IQ Interactive's CEO chats about an engaging rich-media microsite that gives real character to Cartoon Network's 2006 upfront season presentation.
Jodi Harris: Let's start with a brief description of what is available on Cartoon Network's highly interactive new microsite-- a media kit, of sorts, for the net's television upfront presentation. What goals was the site was designed to meet? Did you have to make any tough decisions when planning the campaign?
Tony Quin: Cartoon Network wanted to be more effective with their upfront ad budget, as well as target children's market clients with their big stories for the upcoming season. The net's portfolio is made up of wonderfully exciting assets and properties, and they wanted to do something to communicate that excitement. Cartoon Network also wanted to give media buyers an opportunity to see what's offered to consumers-- and have fun at the same time. The goal was to make them stop thinking about spending money and just get immersed in Cartoon Network U.S.A. Because Cartoon Network has so much fantastic content, the toughest decisions fell under what to include on the upfront site.
Harris: This microsite, though serving primarily as a sales tool, shares the vivid, kid-friendly feel of the overall Cartoon Network website. Can you provide any insight into how rich media contributes to campaign efforts that brand while they sell?
Quin: Rich media contributes to the overall engagement of a campaign. The Cartoon Network upfront site allows buyers to live in the network's world, rather than just click on things. Each user is truly visiting Cartoon Network, U.S.A. It defines the real Cartoon Network experience. It's not just a network with a collection of shows. It is a destination.
Harris: What benefits do rich media technologies offer to help highlight a media property's strengths in the competitive sales market? And more specifically, what makes IQ's rich media platform work so well for this particular effort?
Quin: At the project's onset, IQ was given beautiful 3D renderings of the entire town, and character kits for every featured cartoon character. Because the renderings were made for show bumpers, the angles were not ideal for a 2D scene. So, every scene needed to be seriously altered to look right within the limitations of online media. After designing a suitable backdrop, it was just a matter of making the famous cartoon characters look normal within the new environment. For added realism, IQ decided to give each scene a parallax effect. This is where you simulate depth by sliding multiple layers of images back and forth at different speeds, depending on the user's mouse movements. This gives the illusion of depth and actually feels like you're exploring the environment. We capitalized on an already exciting place, bringing it to life.
Harris: In addition to being very informative about Cartoon Network's shows, multi-platform initiatives and partnership opportunities, the site is very entertaining on its own. How important is engagement when targeting other businesses, rather than consumers? How did the fact that this was a business marketing piece affect your strategy for developing the site?
Quin: In the end, businesses are run by consumers, so the only difference is the numbers that are involved in the sales process. The fact that this was a business marketing piece didn't affect our strategy, because we realize that media buyers are consumers like everyone else.
Harris: What components of this site do you think will be most important to media buyers? And in general, what features of a rich media campaign do you feel help play up the strengths of entertainment properties like TV shows and movies?
Quin: Clips from the shows are important because buyers can get an idea of what they are buying. This tool is unique, in that viewers can see the show and experience the environment at the same time. TV and rich media are both about engagement. This upfront site has the ability to engage a media buyer in the same way a Cartoon Network show engages a viewer.
Harris: Is this the first time you've worked with Cartoon Network? What strengths do you offer, in general, to entertainment properties like Cartoon Network, or other of your entertainment clients, such as The National Geographic Channel?
Quin: We've been working with the Turner Entertainment Group for years, but this was our first opportunity to work with this division of Cartoon Network. We create experiences that don't fit into a standard web template, so our sites allow users to look at the web as a whole, rather than seeing it in separate pieces. We create content that's not linear-- it relies on users to discover information based on their own interests.
Harris: You have also worked with some high-profile companies in the automotive, travel and financial industries. What are your priorities when planning an entertainment campaign, and how might they differ for other industries?
Quin: In an entertainment campaign, our goal is to present an experience that is as exciting as the actual product. It is also an opportunity to give the viewer a sample of what they will get. In an automotive or financial campaign, we still have an obligation to be engaging, but we are more focused on the needs of the consumer, or the problem they are trying to solve.
Harris: This rich media site came during an upfront season that many big advertisers -- and media properties -- had decided to sit out. Can you give us any indications that this was a successful media planning initiative?
Quin: Though Cartoon Network would have more information on this, I can say that the site had a target audience of 1,800-2,200 children's media buyers, and reaped more than 1,600 unique views-- a significant number. Users averaged four minutes on the site, and more than 50 percent of the contest entrants were key decision makers in purchasing media for key clients (planners and above).
Tony Quin is CEO and founder of IQ interactive. Read full bio.