Conductor presentation booklet

“ Storytelling is the creative demonstration

of truth. A story is the living proof of an

idea, the conversion of idea to action.”

— ROBERT MCKEE

C O N D U C T O R B R A N D P R O G R A M M I N G

Consulting | Ideation | Storytell ing | Production | Distribution | Metrics©2007 conductor

Who is Programming Your Network?

The Power of Storytelling

Conductor Brand ProgrammingTM

Conductor Services

The Conductor Orchestra

What We Deliver

Select Case Studies

Contact Information

TABLE OF CONTENTS

“ Customers must recognize that you

stand for something.”

— HOWARD SCHULTZ, STARBUCKS



THE POWER OF STORYTELL ING

When you strip it all away, we are defined by the stories we tell,

and the stories that are told about us.

And brands are no different.

But who IS your brand? What is its history...its creation myth...

its passions and reasons for being that can deepen its relevance

to consumers and build preemptive, long-term relationships?

What is its current and future journey in the marketplace?

And how can you enlist consumers to join that journey and,

in the process, drive the success of the brand and enrich

consumers’ lives? And how do you take that story and program

it across the media that matter to your best audience?

Conductor can deliver the answers to these questions because

we’ve built the most robust combination of brand strategists and

long-form, multi-channel storytellers in the business, all focused

on driving sales of your brand.

WHO IS PROGRAMMING YOUR NETWORK?

J&J and Unilever bow out of the Upfront.

Consumers take command of their media consumption.

$112 billion (1/3) of U.S. advertising is wasted.

(Briggs/Stuart, “What Sticks”)

CMO and agency turnover accelerate.

Yet it’s the best time to leapfrog your competition and connect

deeply, preemptively, and profitably with your consumers.

That’s because the new media landscape has made every

brand a network...a network of reach and influence that can

efficiently deliver anytime, anywhere, any-screen content

where, how and when the consumer wants it.

This is not about taking ads and distributing them onto every

screen the consumer sees.

It’s about programming your brand with relevant, immersive,

engaging content on the right screen, at the right time, to

the right person, in the right state of mind.

It’s about Brand ProgrammingTM.

And it’s why brands come to Conductor.

“ In the end, there are three things about a great story:

1. People want to hear it.

2. People want to tell it.

3. People want to participate in it.

If people want to hear, tell or participate in your story,

then you are sharing your brand conviction with them;

brand conviction means brand customers.”

— DAVID POLINCHOCK, ENTERTAINMENT MANAGEMENT



CONDUCTOR SERVICES:

Conductor “owns the problem” of deeper, more profitable

engagement with consumers at every stage of our work:

Consulting

Brand Story Foundation development/facilitation, including

Brand Storytelling BriefsTM, Brand Storytelling MapsTM,

Brand Fame FootprintsTM, and various forms of strategic,

integration and orchestration counsel, a la carte or bundled

Ideation

Brand Story creative development, from multi-media

marketing programs to pure-play entertainment

Storytelling

Brand Story BiblesTM, Brand PlaysTM, and multi-channel

Brand Programming architecture and recommendations

Production

Pre-production and multi-channel prep/planning/budgeting;

physical production, from film and TV to digital, books,

magazines and wireless

Distribution

Multi-channel distribution, including third-party media,

studio, network and publishing partnerships and

optimization

Metrics

LBETM proprietary brand programming metrics suite

synched with brand’s existing goal-setting and

metrics models

CONDUCTOR BRAND PROGRAMMINGTM

Conductor has deep experience selling and telling the

stories of brands, from film franchises like Spider-Man to

original web series and video games for Unilever’s AXE

deodorant.

We have marketed 1000’s of feature films, 100’s of

consumer and B2B brands, and lived in and blended the

Hollywood and Madison Avenue cultures for over 25 years.

Our creative process is driven by the best storytellers

in the world: screenwriters, directors and film and TV

producers who understand the difference between

“:30 second spots” and “hours of emotional immersion

and impact.”

We have expertise in the development, packaging and

producing of TV shows, motion pictures, web series,

infomercials, multiple digital programming formats and

advertising in all traditional and emerging formats.

Every Conductor brand programming initiative is built on a

firm strategic foundation and thoroughly integrated across

all appropriate media and marketing communications. These

usually include entertainment publicity, PR and promotion,

and can also include direct marketing and publishing efforts

online and offline.

“ Consumers are anxious to be engaged

by marketers in a more satisfying and

compelling way.”

— WALKER SMITH, PRESIDENT, YANKELOVICH



IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TALENT: THE CONDUCTOR ORCHESTRA

Entertainment industry veterans: Producer/directors,

development executives, show writers and runners.

Marketing/advertising veterans: Top-tier global advertising,

promotion, digital and direct marketing experts.

Financial management veterans: Merchant and

investment banking, agency operations and financial

management expertise.

Who is in Conductor’s Orchestra?

