Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic

Could this be the year for brand marketing on the web?

Calming Night, a bath and body extension of the Dove Brand, is about bringing day's-end relaxation to the busy mom- a Calgon moment right before bed (not unlike Gallo’s Bella Sera wine). It’s being launched with a wide-scale online initiative driven by heavy online media spending, a content partnership with AOL, and ad partnerships with mom faves Real Simple, Health, and All You.

It’s telling that while Unilever’s Real Beauty campaign was led by traditional media (including a well-received Superbowl spot), Calming Night is being launched online.

No expense has been spared at Dovenight.com, the microsite hub. Felicity Huffman of Desperate Housewives fame stars in three original webisodes, directed by Penny Marshall. Felicity is super-imposed, Forrest Gump-style, on classic sitcoms like “Leave it To Beaver” and “The Brady Bunch”, with messages of mom-empowerment and plenty of time for product placement. The shorts were produced exclusively for the web and will not appear on television.

The accompanying AOL microsite explores the concept of “Chief Everything Officers”, those same busy moms who juggle work life and family life with the skills to rival a traditional CEO. It’s a tired concept, and the designers look like they ran out of energy.

Overall, CPG manufacturers have been very late to the online party. Giants like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Altria spent $3.9 billion on broadcast TV in 2003, $1.9 billion on cable, but only $137 million online in 2003- that’s about 1% of measured media spending, according to data from Deutsche Bank. Factor in several billion more in coupon promotions, and the numbers are even more skewed.

At the same time, online ad budgets have been growing at a rapid clip- to $330 million in 2004 and $470 million in 2005, according to eMarketer.

Is killer content like Calming Night’s the starting gun for more branded CPG entertainment in 2006?

Misha Cornes