Direct to Customer Broadcast Events are Changing the Way Businesses are Reaching Their Audience

Broadcast industry expert and Broadcast Management Group Chief Executive Todd Mason explains the exciting options currently in the marketplace.

Q: Todd, would you explain how the broadcast industry impacts direct-to-customer marketing?

Many enterprise-level organizations and Fortune 500 companies leverage broadcast technology to reach their consumers directly. Rather than just producing 30-second ads, they can create content and deliver it right to their consumers with more engagement while building stronger brand loyalty.

Q: Is the benefit to this avoiding the middleman?

It is being able to be more targeted to who you want to connect with. If you create an ad, you might pick a television show your consumers could be interested in. But with various techniques that businesses can use today, they can target the precise customer and deliver content in a longer format that’s directly suitable for that intended customer and builds greater loyalty to their brand.

Q: Give us some examples of how a business or sports team can partner with a company like Broadcast Management Group (BMG) to reach their ideal audience.

Here are three examples. One would be creating your television network, an Over the Top (OTT) channel similar to Netflix, Amazon, or Apple TV. Very shortly, all television networks will be delivered over the Internet, and there won’t be cable. OTT is a cost-effective format for a company to effectively create its broadcast network. Broadcast Management Group launched the TD Ameritrade Network , now the Schwab Network, nearly seven years ago. They were the first major corporation to create a branded network, which has been very successful for them. A second option would be producing a consumer event like Taco Bell’s Live Mas Live. It aired two days before the Super Bowl and was broadcast on the internet worldwide. The third would be what the Kansas City Chiefs did in September 2023. They held The World’s Largest Tailgate, which Broadcast Management Group produced and directed. They did this to expand their brand to a broader demographic while connecting with their core fans. It was a 90-minute, worldwide event on the internet and was held before the 2023-2024 NFL season-opening game. The viewership exceeded 2.5 million, with a lot of consumer engagement and net new sign-ups for future engagement.

Q: When discussing a targeted event, this could be however small or large a company wanted it to be, correct?

Yes, it could be a full-time network, or it could be content planned at a predictable time for the consumer – once a week, once a day, once a year. You could create an event as often as you want to reach that targeted customer. The length doesn’t matter. It could be a 30-minute show or a 2-hour event. The BMG team can consult with you to determine the best avenue for your organization.

Q: Would you give us an example of how Broadcast Management Group is at the forefront of this kind of opportunity for businesses to go right to their consumers?

We’ve worked with many companies to help them target their consumers directly and create content that resonates with them. First, BMG would work with the company to determine the right avenue to deliver its content. Is it a big event? Is it creating their own network? The next stage is creating the content format. If the plan is to develop an hour-long show to reach that intended demographic, BMG can create the show’s style, rundown, graphics, and any content that will run within the show.

Q: It sounds like it was a win-win for Taco Bell. They reached their core consumers and created buzz in multiple industries with the success of this event.

The event was well attended in person and worldwide because it was broadcast on the internet and went viral. It has reached tens of millions of people who consume their product. The return on investment was tremendous for Taco Bell. If you compare the return on investment on that event to them running a Super Bowl ad, there’s no comparison. Most would agree that It would surpass the Super Bowl ad many times over. Taco Bell received direct consumer engagement that drove sales worldwide, direct consumer feedback on menu items consumers wanted to see come back, and feedback on new menu products.

Q: What is the future regarding this type of marketing and broadcasting involvement over the next 18 months to two years?

We will continue to see traditional measures to reach consumers. But you’re going to notice a significant trend of more investment spending on direct-to-consumer marketing where companies can control, unfiltered, 100% of the narrative to the consumer, and they have more ways to track the return on investment.

Todd Mason tmason@broadcastmgt.comtmason@broadcastmgt.com About Todd Mason