Backyard Indicators Create Emmy Buzz in LA

Los Angeles, CA (UPrinting.com –24, July 2013) While we might make jokes about the apparent worthlessness of an Emmy, it’s serious business here in LA.  We were amused and thought it pretty awesome when we started seeing private lots with coroplast yard signs on H-posts pushing Arrested Development and House of Cards. Apparently, this was a move by relative industry newcomer Netflix to promote its shows.

First, a short description of how the voting process for the Emmys works: The Emmy Committee sends industry volunteers a thick booklet with hundreds of television programs for nomination, and they choose their top five picks for each category. However, as you might have guessed, few people really have the time to watch that much television, as most of these volunteers also have careers. This means a little nudging from producers might be in order.

For a better idea on how Emmys awardees are chosen, click here

This means that the process is more or less like politics. Producers feel they have to run a campaign in order to get the votes needed. As there’s a high concentration of television professionals here in LA, it makes some kind of sense for TV producers to run this kind of campaign here and nowhere else in the country. The selection selection process is tedious – if you’re picky. Not everyone has the time to make informed choices.

Given the sheer number of choices, it helps to have a bit of recall – which is where yard signs and other prints like banners and direct mail postcards help. Another advantage of these yard signs have is to advertise the shows themselves to the general public, and to point out “hey, we got nominated!” in a subtle way.

How do you get in on the action? First off, you’d probably need to live in LA. Los Angeles has the right mix of  neighborhoods with lawns and a high concentration of television professionals. Apparently, property owners are paid either $50 or Netflix subscriptions and gift cards. Not too bad, considering these yard signs are easily installed and removed in seconds, with no special tools required. The stakes are even easy on the grass and work on manicured lawns, unlike traditional signs with wooden stakes that leave an obvious divot after you remove them.

Given that the low cost of each sign (comparable yard signs from us), you could run a relatively cheap localized promotional campaign with these signs- for any business in an area with lawns. The fact organizers are paying in services and gift cards, as well as cash just shows that there’s more than one way to convince property owners to let you put up signs in their yard. And you don’t necessarily have to have one on every single lot in a neighborhood.

I don’t know if anyone’s vote will be swayed because of these yard signs, but from where we are there’s definitely a buzz being made, at least here in LA. And people don’t even normally talk much about the Emmys – which is a great thing not just for Netflix, but Emmy organizers as well.

Photo credits:

LAObserved

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