Pertinent Product Placement on “Modern Family”

By: Dixon Schwabl Guest Blogger

Watching television isn’t something I do very often, however I do make time to sit down and relax every Wednesday night to catch new episodes of ABC’s hit show, “Modern Family.” The buzz surrounding the show hit my group of friends, and half way through the first season I found myself engulfed in the entertaining comedy after watching just one episode. It’s witty, hilarious and very relatable storyline has provided a comedic outlet to most families nowadays (hence the title).

With three individual families all related and connected to each other in some way, “Modern Family” has turned into a popular household name. Top brands are weighing in and competing for product placement on the show, although the producers are very cautious.

A recent article featured in Ad Age explained that producers Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd will only use product placement if it is completely relevant to the characters and the plot. For example, a Toyota Prius was featured on the show being driven by character Mitchell Pritchett since he is an environmental attorney. Other lucky brands to receive exposure on the hit comedy include Apple and Target. Apple was featured when Phil Dunphy, a cool yet competitive dad, got his hands on the newest iPad. During the holiday season, Claire Dunphy, Phil’s wife and overprotective supermom full of charismatic energy, endorsed Target when she went there to get her Christmas shopping done.

Today’s most recognizable brands are willing to pay top dollar to get a spot on the show. According to Ad Age, a 30-second spot on “Modern Family” costs $249,388—that’s more than $8,300 per second! In my opinion, this is very smart of the producers. Many movies and television shows these days are full of top-of-the-line products that many average American families can not afford, making the production seem unrealistic. Even though the show could generate a ton of revenue from these product placements, it stays true to its roots and the story line to make the families relatable to their audience.


Product placement will always be a factor in the advertising industry. Compared to a TV commercial or a magazine ad, product placement is a smart and innovative advertising route that allows brands and companies to connect to their consumers in a noninvasive way. There is a fine line to successful brand placement in today’s world of cinema and I believe that the “Modern Family” crew has done a great job with it by keeping any product placement realistic and relevant to the character’s lives.

Image 1 courtesy of indyposted.com
Image 2 courtesy of daveibsen.typepad.com
Image 3 courtesy of xfinity.comcast.net
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Caitlyn Tuzzolino is an intern in the Account Service department. She is a senior at St. John Fisher College, majoring in Business Management, concentrating in Marketing and minoring in Communication. She will graduate in May 2012.

February 2nd, 2012 by Dixon Schwabl Guest Blogger
Posted in Advertising, Product Placement, Television, marketing
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Oh the Irony

By: Kim Allen

Last week, in a 4-1 vote, the Green Mountain Care Board voted reluctantly to end its hunt for a PR professional just one week after said hunt began. The decision came on the heels of intense criticism from Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, who helped establish the board.

This isn’t the first time that Shumlin has gotten in the way of a state agency hiring a public relations practitioner. The agencies of Natural Resources and Commerce were each recently seeking PR professionals and the Governor nixed both postings.

Shumlin stated, “As governor I do have a responsibility to let people know when we’re making a mistake with taxpayer dollars, whether it’s money I control or money I don’t. And I want to make very clear that we shouldn’t use taxpayer dollars to hire public relations people.”

This story and that quote caused me to stop in my tracks.

As a 15-year career PR professional, I know all too well the pains of educating those around us about this industry. In fact, the professional organization that represents PR practitioners, the Public Relations Society of America, has recently launched a campaign to aptly define the industry and is struggling to do so. To me, public relations is this: the development of strategic communications initiatives that support building and maintaining a positive reputation for a person, product, organization or service through the use of third-party endorsements and key messages.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin

As practitioners who possess many vital skills, including strategic guidance, writing and public speaking, it is unfortunate that it’s a struggle to define what we do and expect others to fully grasp it.

But, for a politician, someone who is in the public eye every day on a statewide level, to not understand the value that accompanies a trained communicator and the value that communicator brings to bear on a situation is laughable to me. With government scrutiny at an all-time high and voter turnout at an all-time low, it seems to me that it’s high time someone evaluated the issue, got to the core of what is going on in the minds of Americans, and developed a plan for helping to reshape that perception. It’s the perfect job for someone in, say, public relations.

Image courtesy of killingtonblog.com

January 26th, 2012 by Kim Allen
Posted in Media, Public Relations
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What’s So Great About Tebow?

By: Dixon Schwabl Guest Blogger

The current playoff season has proven to be one of the most exciting and talked about seasons in recent NFL history. One quarterback, however, was at the center of it all. This time, it wasn’t the glorified Tom Brady or Eli Manning getting all the news coverage. Instead, it was Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos backup quarterback who led his team to an 8-8 season and 2 playoff games after taking the number one spot from Kyle Orton five weeks into a losing season.

