By Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist Published Jun 07, 2013 at 3:05 PM

In the world of digital media, marketers aim for convergence where the nugget of a story can be delivered through various platforms.

When Milwaukee-based agency STIR put together a TV spot for Cousin Subs and its new twisted, pretzel bun-bound offerings, the creative team wanted the pitch to go beyond the 30-second spot on air.

They looked to Big Foot for help.

Well, sasquatch to be specific … and the recent surge in pop culture the creature is enjoying through multiple cable TV outlets. When I wrote about the influx of Big Foot TV shows at the beginning of the year, I wondered about our seemingly growing infatuation with the relative unknown in our own backyard.

The commercial, companion YouTube videos, social media and website presence simply capitalized on the movement, borrowing the relevance for a sandwich.

"The Squatch Speaks effort is a textbook example of leverage that can be created through integrated marketing and disruptive creativity," said STIR president Brian Bennett. "When we started to do a traditional ad campaign, we planned ahead to utilize what we were creating to generate enhanced brand appeal, social media buzz, public relations value and promotional engagement."

They also were able to tap into the talent of an actor who went through six hours of makeup to transform into the squatch. The hashtag #squatchspeaks could be used to bring the online chatter into a single space, and track how engaged the audience truly is.

Below, you can see the spot that ran on air and one of the extra viral videos produced for digital platforms. If you want to check out the behind-the-scenes video and other YouTube posts, look for the offerings here.

"People are having a lot of fun with the Bigfoot phenomena these days. It’s topical," Bennett said. "We put our own spin on it for Cousins and had him come ‘out’ of the forest so to speak.  His social commentary on human kind is just hilarious."

NICK FURY ON SPEAKERPHONE: When ABC rolls out the "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" staring Clark Gregg this fall, Marvel Universe fans are wondering which "Avengers" characters will be making cameo appearances.

When asked about it, actor Samuel L. Jackson said he’d love to be a part of the TV show.

"If I was going to do ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.,’ I'd like to be — you know Charlie's voice on ‘Charlie's Angels?’ That would be perfect. Because everybody recognizes my voice," Jackson said. "That would be good enough for me. And I told Joss (Whedon) that."

BIG DATA: Fox News will start a series of stories on Monday on "Special Report" at 5 p.m. that takes a look at the massive amount of records that are collected, and will examine the effect on the privacy and freedoms of U.S. citizens. Host Catherine Herridge will report on the National Security Agency’s seizing of Verizon phone records and will also study the Utah Data Center, which serves as the NSA’s primary storage resource.

I also want to take this time to offer a special shout out to the members of the NSA who read my columns and social media posts about what I write at OnMilwaukee.com. Hopefully I don’t put you and other readers to sleep by the time you scroll this far down the page.

 

Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist

Media is bombarding us everywhere.

Instead of sheltering his brain from the onslaught, Steve embraces the news stories, entertainment, billboards, blogs, talk shows and everything in between.

The former writer, editor and producer in TV, radio, Web and newspapers, will be talking about what media does in our community and how it shapes who we are and what we do.