Panasonic Promotes Plasma "Heaven"

Panasonic and Renegade Marketing Group have conjured a quirky "spokesangel" for an online promotional campaign for the company's plasma TVs.

The angel -- created through the use of a green screen and Flash 7's streaming video capabilities -- appears on a Panasonic microsite and a banner advertising campaign. On the site, the angel conducts a tour, touts the benefits of the plasma TV, and even dances when the user commands it to, Subservient Chicken-style. The company is trying to reach high-income potential buyers in their 20s and 30s.

The genesis for the angel idea came from Panasonic market research into what motivated its existing customers to make the pricey purchase.

"One of the insights that we gleaned is that when someone buys a plasma TV and puts it up on their wall, they all of a sudden experience a sense of elation that many of them described as 'TV heaven or 'heavenly,'" explained Drew Neisser, president and CEO of Renegade.

In online ad creative, the angel loudly exhorts consumers to take advantage of two special offers: 0 percent financing and a $300 installation rebate. Those ads are in heavy rotation on Yahoo Finance and CNET, though Panasonic won't disclose its specific targeting strategy or its media spend.

The companies will measure success based on user uptake of those offers, but they will also look at metrics such as time spent with the site. Besides the interactive angel features, the site lets users learn more about the features of particular plasma models, download a buyer's guide, and get answers to frequently asked questions.

"Although it's reasonably lighthearted, it's engaging and hopefully will get the consumer to spend a little more time on the Web site, which is really important," said Neisser.

Television ads running concurrently will drive traffic to Panasonic.com, where the promotional offers are featured prominently.

"The TV really serves to keep the brand top of mind," said Neisser. "And then the next thing the consumer does is go to the Web site before they go to the retailer."

The campaign runs through mid-June.