Sean Jacobsohn’s Post

Launched and discontinued in 2006, ESPN burned through $150M, including $30M on a #SuperBowl ad, for its mobile phone and only hit 6% of its sales target. ESPN built a wireless service and special phone so sports nuts could receive score updates and browse ESPN.com content. In addition to the $300 cost for the phone, customers had to spend between $65 and $225 per month for content. It’s important not to scale go-to-market until you’ve had repeatable success with your product. I explain more about lessons from product flops in my blog: https://lnkd.in/gBAuMS8m My hobby of collecting artifacts from failed companies and products can be seen at www.failure.museum. I feature over 1000 items and their story of failure. Please check out the website and let me know if I'm missing any failed companies or products.

brandTALES 002: Unveiling the First-Ever Video Advertisement Today, let's journey back to a groundbreaking moment in advertising history – the birth of the first-ever video advertisement. On July 1, 1941, during a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game, viewers witnessed a 10-second marvel by Bulova Watch. This iconic ad marked a pivotal moment, pioneering television advertising as we know it today. The ad featured a simple yet powerful display of a ticking clock, accompanied by the tagline "America runs on Bulova time." In those mere seconds, Bulova not only captured attention but set the stage for decades of creative and influential advertising to come. As we celebrate this milestone, let's reflect on the evolution of advertising and how these moments continue to shape our brand narratives today. Stay tuned as we unravel more captivating tales from the world of advertising history in our #brandTALES series! #AdvertisingHistory #BrandNarratives #MarketingInnovation #ThrowbackThursday #brandingstrategist #brandtales

There have been rumors that ESPN was launching a new standalone DTC streaming service for live sports and it looks they decided to partner with Fox Corporation and Warner Bros. Discovery to make it a more compelling, bundled offering! It will be interesting to see if people are willing to pay for (another) standalone sports streaming app, whether there will be gaps (like NBCUniversal’s sports content) that limit it’s appeal and how they will integrate sports betting into the app! They are taking the Hulu approach (previously a Comcast/The Walt Disney Company/WarnerMedia jointly owned app) with a each company owning one third of the new app, so longterm, it will be interesting to see whether it will remain a joint venture. #streaming #ctv #ctvadvertising #livesports #ott #cordcutting #dtc #streamingtv #tvadvertising #mediabuying #mediaplanning

Talk about prescience! In our last newsletter, we talked about sports as the lone appointment viewing content left in the vast market of streaming, reality, and scripted shows: https://lnkd.in/e2Wb_HRi Well, wouldn't you know it, at Disney and Amazon's upfronts, the core focus was... Sports! Amazon touted their access to NFL, WNBA, and NASCAR: https://lnkd.in/egnsd5gm Disney focused on ESPN and Hulu as their core hubs for sports, adding both to the Disney+ app for "synergy": https://lnkd.in/eTsm9iBE In the age of endless, on-demand content, the major platforms are holding on to sports as the crown jewel of appointment watching where ads fit in naturally at breaks. It's game on for platforms looking to capitalize!

The Epic Launch of Rumble's RAC: My Astounding Experience Join me as I embark on an incredible journey, reading my first ad on Rumble's 7 Talents channel. Discover how this groundbreaking launch of the Rumble Advertising Console (RAC) has completely transformed the game. Don't miss out on this monumental event! #RumbleLaunch #RAC #AdvertisingConsole #GroundbreakingEvent #GameChanger #7Talents #MonumentalExperience #TransformativeJourney #RumbleAds #DigitalAdvertising

Supporting millions of fans is no easy task, especially during live events where demand skyrockets. Find out how the BridgepointeCX’s innovative approach and extensive expertise helped ESPN achieve a 70% reduction in calls and a 15% drop in burst staffing. https://bit.ly/3TuYOpN #CustomerExperience #CXStrategy #ContactCenter

"I must admit, I kind of reject the term “OS Wars.” I don't view any of the other OEMs as a competitor to LG Ad Solutions." So begins another great interview with Tony Marlow from our series at #ces2024 -- look for our upcoming Special Report on the OS Wars, coming soon!

Bundle of Oy A lifetime ago, in December, I made Bundling my #3 Prediction for 2024. https://lnkd.in/euyx4c9U Today: “ Fox Corporation, ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery are creating a joint streaming platform to share sports assets, a move that comes as the price of sports rights is dramatically increasing. The stand-alone service will be available to ESPN+, Hulu and Max subscribers and each company will own one-third of the product. The as-yet unnamed platform is essentially a sport-streaming bundle, said one person with knowledge of the plans.” My pitch for the name: ESPN Literally every sports fan knows it. Who at Fox or Disco Bros gives a shit if people misattribute the brand to their sports, as long as they friggin subscribe? Alternative proposed name: Disco Balls. BTW, I also put Sports Rights on my Next Top 5 predictions for 2024: https://lnkd.in/enZdzpRk Although this 👆 deal changes my calculus a bit on who will wind up with the new set of NBA rights.

Don't forget to join our upcoming webinar, "Connecting with the Media & Entertainment Community," to discover how global audiences are reshaping media habits. Learn how our empathetic research approach reveals deeper insights into TV, audio, and gaming trends. Don't miss out—register now and be part of the conversation on 20 August 2024 at 11am EDT | 4pm BST! Register here now! <https://lnkd.in/gC73VgW7 #MediaEntertainment #Webinar #KantarProfiles #CWP #EmpatheticResearch

Rewinding history: The first-ever TV ad that sparked a revolution!🤖 In the bustling heart of New York City on July 1st, 1941, the television landscape shifted as WNBC, once known as WNBT, etched its name in history. Just before a baseball game, a 10-second spectacle unfolded on screens – the inaugural Bulova watches commercial.⌚ Imagine a watch's face set against a black and white map of the United States, declaring boldly, "Bulova Watch Time." The voiceover sealed the moment, proclaiming, "America runs on Bulova time." Yet, the magic was witnessed by only a fortunate few, a mere fraction of onlookers totaling a few thousand. What adds a fascinating twist to this tale is the cost – a pocket-friendly $9, with $5 going to the station and $4 securing the airtime.👀 Fast forward through the corridors of time, considering today's inflation rates, and you'll find the current cost of this iconic ad is a modest $182.39. A testament to its enduring impact and surprising affordability, underscoring the timeless importance of advertising. Advertisements are the beating heart of brand visibility, propelling products into the spotlight amidst a sea of choices.😵 What was the first advertisement that left an impression on you when you were a kid?🤔 #ads #marketingmasters #businessboost #creativecampaigns #marketingmindset #brandstorytelling