Deep Focus' Ian Schafer chats with Creative Editor Emma Brownell about the newly launched Sopranos' Google Map.

As HBO gets ready to air the sixth season of "The Sopranos," it has launched an integrated campaign to remind audiences of the show, which has been off-air for two years. Deep Focus coordinated an online campaign which allows fans to explore the Sopranos' haunts with a specially created Google Map. Creative Editor Emma Brownell talks with Ian Schafer about how Deep Focus developed the idea.

Brownell: How did the idea originate? How did HBO/ Deep Focus decide to incorporate Google Maps into the HBO Sopranos website?

Schafer: We were tasked by HBO to develop a campaign for "The Sopranos" that reinvigorated audiences about the cultural phenomenon that the series has become. It has been almost two years since the last new episode aired, and we wanted to make sure that when audiences were exposed to the series (and brand) again, that the exposure was not only groundbreaking but also served the practical purpose of bringing audiences back up to speed with the crime family. We had been experimenting with APIs and open-source-programming at the agency, and we believed that we could effectively use them to blend the plot, events, characters and locations of "The Sopranos" with the leading provider of practical technology on the internet. Thus, "Crime. Organized." was born.

Brownell: Do any of the locations that are mapped out exist in real life? How did you determine where to place the fictional businesses and hangouts?

Schafer: All of the locations mapped out exist in real life. Much of the scenes in "The Sopranos" are shot on location. We worked with HBO to get the exact real-life location of each event.

Brownell: The Sopranos-Google Maps campaign blurs the lines between reality and entertainment (the Sopranos’ world). I imagine that more TV and traditional programs/ clients/ ventures will turn to new media because of this ability to blend the real with the fictional. Have you worked with any other clients who wanted to use new media in this manner? If not, are there any other TV shows or brands that you think would be particularly well-suited to this sort of marketing?

Schafer: One of the biggest advantages of using new media when marketing content to consumers is that it doesn't have to be just about what the content is, but how it emotionally resonates with audiences. Fictional content resonates even more when it's something audiences can relate to. The "fictional" in this case is the world of The Sopranos, but it certainly has foundations in reality (e.g. mob and family drama, actual locations in New Jersey). The way consumers use new media is a hybrid as well-- one of information gathering, communication and entertainment. If you can tap into audiences by catering to their habits and comfort levels, without asking them to change, you can actually be invited into their world-- rather than asking to be let in.
 
We have used the web many times before to bring audiences' real lives into the context of the content we are marketing. We have worked with MySpace to develop a campaign for FUSE to allow unsigned bands to get their uploaded music videos aired on the cable network. We have given audiences the ability to change a movie's official website into one that features their family (check out The Family Stone website). These types of fiction-to-reality campaigns allow audiences to feel they have a vested interest in the content that we'd like them to consume-- increasing the likelihood that consumption will happen.
 
When it's not done by the marketer, sometimes the consumer even takes the initiative. We've seen audiences input the string of numbers hidden with the series LOST into Google Maps to come up with some interesting results. Consumers want to be a part of something. Effective marketing campaigns make it easy. 

Brownell: Is there anything that makes "The Sopranos" stand out as a particularly good candidate for this type of search-enabled campaign?

Schafer: The fact that "The Sopranos" is shot on location makes it something that was perfect for a Google Maps treatment. I, as well as many other folks in the agency, grew up in and around New Jersey and was already familiar with many of the areas featured in the series. We had our own Google Map going in our heads-- it was just a matter of developing the technology and finding a partner to execute with.
 
Brownell: Will the campaign itself (the Sopranos Google Map) be promoted, outside of appearing on HBO’s website?

Schafer: The Crime. Organized. promotion is featured prominently in online advertising for the series launched on 2/27.

Brownell: The Sopranos map is much like the mash-up maps that brands and news wires, such as the Associated Press, are currently developing. Do you have other visions of harnessing the mash-up for marketing purposes? If so, what are your thoughts/ ideas?

Schafer: The "mash-up," while a great new buzzword, is just a new variation on an old theme-- appeal to consumers using that which already appeals to them. As stated earlier, if you can appeal to audiences using technology, methods or content that they already like and are familiar with, your message has a better chance of being received. By this definition, "product placement" is a "mash-up" of commercials and programming.

Brownell: This strategy, and other components of the campaign, such as the “Whack a Soprano” game, seem like a great way to get people thinking about and remembering the show, which has been off-air for two years. What other strategies would you recommend for reviving audience interest in an entity that has been off the scene for a while?

Schafer: Reviving a brand that has been relatively dormant (save DVD releases) for the last year-and-a-half is a challenging task. There is a fine line between using some time off to build anticipation and the risk of lost momentum. The best strategy for a situation like this is to appeal to audiences' nostalgia for the brand using it's most beloved icons-- human or otherwise. You'll notice that many of our online ads will feature the "Bada Bing!," the strip club/headquarters from the series-- with a very recognizable logo.

Brownell: This is such a neat marketing move, for many reasons, including the fact that this does some marketing for Google Maps, too. We are seeing a lot more of these cross-promotional campaigns, where more than one company benefits from a creative partnership. Have you worked on other campaigns in the past where a marketing endeavor actually benefited more than just the client?

Schafer: The benefits for the party which we bring in (not the client) are part of the reason why these efforts get done in the first place-- it makes it more of an appealing opportunity, and usually takes the place of paid inclusion. When we created a promotion for Twentieth Century Fox's "Date Movie", we wanted to be where our audiences were-- using MySpace. When we utilized Firefox's theming capabilities to promote HBO's "Rome," we wanted to reach an audience that was as vocal about their web browser as we'd like them to be about a TV series. It's more about the audience than the property, but the web properties (and software) are what audiences use. The ones that are willing to associate themselves with brands consumers find "cool" are the ones that benefit the most from opportunities such as these.

Brownell: You leveraged a relatively new piece of technology for this campaign. What other new technologies are you eager to work with?

Schafer: We're certainly eager to work with all forms of video-centric technology. Most of our clients are content producers, and there's no better way to promote their content than with high quality, engaging online video. Additionally the benefits social networking and other "web 2.0"-centric applications bring to us are too rich to ignore. Most of our clients' content relies on positive word-of-mouth, and we will seek to work with technologies that not only encourage, but actually enable the spreading of positive buzz.

Brownell: What’s up next for Deep Focus?

Schafer: That's a loaded question. Over the next three months, we will be launching some groundbreaking advertising initiatives that revolve around online video. These innovations will empower audiences to share, store and interact with video content in ways that they will be comfortable with, yet will make their heads spin-- creating valuable positive buzz for our clients' properties. You'll also see us working with additional new clients, making more key hires, and undergoing continued, steady growth. We've gone from 12 to about 40 employees in the last 12 months-- now with offices on both coasts. It has been careful, monitored maturation, and it will continue through 2006 and beyond. It's going to be a VERY exciting year.

Emma Brownell is creative editor for iMedia Communications.