Archive for April 16th, 2007

NEW YORK There was a time when putting a cereal box in the background of a prime-time sitcom qualified as product placement. Not anymore. Now, deals involving product integration rank as some of the most complex—and convoluted—in TV advertising.

The line between commercial pods and editorial content is beginning to blur. Digital and mobile extensions play key roles in almost every negotiation. In some cases, advertisers are bypassing networks altogether to create their own forms of branded entertainment. Read the rest of this entry »

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PROCTER & GAMBLE IS TURNING to Oxygen’s “Mo’Nique’s F.A.T. Chance” as a venue to reach an African-African target. The packaged-goods giant will promote its Pantene and Covergirl brands in a multilayered deal that includes a grassroots event-marketing aspect: sponsorship of casting calls for the beauty competition. P&G will offer a “beauty lounge” with ample exposure for the brands via samples and tips from experts at three casting call sites in April, including Los Angeles and Chicago . Once the show–billed as “television’s only full-figured beauty competition”–premieres in July, P&G will weave Pantene products into special vignettes used partly as on-air promos. There will also be a large online presence with banner and pre-roll ads. Financial terms were not disclosed. “We’re excited to be able to connect Procter & Gamble’s brands with Mo’Nique’s passionate, loyal and highly involved audience: on-air, online and as part of the casting tour,” says Mary Jeanne Cavanagh, senior vice president, ad sales at Oxygen. “Our goal is to make these women feel like celebrities at the casting calls. We know these brand experience lounges will do just that.” “Mo’Nique’s” is moving into its third season this summer. Seven-year-old Oxygen, which struggled at first, is in 71 million homes.
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NEW YORK The producers of the popular Net series Lonelygirl15 are spinning off a new show, which they hope to support through product placement deals. Debuting in July, “KateModern” tracks a teenage college student in London , chronicling her social life and “dark forces” that lurk in the background. Like Lonelygirl15, KateModern features interactive elements, allowing fans to post comments, help solve puzzles and upload video responses. The series will not include pre-roll video advertising, instead looking to product placements to weave brand into the plot. Lonelygirl15 last month ran its first product placement, including Hershey’s Icebreaker’s Sours Gum in an episode.

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In a beneath-the-radar move, Jeff Lucas, executive vp, ad sales, MTVN Entertainment Group, has merged the Spike and Comedy Central ad-sales teams. His plan is to sell both networks together in the fast-approaching upfront marketplace as an ultimate destination for clients looking to reach a young male audience. And as an adjunct to the new Spike/Comedy sales team, Lucas has also created a still- unnamed, nontransactional unit, which he said is “designed to deepen relationships with clients and media agencies.” Lucas last week told Mediaweek that the idea behind the auxiliary sales unit is to allow for a consultancy-type sell: “We need to know more about the planning side and have more of a one-on-one conversation with the clients.” <!–more–>

Translation: Lucas is getting serious about engagement.

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Steve Grubbs, CEO of the newly formed Fuse Sports and Entertainment Group North America, said one of his first roles as head of the new division of Omnicom Media Group will be to look at the possibility of expanding into areas beyond TV, film and digital platforms—like music or live events—either through partnerships or acquisitions. Grubbs, previously CEO of Omnicom media agency PHD North America, said, “Our goal is to develop the most complete branded entertainment and sports resource in the business. Entertainment is a broad area…If there are service gaps that make sense filling, then we should do it.” Grubbs said a decision within Omnicom was made to form this new division, which combines current Omnicom units Optimum Entertainment, Optimum Sports, Full-Circle Entertainment and Highway Entertainment, in order to offer clients better synergy across all divisions. His first goal will be to ensure that each of the units gets a complete understanding of what each group does. Grubbs said the four units “did have a tendency to operate as separate silos at times, and this new division will ensure that the thinking, strategies and execution of all four units will be brought together for each client.” —John Consoli

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