ABC Pushes the Envelope For Oscar Promotions (Dinosaur Media Extinction Alert)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Feb 27, 2006 | By JOHN LIPPMAN

[abb]

Host to Appear in Every Ad For Sunday Awards Telecast; A Year With No 'Titanic'

Faced with an Academy Awards program featuring few blockbuster movies and a host who is more niche than mainstream, ABC is trying some new advertising tactics to attract viewers. For starters, it's giving the host an unusual amount of advance screen time.

ABC has created more than two dozen Oscar promo spots that will air hundreds of times this week, and host Jon Stewart will be in every one. Mike Benson, senior vice president of marketing at ABC, says this is the first time the Walt Disney Co. network has put the Oscar host in all of the plugs. Although the cable-TV personality is a best-selling author in addition to being the acerbic host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," he isn't a star with the profile of Chris Rock, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg or David Letterman, all previous Academy Award hosts.

"You still don't want to take it for granted everybody knows him," Mr. Benson says.

Promos for the awards ceremony, to be held Sunday, will emphasize the stars of the nominated movies more than the movies themselves.

ABC also is changing how it links the Oscars with promotions for its regular lineup of shows, with the actors playing their TV characters in the spots. For instance, the female characters in "Desperate Housewives" will be seen holding an Oscar party while watching the awards show.

"We're trying to do a lot of things differently," says Mr. Benson, especially since even once-invulnerable marquee shows such as the Oscars have been losing viewers. "The ratings of the Olympics bear that point out," he says, referring to the less-than-stellar audiences who tuned in to the Turin Games on NBC.

[EricT.]

I'll be watching either Discovey Channel or History Channel that night. I heard that all the movies up for awards were obscure artsy-fartsy agenda flix. Not a single one of the nominees were in the top 20 in box office reciepts. Is this true?

[SoFloFreeper]

I hope nobody watches, too. Matt Drudge suggested last night that Fox whip up a quick live version of American Idol (another show I don't watch), just to sock it to the Gay Oscars. It'd be awesome...the Academy's ratings go down in flames.

[SoFloFreeper]

A more entertaining Oscar:

[N. Theknow]

Don Knotts(*) is funnier than Jon Stewart.

TS
(*) Yes, I know.

Agreed. Even in his present state.

[SuziQ]

It only works if folks watch ABC.

[bray]

Is he a Fudge Packer too??

Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters

[Tanniker Smith]

You know, it's funny. The IMDB is one of favorite websites because of its enormous cache of information, which is useful for me as a math teacher or just as a trivia nut. But I don't think I've ever actually read the reviews of any particular film in all these years, nor have I made one. Summaries, yes, but reviews, no.

TS

[Bommer]

And the award for 'Most Contrived Gimmik Movie Goes to - Queer Cowboys'.

John Wayne sure wouldn't put up with it!

[AmishDude]

I think their theory is that this is the "Gay Super Bowl" so political messages and this sort of ugliness won't hurt them. In fact, it might help them with their core audience.

You hear the excuses now: No "Titanic" this year. And that is the false lesson they will take from this, that they need one big box office hit to be nominated and then people will watch.

It used to be that the streaker and the Indian accepting the award were distractions and disruptions. In fact, that's the crowd that's running Hollywood now.

[Urvy1A]

Oh,well. Looks like it's PS2 and DVD for me this weekend. Let alone seeing the girlfriend.

[joylyn]

I lost interest after 9/11 when I didn't see any stars wearing American flag pins. Still, it's pretty funny that they're now afraid that mentioning the nominated movies will turn viewers off.