Real Estate Partnerships- Media Opportunities

One industry that has really taken a toll during these difficult economic times is real estate and not just private homes--commercial real estate has immensely suffered.

Even at Rubik we were looking to move offices and throughout our search for office spaces, we were provided deals left and right to sign now--even 3 months free at one venue. And while we love getting deals, you have to wonder how are they going to be able to be profitable or even just stay afloat over the next 6 months- year.

Just like other industries this is the perfect time to get creative and find new revenues streams. Some buildings are looking to use their assets as media and marketing opportunities namely billboards and pop-up stores.

BILLBOARDS
Billboards seem a little tacky for a building but not these examples. With the right partners and the right strategy your building can become an iconic symbol for marketing opportunities.

If you are thinking about selling the outside of your building here are some things to think about:

• Permits- depending on city laws your building might have certain restrictions as to WHAT can be advertised and how it can be advertised if at all on the sides of your building
• Production Partner- we all have our specialties and most likely you'll have to look to partner with a large format printer or projection specialist (i.e. FireFly LA) in order to fulfill the production needs of a media opportunity
• Advertising Focus- You could use your building as just a running billboard, or more strategically use it to secure exclusives with a certain theme-- this can bring greater PR exposure to the building which in turn can raise awareness and command a premium of the building
• Sales Strategy- Once you set your focus, your building will need to put together its own sales strategy and list of prospects to go after. You may even want to employ an agency like Rubik or a media selling company that specializes in this type of sales process. You still get the majority of the sale and you hire them on retainer plus commission.

POP-UP STORES
Pop-up stores have become a great way for brands to create buzz with an act now, limited time only opportunity for consumers. This temporary marketing tactics for brands and retailers can command a greater per month rate for the venue, but some there are some things to think about:

Reebok Example:

• Term & Rates- while you can command a greater per month rate, it takes a lot more time to try and fill the space month to month, when looking at the per month rate, take this extra time in consideration
• Category Targets- to generate positive PR and ensure that the venue is being used appropriately, the venue should consider what categories it wants to target, or more importantly what categories it wants to restrict
• Event Management Partner- while many brands will come in with their own event management team to execute the event, having a preferred event management team can help you find out where new leads lie (they tend to scout locations and if you are on the preferred list of these event management companies you will be one of the first to be selected) **consider offering them a referral commission deal to sweeten the partnership relationship and ensure more projects will come to your venue
• Sales Strategy- Partnering with event management agencies in and of themselves can be a strong sales strategy, however, also use relationships with brokers, local real estate listings and trade publications (i.e. BizBash) to ensure companies know they can partner with you for their next pop-up store
  

Licensing to USPS-- Stamps still going strong

I still feel that even with the advent of e-mail I get just as much hard mail in my mailbox as ever before. Granted most of it is junk and not personal notes and mail, but even still, it appears as though USPS is still going strong enough to forge excitable licensing agreements with its stamps.

Just recently the Simpsons was added to the likes of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and Star Wars and other not just notable but legendary icons in our history.

The partnership is targeted at collectors and included a vote that was cast by almost 1 MM consumers to vote on their favorite stamp (Maggie won!) on www.usps.com.

With the agreement coming from Twentieth Fox Merchandising and Licensing Department it shows the extension a brand can have across multiple areas. Now granted don't expect to get an Oreo stamp in circulation, but then again, if you can make the case maybe you could sell it in--there is always room for non-traditional.

Music Partnerships- Saving the Industry and Driving Emotion

Virgin stores have closed, studios have seen double digit declines and this whole idea of CD's is practically non-existent. But we all know that, the question is how do you fix it and how can music companies like Universal, EMI and Sony become profitable again?

The answer seems to lie in partnerships. The more opportunities to use music as a form of "licensing" in various verticals the more diversification will be in place to create new revenue streams. So where do you find these partnerships:

• CONSUMER PROMOTIONS- sell the "content" as the prize for consumer brands (exaple below)
• NEW MEDIA LICENSING- beyond selling songs for commercials, TV shows, etc, look to other media like gaming- virtual concerts have become huge for some artists like Natasha Bedingfeld and Soulja Boy on There.com
  
• NEW PRODUCT LICENSING- what do people buy to express themselves, show their love to others or entertain themselves? EMI recently partnered with Lottery Tickets, but what about Hallmark Cards, Board Games, etc.
• BONUS MICROTRANSACTIONS- when consumers buy a product online versus in stores, a reward could be a discounted music video, song, etc. as an option at check out.
  

The whole idea of partnerships for music should best be approached in quantity just as much as quality. Music is pretty cheap these days, and the more places music touches consumers the more likely they will consume it.

PARTNERSHIP EXAMPLE:
MySpace recently teamed up with vitaminwater with the launch of Sync. 24 MM bottles were shipped, where under the cap codes could be redeemed for a free MP3 download via MySpace through its partnership with Amazon. Vitaminwater is paying for the downloads and supporting the campaign with magazine, radio and in-store advertising featuring Carrie Underwood, Alicia Keys, and 50 Cent.Not only is MySpace seeing new revenue, but added traffic to its site. In fact the 24 MM bottles is more than the typical number of unique visitors to MySpace per month, which is currently at 20 MM.