I’ll admit, I was one of those individuals who got on the Tebow bandwagon. Throughout the rest of the season, I rooted for him to win (except when playing the Bills), used the word “Tebowing” as a verb, and was thrilled to see him defy the odds and beat the Steelers on the first play of overtime.  Fans rallied around Tebow as he went on to win 5 straight games, despite the fact that he often failed to make big plays until the fourth quarter and had the lowest completion rate in the NFL.

So what was it about this quarterback whose spirals often failed to spiral that made him such a celebrity?

After giving this some thought I realized the cause of Tebowmania. Tim Tebow’s positioning in the football market was unlike many star quarterbacks, and marketers took advantage of it.

Tebow wasn’t a football player with a jail record. He was never accused of a crime and didn’t have an arrogant attitude. He was a player that was upfront in his belief in Christianity, was heard singing religious hymns while warming up, and spread motivating words to his teammates when plays didn’t go as planned. Finally, the “good guy” was winning and fans wanted to believe in him.

The positioning of Tebow as the good, religious, comeback quarterback proved successful. According to Ad Age, Tebow’s win over the Steelers was the highest rated first round NFL playoff game in 24 years, his name was mentioned in 9,420 tweets per second on Twitter, setting a peak record after the game, and his marketing income is expected to increase from $3 million to $5 million in the next year. The name “Tebow” became a household phenomenon as politicians such as Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann made reference to him, skits were aired on SNL, and ESPN spent countless hours discussing the quarterback.

After the defeat of the Steelers, it was reported that Tebow threw for 316 yards and averaged 31.6 yards per completion. Both numbers paralleled Tebow’s favorite scripture John 3:16 and prompted even greater coverage on the already famous quarterback. According to Time, the top three Google Trends on the Monday following the game were “John 3:16,” “Tebow,” and “Tim Tebow,” which further proved his popularity in the football market. Most recently, Tebow was approached by CBS to commentate on the AFC Championship game which, if he agrees, will continue to keep him in the spotlight even after being eliminated from the playoffs.

Even now that Tebow’s road to the Superbowl has been cut short, the debate over whether or not he can be considered a “great” NFL quarterback will most likely continue. Maybe he was a one season wonder or maybe he will continue to shine into next season. However, regardless of how people feel about his football playing abilities, one thing stands true. The marketing of Tim Tebow was undoubtedly successful. The coverage he received and the popularity he gained was unlike any other player this season. From his ESPN presence to his social media presence, Tim Tebow was known to fans way beyond Mile High Stadium.
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Allison Sirica is an intern in the Account Service department. She is a senior at SUNY Geneseo, majoring in Communication with a minor in Business Studies, and will graduate in May 2012.

January 20th, 2012 by Dixon Schwabl Guest Blogger
Posted in Advertising, Media, Sports, Uncategorized, marketing
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3 Tips for Smart Mailers

By: Jordan Dixon

Over the years, the price of postage has increased due to many factors, some of which are: the price of fuel, the cost of employment, and overall inflation. Despite the reasons, rising postage costs aren’t anything new. As a matter of fact, the first postal increase occurred in 1855 and the next one will go into effect Sunday, January 22, 2012.

What does this mean to those sending First-Class Mail through the USPS? According to the USPS® website, it means the following:

  • There is a $.01 per-piece increase on letters (1 oz.). The new First-Class Stamp will cost $.45 per piece.
  • There will be a $.03 increase on postcards. The new Postcard rate will be $.32 per piece.
  • Letters mailing to Canada or Mexico will be subject to a $.05 increase. The new Canada or Mexico postage rate will be $.85 per piece.
  • Letters to other International Countries will increase $.07. The new International Rate will be $1.05 per piece.
  • The second ounce for Presorted First Class Mail will now be free.

As of 1/18/12, we do not yet know what the exact per-piece postage increase will be for Standard Mail Letters, only that the increase will be slightly below the overall average at less than 1.9%. Thankfully, there is always a cap on just how much the postage rate will increase at any given time based on the rate of inflation which is measured by the Consumer Price Index and is currently at 2.1%. Here are the percentages of increase broken out:

Class Percent Change
First-Class Mail
 2.133
Standard Mail
 2.144
Periodicals
 2.133
Package Services
 2.133
Extra Services
 -.663

There are also a few things smart mailers can do to reduce the impact of these rising costs. First, make sure your mailing list is as “clean” as possible and has had the proper checks and certifications and that you’ve removed any duplicate or undeliverable addresses to ensure you’re not paying for unnecessary postage. Second, if your mailing meets a certain format and quantity, it may qualify for a discounted rate if it’s presorted (put in delivery order before it’s taken to the post office). And finally, always consult with your local mailpiece design analyst before doing a mailing. You may have a great idea for a custom piece, but he or she will make sure it meets the USPS’ mailing standards before it’s created and be able to tell you what rate it will mail at based on the format, quantity, destination, etc., Your mailpiece design analyst can also help you make sure you’re getting the best possible rate, despite rising postage costs.

