SCHWAB INTEGRATES TV, NEWSPAPER CAMPAIGNS

By: Joe Nicholson Welcome To Advertising Integration


For the first time, discount brokerage Charles Schwab is using its TV ad
celebrities, including royal Sarah Ferguson and footballer Cris Carter, in a
newspaper ad campaign. Welcome to ad integration, a trend that is likely to
prove irresistible as long as caution over the economic slowdown forces
advertisers to seek a bigger bang for their buck.

"One of my objectives since I arrived is to get a more integrated brand effort,"
said Jack Calhoun, who was hired last October as Schwab's senior vice president
for advertising and brand management. Calhoun, who directs more than $100
million in ad spending, said he halted unsynergistic campaigns. "This is the
first time you see the TV and print [campaigns] having a similar overall look
and feel," Calhoun told E&P. "When consumers see it in print and on TV,
the two then support each other much more strongly.

"You get the multiplier effect," explained Calhoun, who was general manager of
Young & Rubicam in San Francisco."We're always hoping that one plus one equals
about five."

Beyond Schwab, Calhoun predicted other national advertisers will emphasize "more
integrated" TV and print campaigns. Newspapers have traditionally made up a
significant part of Schwab's ad budget, which also includes TV, magazines, and
radio. Outdoor advertising also is used "selectively."

Though integration "seems like the almost one-and-only way to go," Calhoun
pointed out that some advertisers still throw away good money on campaigns that
don't "hang together." The multimillion-dollar campaign with Ferguson, Carter,
and golfer Tom Kite will run for an undetermined period in The Wall Street
Journal, USA Today, and The New York Times.

Calhoun said it was "very likely" that he will add regional newspapers to the
campaign, and he expected to consider Schwab's geographic business
concentrations as well as a paper's reader demographics, "environment," and
"effectiveness to help us generate business." The campaign is being handled by
BBDO New York.



Joe Nicholson (jnicholson@editorandpublisher.com) is an associate editor covering marketing and advertising for E&P.



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