XM Media

XM Media Innovations

In today’s media environment where, consumers have tremendous control over whether or not they want to watch & listen, it is critical to develop marketing programs that create a different type of brand relationship and actively encourage consumer participation.

From 2006-2008, under my direction, XM Radio created a number of innovative brand promotions and e-commerce initiatives that captured consumers attention, leveraged their passion and translated into sales. Below are just a few examples:

Engaging consumers with compelling content and building business with effective media sales tools...

XM partnered with Adult Swim and their flagship program Aqua Teen Hunger Force for a landmark cross-promotional effort. Characters from Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force hijacked XM’s “Boneyard” Channel as DJs for a night. The irreverent humor of the show aligned perfectly with “Boneyard,” enabling a depth of integration that AS had never before allowed and thrilling fans of both Networks. The program procured $340k of “free visibility” through highly integrated promotional efforts, including a customized: 30 TV spot on Adult Swim, a presence on adultswim.com, and ‘teaser clips’ of the three ATHF characters on XM. The significant promotional support provided by Adult Swim increased XM’s media visibility on the network by 58%.

XM’s “Call Stars” campaign, promoting XM’s MLB coverage, utilized social networking (Facebook) and advanced interactive media (VideoEgg), as well as cutting-edge viral voice-messaging technology, to create pre-season buzz and generate XM trial among hard-core and displaced baseball fans everywhere. The campaign broke the single-day record for the most voice-mails sent according to Veritalk, the company behind the voice-mail technology and eventually resulted tremendous buzz, millions of “free” peer-to-peer generated impressions and over 20K trials for XM.

In 2006, under my guidance, XM acquired a SEM Agency and initiated search engine marketing in support of our direct, online sales programs. By the end of 2007, that program had grown to over 30 million impressions and 3.5 million clicks. XM was able to drive a highly efficient managed Bid to Position strategy with a high Average Ranking of 1.8 and overall performance that far exceeded category norms (Average CTR = 12% vs category* average of 7%; Average CPC =$0.24 for CY 2008 versus $0.39 for category leaders). From 2006-2008, continued growth and optimization of XM’s SEM and other media-based e-commerce programs (e.g., CPA-based ad network buys), helped grow XM’s direct online sales by nearly 200%.

XM and MTV Networks took a powerful idea - DJ for a night - and propelled it across MTVN’s television and digital platforms. The six-week campaign featured MTVN produced promo spots and online ads that drove consumers to a dedicated microsites to pick their 10 favorite songs from a sample of 200. One winner was picked from each network and they won cash, XM products, concert tickets and a chance to become a DJ for a night. The program created an emotional connection with XM’s best prospects through empowerment and reward and resulted in $1.8 million worth of free impressions. Over 20K viewers entered their playlists, 23% of those opted in for more info from XM and over 3K signed up for XM trials. According to a Dynamic Logic study, XM unaided awareness by the MTVN viewers grew by 48%, while favorability grew 54% and subscription intent grew 6-8%, demonstrating a profound impact on this critical audience that is typically hard to engage.