And one last tip: Keep it creative! There are all kinds of cool folding tactics, special paper and materials, and other ways to make your piece stand out from the crowd and still mail at a discounted rate.

January 19th, 2012 by Jordan Dixon
Posted in Current Events, Design, How-To, packaging
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Reducing Your Environmental Impact Makes Good Business Sense

By: Lauren Dixon

There are many ways businesses can demonstrate a commitment to the environment, and promote better use of resources to employees, vendors and even clients.  Dixon Schwabl and its employee-led “Green Team” has grown from a handful of employees into a 12-person team dedicated to changing the way the agency approaches day-to-day activities. The Green Team aims to not only focus on the economic bottom line for Dixon Schwabl, but also the environmental bottom line to make the community a better place to live and work.  To fully implement our green initiative, Dixon Schwabl is enhancing the way we provide services in several ways:  our production team now offers dual quotes for every print job—one in the “traditional” way, and a second DS Green Recommendation.  For every creative project, the Green Team compiles a “Green Report Card” to demonstrate the environmental impact (or lack of an impact) for every project.  Employees are encouraged to submit their green ideas through the Dixon Schwabl intranet.  The agency replaced our power strips with “smart strips” to conserve energy, is replacing light bulbs as needed with compact fluorescent light bulbs or light emitting diodes, and is conducting an energy audit of our facility with a local vendor.  Also, for meetings at the agency, Dixon Schwabl is now offering organic fruit or fresh-baked cookies to eliminate snack waste, and encourage use of the new Dixon Schwabl compost system.  We are also using locally-roasted organic fair trade coffee, and 100% FSC-certified paper in all our of copiers and printers—and all printers now print double-sided.  At Dixon Schwabl, we believe that with an innovative approach, any company can go green!  We hope that our effort inspires other to focus on the environment as part of their workplace practices.

January 10th, 2012 by Lauren Dixon
Posted in Business, Business Advice, Environment
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Tracking Results

By: Lauren Dixon

Launching a marketing communications campaign is often a significant investment in time, resources, and dollars.  To ensure that you are maximizing your effort, it is important to track results.  But how do you know you are reviewing the best and most accurate information for your particular marketing initiative?  Learning how to understand results for different disciplines is a critical part of calculating a return on investment for a program.  In public relations, PR pros will determine an appropriate publicity value by analyzing the circulation or viewership of a media result, and determine what the equivalent advertising space or airtime would have cost for a client.  For interactive efforts, determining results might mean analyzing web reports to track visits to a web site and page views, as well as the length of time visitors are spending on a web site.  If you are promoting an event or trying to drive visitors to a particular destination, you might track the response from a direct mail piece by determining the number of recipients who attended an event, or responded to an invitation.  Understanding results will help you to make adjustments to a campaign, ensuring that you are getting the maximum return.

December 6th, 2011 by Lauren Dixon
Posted in Business, Business Advice
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Be Trendy this Holiday Season

By: Dixon Schwabl Guest Blogger

With the holiday season approaching, it’s that festive time of year when retail businesses amp up their marketing campaigns and bombard consumers with promotions to attract gift givers to their products. The 2011 shopping season promises to be like no other in history with increased spending in brand new ways. The trends to watch this year include a heavy push to start shopping even earlier, an increase in online holiday shopping, and a move toward more integrated marketing campaigns with heavy focuses on technology.

Black Friday has begun morphing into Black Friday-and-a-half and even “black week” for some retailers, who are feeling the heat to get consumers to buy from them before their competitors. Macy’s and Target will be opening at midnight, and Walmart will welcome the shopping mayhem at 10pm on Thanksgiving (giving thanks can end by then, right?). Amazon’s week-long discounts began on Monday in an attempt to empty consumers’ wallets even before their turkey dinners.

Shopping malls and brick-and-mortar stores in general are expected to be a little emptier this year—not because spending will decrease, but because online shopping has become such a tempting option for holiday shoppers. eMarketer predicts it will reach $46.7 billion in 2011, up 16.8% over 2010. IBM Coremetrics showed that 83% of people prefer to shop online than in crowded stores (which is the only kind of store during the month of December). The ability to buy products 24/7 is a huge advantage for consumers, and it’s easy to get a personalized experience with features like product recommendations. Free Shipping Day (scheduled this year for December 16) gives a little extra incentive to buy online, and it resulted in even more sales than Black Friday last year.

The increased involvement of technology in the shopping experience has been mirrored by more integrated marketing campaigns that include mobile device, social media, and e-reader marketing efforts. Old Spice has been successful in the integration arena with its infamous “Smell Better than Yourself” TV commercials, and other companies are following suit.