Industry and marketing analysts and business vertical experts;

A-level film directors & writers, film & TV producers, show-

runners, front-of-camera and behind the camera comedic

talent and management; brand and entertainment graphic

and design talent (print, 2D & 3D designers); film studio

executives, production designers, agents and packagers;

digital strategists and producers; entertainment publicity

specialists, entertainment TV strip program producers;

informercial producers and DRTV media experts; celebrities;

media strategists, planners and buyers; brand and custom

publishing specialists; entertainment legal, structured finance

and distribution partners.

WHAT WE DELIVER

Business, marketing and brand strategic syntheses, analyses

and leadership; brand storytelling foundation briefing and

mapping documentation; Brand Story BiblesTM and Brand PlaysTM,

scripts and screenplays; teleplays, web series, films, TV shows

and specials; DVD and VOD content; events, corporate films

and retail storytelling; direct response programming, media

and metrics; books, magazines, web sites and micro sites;

proprietary and partnered/secondary consumer research and

accountability metrics.

The Conductor Difference

No one has the network, talent access, history, cases and

success stories of Conductor.

“ Ten Tips for creating captivating brand stories1. Nurture your brand story both inside and outside

the company.

2. Listen to your consumers’ stories.

3. Speak with an authentic human voice.

4. Try writing your brand strategies in story-form

instead of boring bullets.

5. Use humor whenever you can.

6. Tell your story with imagination.

7. Put your heart into it. Your story needs heart.

8. Have a sense of proportion.

9. You can’t control all aspects of your brand story,

no matter how hard you try.

10.Your brand story must have integrity.” — DENNIS BRUCE



CONDUCTOR BRAND PROGRAMMINGTM

SELECT CASE STUDIES Stouffer’s During Dinner

National Hockey League Relaunch

Miller Genuine Draft Ozwald Boateng

Unilever AXE Unlimited

Ford Fox “24” Program Launch

Spider-Man Franchise Launch



Challenge

Move Stouffer’s Multiserve frozen dinners (e.g., lasagna) from the

back of the freezer to top of mind as an easy, accessible family meal

solution.

Solution

Build word of mouth and “Mom talk value” of the brand through

“During Dinner,” a package of immersive, multi-media stories

around the dinner time experience served up at a dedicated site,

www.duringdinner.com. All stories center around Anne Callaway,

a mother of three, and the comedic trials and tribulations of

feeding and connecting with her family around the dinner table.

The campaign employs multiple forms of online and offline media

and a cross-platform ABC/Disney partnership deepens consumer

engagement. A promotion producing consumer-generated video

dinner time stories is a key traffic driver, with the winning family’s

video earning them a Disney dream vacation for 15 and a screening

on ABC Family.

Results

The program launched February 19, 2007. General and online media,

combined with PR and entertainment publicity coverage on programs

like The View and EXTRA, have driven site traffic beyond goals and

Nestle norms, and visitors are viewing an average of 8.5 pages per

visit. Most important, the Stouffer’s multiserve business is ahead of

its sales goals as of May 1, 2007.

CONDUCTOR CASE STUDY:

STOUFFER ’S DURING DINNERTM



Challenge

Relaunch the NHL brand on a very limited national budget, and

reinvigorate the business of hockey after an unprecedented year-

long labor lock-out. In the process, reignite passion for the sport

amongst fans, players and business partners. Core business goal:

Exceed previous full-season in-arena attendance.

Solution

Go deep inside the warrior soul of the sport and bring it to life

through a classic tale of redemption and honor, seen through the

eyes of a warrior rising to the occasion for his homeland. The

brand programmingTM was delivered in 5-chapter cinematic story

distributed across multiple TV, digital, transit and retail outlets:

from league-level :30s on national TV to localized versions for each

of the 30 league teams shown in arenas and on local TV, to in-

cinema trailers and theatrical co-promotions with NBC, to extended-

length mini-movies on airlines, corporate partner sites and in-retail

TV networks. Extensive print and radio advertising, along with PR

and publicity efforts broadened the campaign’s reach, particularly

among key female audiences (a surprisingly important part of

the franchise).

Results

National and local press coverage of the campaign was

extraordinary, both in the U.S. and Canada. Individual teams and

national partners (including NBC) gave the campaign unprecedented

financial support. Most importantly, league revenue goals were

exceeded, and ticket sales topped previous records across the

league. Commissioner Bettman continues to credit the campaign as

a critical relaunch success catalyst. Awards included a BrandWeek

Marketing Idea of the Year, and 17 Tellys in multiple categories for

excellence in film production.


NHL RELAUNCH



Challenge

Help re-establish Miller Genuine Draft premium franchise leadership

and position the brand as an upscale alternative to imports,

wine and spirits. Accomplish this through a summer 2006 “brand

programming™ event” that would galvanize distributors and create

“news” around the brand during the key summer selling season.

Solution

Conductor partnered with Reveille Productions (producers of

13 current on-air series, including “The Office” on NBC and

“Ugly Betty” on ABC) to deliver a 3-part story linking the passion

and craftsmanship of Miller brewmasters and an emerging UK

design star. Conductor told the story by integrating MGD into

Reveille’s “House of Boateng” series on Sundance Channel, and

activated the Boateng/Miller partnership through major press

attention. The 8-part docudrama chronicled British fashion designer

Ozwald Boateng as he endeavors to break into the US market.

