Scripps Networks will soon relaunch an affiliate Web site that has been in the works since January.
In recent weeks, the programmer has embarked on an electronic-mail campaign to call operator attention to the new look and features of the site (www.affiliate.scrippsnetworks.com), vice president of affiliate marketing Doug Hurst said last Wednesday. It will get a "soft launch" over several weeks, starting Nov. 11.
In a series of six e-mail messages, Scripps has highlighted different selling points. One missive notes, "You can change the programming schedule to display in your time zone," while another says, "You can easily find and acquire the latest network promotable material."
Scripps is trying to spark beta test participation by offering the first 25 marketers and the first 25 local ad-sales staffers who sign on from its current site a branded travel wallet — a reward for signing on as "VIP screeners."
Additional e-mail messages will be sent during November, and a trade ad campaign will also call attention to the redesigned site.
The company has operated affiliate Internet sites for the past three years, but its latest reincarnation offers "navigation that's light years ahead of the old site," Hurst said. "Previously, navigation between networks felt a little clunky."
The revamped site will offer information on programming — "probably our biggest and most-used area, but probably the most awkward [to navigate]," according to Hurst — as well as marketing and promotion; local ad sales; research; and video-on-demand, a new section.
The programming section will include a schedule for each network — Food Network, Home & Garden Television, Do It Yourself Network and Fine Living — and list show titles available for promotion by channel.
Such titles include DIY's Warehouse Warriors
and HGTV's Jan. 1 coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena, Calif. — when the network's annual "Dream House" promotion and tie-in programming also kicks off, said Hurst.
The site lists the available resources under each title. They range from print ad slicks and logos to cross-channel spots.
Operators can preview Scripps' materials and place orders "via a shopping-cart mechanism," or via download from the site. The site allows for previews of cross-channel spots, but video materials cannot be downloaded, said Hurst.
In the local ad sales section, Scripps offers information in PowerPoint format that affiliates can download for use in their own presentations.
The affiliate site also lists Scripps Networks' various cable representatives and their photos, along with an e-mail link operators can use to immediately contact them, Hurst noted.
Similarly, the technology area includes a form that operators can use to query Scripps' tech staff via e-mail, he said.