Consumers are using their smartphones to redeem coupons and search for deals more than ever, so it’s important for companies to communicate their brand message through that medium. Amazon is even coming out with a price comparison app allowing smart shoppers to take a picture of a product and see other retailers’ prices.

The moral of the story: Technology is redefining the gift giving process, so make sure your campaign is integrated (and inspiring), especially this holiday season!

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Traci Togias is an intern in the Account Service department. She is a senior at SUNY Geneseo and will graduate in May 2012.

November 24th, 2011 by Dixon Schwabl Guest Blogger
Posted in Advertising, Holiday, Social Media, marketing
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We’re Live on Facebook! Every Tuesday at 9:30am

By: Jon Alhart

Every Tuesday morning on the Dixon Schwabl Facebook page, we broadcast live at 9:30. This week, we talked about Dixon Schwabl’s first issue of Incite Magazine.

Among the topics covered:
- How does direct mail allow you to target your message to specific audiences?
- How do stores like Target capture the interest of consumers?
- What are some of the best ways to approach everyday challenges at work? (inspired by Seth Godin’s blog)

To learn more about how to tackle key integrated marketing challenges, check out Incite Magazine – it’s available as a part of the November 18 issue of the Rochester Business Journal. And for a weekly dose of integrated conversation, check out Dixon Schwabl live on Facebook, every Tuesday morning at 9:30!

November 23rd, 2011 by Jon Alhart
Posted in Advertising, Dixon Schwabl
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QR Code Grocery Shopping?? OYY!

By: Courtney Rapp

I am a bit conservative by nature, and every now and then it takes me awhile to adapt to new technologies. I remember the idea of a Kindle totally freaked me out, no more books? I have since come to terms with the idea of an electronic book.

I recently saw an article about a new virtual store in Korea that absolutely freaked me out.

Basically, there are still aisles and shelves stocked with what can be described as a wallpaper of products. Each product has its own QR code and all you have to do to shop is capture the QR code on your smartphone. The products are then delivered to your home.

This whole concept is wild to me! Born and raised in Rochester, to me, Wegmans is like a religion. I cannot wrap my head around the idea of walking into a Weggies in the future, bypassing the shopping carts and entering armed only with my smartphone. Stroll down the meat and produce aisles and simply scan? How would I know how ripe the fruit is? How green the lettuce is? How lean the meat is?

In the U.S. it seems the trend is to make grocery shopping a true “experience.”  Companies such as ShopRite, Whole Foods and Wegmans are expanding the shopping experience. Many ShopRites have a Dunkin’ Donuts in the store. Shoppers can grab an iced coffee and energize for their power shop. Whole Foods revamped some of its stores and created a “Disney World for food junkies.” With “Street Greens,” where you sit down in the produce section, have a freshly made salad and enjoy a glass of wine, or “Whole Body” where there are healthy body products and a massage therapist on hand to work out your kinks! As for Wegmans, in some states they now have a pub inside the store!

So what is going to be the new trend—electronic or “experience” shopping? If it was up to me…I always want my grocery shopping to be an “experience.”

(Plus a glass of wine before a shop is very enticing! Cheers!!)

November 17th, 2011 by Courtney Rapp
Posted in Brand Experience, Food & Beverage, Innovation, Interactive, Product Placement
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Upholding Your Brand in a State of Crisis

By: Kim Allen

I am so distraught by the events unfolding on the campus of Penn State University that I sat down to write my first Dixon Schwabl blog post. As a mother, as a professional and as a human being, the unfolding news bothers me on many levels. As a mother and a human being, I find it hard to not judge those adults who witnessed or learned of former Penn State Defense Coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s actions and did not immediately notify the authorities.

PSU Board of Trustees announces the resignation of President Graham Spanier and firing of football coach Joe Paterno. Photo courtesy of: JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News

As a communications professional who deals with crisis communications and issues management on behalf of my clients, I can’t help analyze the way Penn State officials are handling their responsibility. Situations like the one Penn State now finds itself in present the opportunity for the organization to prove out its integrity and values. The Penn State brand, one that strives for “honesty, integrity and the highest moral standards,” is under the microscope of many people who have the ability to pass judgment on whether or not the organization actually walks the talk. We’re all watching to see if the trustees continue to make unpopular and difficult decisions that serve the best interest of the organization’s reputation and those affected.

In my opinion, so far so good. The decision by Penn State’s board of trustees to separate itself (and its brand) from the legendary coach and president by firing them is the exact action that mirrors the university’s mission. It sends a resounding message to the campus, the parents of these poor victims, the community and to those just acquainting themselves with the brand that Penn State University admonishes crimes against children more than it holds dear its highly profitable and revered football program.

As this continues to unfold, the world will be watching—and that includes current and potential PSU students and families. It is up to the university to continue to practice what it preaches.

November 14th, 2011 by Kim Allen
Posted in Business Advice, Current Events, Public Relations, Sports
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