The Muppet Show Pitch and the MyChipotle.com Experience

Here's a perfect example of entertainment with an embedded sales pitch. It's a video that the creators of The Muppet Show made to try to get CBS to buy the show and run it during prime time.

Essentially, it's an element of an ad campaign touting the profit potential of The Muppet Show, aimed at CBS executives.



I think that the entertainment of the video is the pitch and the pitch is the entertainment. Here are two reasons why I think that:

1. They fused The Muppet Show concept (which is a spectacle in itself) with a spectacular call to action ("It will be loved and adored by every Nielson home in the country...when this show hits, the careers of the men who put this show on the air will skyrocket.")
2. They found the inner gem of The Muppet Show brand...its unique soul...and created an experience around it. This engaged their target audience with a sense of excitement
   

Think of the brand you manage. How can you create an experience around its unique soul to engage your customers? How can you fuse your brand personality with a call to action?

It's a technique applicable to many industries. Take Chipotle, for example, who launched MyChipotle.com in an effort to increase awareness of menu variety, while harnessing dedicated fans who are passionate about customizing and personalizing their Chipotle meals.

The Muppet Show was a song-and-dance variety show that promised absurd comedy and hilarious parody - and that's exactly what viewers of this pitch were treated to. Similarly, The MyChipotle.com site experience delivers the customization and personalization experience that turns customers into evangelists.

In both cases, the marketing efforts are entertainment experiences with embedded sales pitches.