Discovery Networks International is ahead by miles compared to any of South Africa's broadcasters such as the SABC, M-Net or e.tv in the game of talking and showing about its various channels and what's on it.
One of the ways in which Discovery towers above the M-Net, the SABC and e.tv (besides of course the annual upfront which remains the best TV talk-and-tell showcase of any outfit running a TV channel in South Africa) is the absolutely terrific, functional and beautiful brand book for 2013.
Discovery Networks CEEMEA (Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) once again distributed a simply beautiful brand book at the end of 2012 which is utterly relevant, functional and beautiful for the whole of 2013. I cannot look through this book enough.
Discovery Networks' brand book has been on my desk every single day since I got it at the end of last year and its pure gold as a guide to me as a TV critic to know what's going on, is on, and what it's about - even more so I suspect for potential advertisers, ad agencies, ad buyers and media houses.
TV critics, editors, TV writers, advertisers, ad buyers, ad agencies and any stakeholders or anyone with an interest in Discovery Networks International's TV channels (such as Discovery Channel, Discovery World, Discovery Science, Discovery Showcase HD, Animal Planet, ID: Investigation Discovery and TLC) can instantly see at glance what every channel is about, what shows are on what channel, and what those on-air properties are about.
I cannot fathom why Discovery Networks can constantly do things like this - amaze! - while the rest mostly do very little. Just like in 2012, the 66 page Discovery brand book of 2013 is hyper functional, yet incredibly beautiful in its own right.
Of course it's supposed to sell channels and shows, but its impact actually stretches much, much wider: it "sells" Discovery overall as a professional TV channel provider who clearly knows their stuff. As you turn the pages, the brand book evokes a secondary feeling: that Discovery provides great all-year round quality programming and is proud to tell about it to advertisers and other stakeholders.
With the brand book you know what's on, you know what channel it's on, why, and what a channel is about. And it's done in a beautiful way.
Discovery's 2013 brand book is exquisite. The high-gloss pages are a delight to look at and read. The colours are vibrant and bold and beautiful with striking images from almost every show on every page. They almost leap off the page spreads. For a company that's in the business of making television, Discovery gets the publishing part perfectly right.
Every channel in the brand book has its section, every Discovery channel tells how its different, gives key insight into what it is and what the brand personality is, and then has summaries of shows on that channel and what it is about.
Discovery Networks International's 2013 brand book is truly an exercise in awesomeness.
It's incredibly well-done and an excellent example of a small way (with big impact) in which broadcasters and content providers can speak and bring awareness and create excitement around their channels and shows for a whole year.
