Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen opened in cinemas yesterday, it marked a remarkable journey for a brand that started life as a mere toy, albeit one that captured the imagination of a generation of boys.
From comics to cartoons and now movies that gross millions, Transformers is testament to the power of a brand and its ability to operate in different fields. It is no coincidence that Transformers' owner, Hasbro, is a backer of the movie, along with Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks. The US toy manufacturer is also a media owner, having last month entered into a joint venture with the US nature and science cable channel Discovery, a collaboration that could lead to some interesting programming: My Little Pony - Untamed, anyone?
Critics say the channel will be little more than one big ad, but it is symptomatic of the challenges brands face to get their message through the clutter and around increasing media fragmentation. No wonder they are turning to branded content - the successor to product placement, which has annoyed viewers.
If you don't have a brand that can transform itself into an entertainment vehicle, then you might underwrite a program into which you can weave your brand into the storyline.
Last year, for example, Kellogg's Nutri-Grain backed a pay TV program about youngsters competing to become the next Socceroo. Logos and product were liberally shown in the prime-time program, and while some, including myself, argue it was an ad, the audience, which peaked at 180,000, didn't seem to care; they just wanted to be entertained.
There are an estimated 200 hours of branded content TV on air or in the pipeline in Australia at a cost of $25 million to advertisers. Toy brands and companies like Marvel are better placed to make that leap into the world of entertainment.
Billabong and Red Bull might not have characters like Batman or Spider-Man but they have the next best thing - a connection with sports like surfing, and motor and "sky racing". I challenge anyone to make anything vaguely entertaining around, say, Chicken Tonight.
Hasbro is playing at one end of the scale, getting into bed with Hollywood and relying on its storytelling skills to create what might be genuine entertainment but is in reality an ad. Hasbro is in it for the long term, drip-feeding us entertainment backed by a merchandising machine that ensures sales of toys match, if not exceed, revenue from the film. Later this year GI Joe hits our screens.
As Hollywood's traditional sources of funding dry up, studios will inevitably turn to brands. Not that brands will necessarily always jump at the offer. Films take a long time to make. As Tim Flattery of the branded content agency Carat Engage says, "Clients don't really have the appetite for a 10-year turnaround."
What they do like is the sort of thing that will be hitting Channel Nine later this year, a dumbed-down version of Ten's runaway success MasterChef, only for people who can't cook, or at least not professionally. Yes, make a date for The Coles Great Aussie Cook Off, because it promises to be entertaining, but perhaps not in the way that its makers envisaged.
jlee@smh.com.au
SMH