Included in the story arc was Ozwald’s trip to the Miller Brewing

Company, where he became immersed in the MGD brand culture

and was briefed to design special 2007 brand packaging. Conductor

developed and executed the business partnership between Boateng

and Miller, the brand programming™ on Sundance Channel, and the

activation and press coverage of the partnership.

Results

The high-profile impact of the integrated program launch and

PR amplification paid out the campaign within a week. The launch

event at LA Museum of Television & Radio generated significant

national TV coverage and buzz, and significant enthusiasm among

key MGD distributors, retail customers and stakeholders who

attended the event.


MILLER GENUINE DRAFT



Challenge

Accelerate already-white-hot U.S. growth of AXE in the face of

Gillette’s $100mm clone entry (TAG) through the launch of the new

UNLIMITED fragrance. Connect more deeply with the male youth

market than had been possible through traditional advertising.

Solution

A two-part brand programming™ effort: First, an online comedic

web series and seduction guide, lived out and posted online through

the first-ever “vlog” (videoblog). It’s the story of two guys, Evan &

Gareth, who travel the country as “seduction crash test dummies,

taking the hits so others can learn the best moves.” The site is still

live at www.evanandgareth.com. And second, a console-quality,

online multiplayer game of seduction: MojoMaster, where young men

“work their moves” (with help from AXE product power boosts, and

advice from Evan & Gareth) on 100 unique, 3D animated women

(all rated PG-13!) Comprehensive PR, publicity, retail and college

campus activation helped “create a movement” around the product

launch and brand, and multiple online site partnerships drove traffic

throughout the year.

Results

Helped accelerate AXE 2005 share gains, effectively blunting

Gillette’s TAG entry. AXE retained #1 category position and drove

80 percent of all category growth. Millions of consumers spent

hours in self-directed, deep brand experiences online through both

programs. Awards include the Silver Reggie for National Sales

Promotion, Clio Global Advertiser of the Year for the Unilever client

team, and a Gold Brand Communication Award from the CEO of

Unilever for the most effective brand communications effort for

2005 for driving “brand strength and business growth.”


UNILEVER AXE UNLIMITED LAUNCH



Challenge

Create an original brand programming™ solution in under a month

that would make powerful use of Ford’s exclusive media buy-out of

the series premiere of FOX’s “24”.

Solution

Conductor created two 3-minute brand programming™ “bookends” to

the show premier featuring Toby Keith and Ford oval-brand vehicles,

eliminating commercial interruptions during the show, a first in the

modern TV era. The stories, entitled “Every Moment, Every Mile”,

played out on a chronological timeline similar to each episode of “24”,

and dramatically demonstrated that Ford products touch more people

in a 24-hour day than any other auto manufacturer, and that “24” is

a metaphor of “An American Ford day.”

Results

AdAge’s annual recall study put both 3-minute films in its top 10

of ALL advertisements aired in 2002, and The Yankee Group and

other analysts continue to cite this effort as a pioneering “branded

entertainment” breakthrough.


FORD/FOX “24” PROGRAM LAUNCH



Challenge

Pre-launch strategy, franchise branding and identity, and multimedia

integrated campaign development and execution, including B2B

partner outreach for the Spider-Man franchise. Conductor was

engaged in January 2000, 2 1/2 years prior to the summer 2002

premiere of Spider-Man 1.

Solution

Every story—and every piece of communication—was based on one,

core strategic direction and word: VERTIGO, in both the physical

and the emotional meanings (That is, both the vertiginous viewpoint

in every piece of communication, and Peter Parker’s emotional

choice between “superhero” or “the girl”). From the first-ever web

teaser for a major motion picture, launched 2 years before the

first film premiered, to the branding/identity of the entire franchise

(including the distinctive Spider-Man type font), to the development

and execution of every piece of consumer and B2B marketing

communications for the first film, to the creation and distribution of

a $5mm Conductor-produced teaser trailer in the summer of 2001,

Conductor partnered with SONY Pictures to deliver a strategically-

focused, comprehensive multi-media brand programming™ effort to

introduce and nurture the biggest franchise in SONY’s history.

Results

A $3 Billion franchise, with each of the three films breaking

all previous box office records. A record-breaking 280 global

promotion partners were enlisted for the second film and 310 for

Spider-Man 3, helping ensure an evergreen franchise that is the

foundation of SONY Pictures.


SPIDER-MAN FRANCHISE LAUNCH



CONTACT INFORMATION:

conductor

1411 Fifth Street, Suite 200

Santa Monica, CA 90401

T 310.260.9588

F 310.260.9959

www.conductorla.com

Tim Tennant

[email protected]

Tom Cotton

[email protected]

Jordan Rednor

[email protected]

“ If you harness imagination and the principles

of a well-told story, then you get people

rising to their feet amid thunderous applause

instead of yawning and ignoring you.”

— ROBERT MCKEE

Documents

Conductor presentation booklet