Celebrity spokespeople in advertising is nothing new. Nor do we blink at product placements in movies and TV shows.
So when Arrested Development alums Jason Bateman and Will Arnett created a company last year, dumb dumb, which produces short web videos promoting products, it seemed like a no-brainer. The videos would marry celebs and products and appeal to a young, digitally engaged audience. The company’s latest venture announced this week is for Denny’s, called “Always Open.” (The title is meant to remind people that the restaurant is open 24 hours. Except you wouldn’t know that because the interviews appear to happen in the middle of the day in a booth by a wall.) Always Open features character actor David Koechner (Todd Packer on The Office) talking to celebs, including Bateman and Arnett, while eating at Denny’s.
Trying to reinvent yourself and become relevant to a young audience (i.e. this year’s Oscars debacle), is among the hardest moves to master in marketing. Would hiring well-known actors eating at Denny’s appeal to a younger demographic? Maybe if the celebs appealed to that audience, or if the segments were simply hysterical. The videos are meant to be web sensations like Will Ferrell’s hits from funnyordie.com. Watch it, love it and pass it on to your entire social network. The problem? The one that debuted this week isn’t funny. Or at least I didn’t think so, and I love Arnett and Bateman.
The second problem is message. As simple branding it’s fine. But by creating a title meant to convey a value proposition Denny’s was obviously hoping for something more. Convenient hours are important (especially when the clubs and bars close) but what makes Denny’s appealing to a younger demo is its convenient locations and inexpensive menu. Neither get so much as a nod in the videos.
Since I am a little out of the 18-24 audience segment, though, I polled some of my younger colleagues. Their reactions? Mixed. A few thought it was funny. Everyone knew who Jason Bateman was and the other guy looked “familiar.” But no one wanted to send the video to his or her friends and it didn’t make any of them want to eat at Denny’s. So as a marketing vehicle? Time will tell if the campaign is successful, but we’d send it back to the kitchen. Still needs some seasoning and more to time to cook.
There are quite a few pro athletes using Twitter as a means of communicating with fans. But in what is believed to be a first, a sponsor has requested that an athlete, in this case Danica Patrick, join Twitter in a co-branded social marketing play. This is something I expect will happen on Twitter more often. Twitter actively engages a wide, defined audience in a way that may be more effective than trying to “push” consumers to an athlete’s website. It will be interesting to see how Danica balances the corporate spokesperson role with her role as an athlete with a fan base. 
