Multiplatform killed comedy!

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on June 7th, 2006

We just read a curious story about how Microsoft has signed Demetri Martin to a hairy deal. He is now known as the Multiplatform Poster Boy.

Sources said Microsoft plans to make Martin the face of a massive multipronged campaign in support of its upcoming Windows Vista operating system, an updated version of Windows scheduled to roll out for consumers in January. Part of the campaign will be 10 webisodes featuring Martin that will run on Microsoft’s portal, MSN, which has been making a strong push into original entertainment.

Microsoft declined comment.

Wha?! Microsoft declined comment? Why ever would they decline comment?

No matter. The times, they are a changin’. (That reminds us… have you heard Bob Dylan hosting that show on XMRadio? He’s awful!)

This is interesting for many reasons, many or which we haven’t digested. We are reminded that, just a few years ago, Dell, a monster computer manufacturer, had a spokesman (“The Dell Dude”) who was their face. All he did was show up for commercial shoots, appear in print ads and probably show up at the occasional corporate event. That was in the dark days before VP’s of Marketing and ad execs were wedging the word “multiplatform” into every third sentence. (Then the Dell dude gets popped for marijuana possession in NYC and quickly sinks into obscurity.)

Now we have Comedy Central, all hopped up on the gospel of multiplatformism, flogging many of their properties to huge corporate entities, Martin being one of them. (“For Comedy Central, alternative platforms including stand-up tours and record deals are increasingly becoming part of its business. Carlos Mencia, star of the network’s “Mind of Mencia,” has a similar arrangement.”) These are among the first of many deals that will roll out in the next few months. (Recall that, just a few weeks ago, Sarah Silverman, Stephen Colbert and Mencia jumped through hoops for MTVN as they pitched their multiplatform scenario to advertisers in the upfronts.) It’s the wave of the near future. Unless it rattles apart and fails to deliver like they say it will. (Which isn’t entirely out of the question. In last Friday’s Wall Street Journal, there was a huge article about how HBO/Time Warner has stopped pushing synergy. The way they talked about synergy a couple years ago, you woulda thought that we would all end up as part of a giant media conglomerate. Now, however, the entire concept has been discredited and HBO/TW is thinking of shedding some divisions and telling its division heads to strike deals outside the company. We could be reading similar articles about “multiplatform” in just a few months.)

Get those deals while you can, people. The gravy train might grind to a halt sooner than you think.

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