Marie as a Brand

We have been unabashed in our positioning of  “Marie” in the market as the next dominant talk show franchise. The critics, polling and the marketplace in general have made it clear that Marie Osmond possesses several key attributes that are predictors of her as that next powerful force in daytime.  First among them is that she is a brand. In fact she is a “living brand” over 40-years in the making. Secondly, she has had instant impact on ratings both in daytime and primetime. Additionally, our poll respondents know her, like her, trust her and find her authentic and relatable. Perhaps as importantly as all of that is the fact that she has done this before. This is a women who is absolutely prepared to hit the studio at a dead run, in stark contrast to previous daytime talk show hosts who were woefully unprepared for the rigors of the job.

It almost goes without saying that “Marie” is advertiser friendly but that fact may be compelling enough by itself to drive “Marie” to prominence in 2009. According to Mediaweek’s John Consoli, the brisk upfront this year seems to be favoring lighter, entertainment fare like “Bonnie Hunt” and “Deal or No Deal.” Slower moving in the critical upfront game is the new show from CBS, “The Doctors.” Not sure what this means over the long-term but, for right now, advertisers are placing bets on recognizable talent and entertainment and “Marie” fits that bill to a tee.