Archive for the 'iTVX in the News' Category

A major character on NBC’s Chuck delivers a Subway sandwich to his boss, then utters the chain’s current “$5 foot-long” ad message as part of the script? Why, it’s enough to make the casual viewer scream out “Sweet onion teriyaki!” in amazement.

Subway got an aggressive plug Monday night on the light-hearted NBC spy drama when Morgan, best friend of protagonist Chuck Bartowski, delivered a chicken-teriyaki sandwich to Big Mike, the boss at Buy More, the electronics chain where much of the action in Chuck takes place. The sandwich came wrapped in paper adorned with Subway’s familiar yellow lettering and — as no doubt intended — was hard for a viewer to miss.

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Subaru and Sundance Channel have agreed to make the car company the exclusive sponsor of Eco Trip: The Real Cost of Living, which premieres on April 21 at 9 p.m. The series explores the impact that everyday products have on the environment.

A video installment from Subaru, “Traction for Life,” features profiles of people whose environmental efforts have improved their families and communities. The short videos will air each week during Eco Trip.

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Less successful in grabbing viewer attention were two recent integrations on respective reality series, VH1’s “Tough Love” and Bravo’s “Make Me A Supermodel.” Alltel Wireless phones were weaved in the first show, while there was a plug for Bloomingdale’s via a photo shoot on the latter (two of the top product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX).

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NEW YORK, March 23, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ —-As many marketers rethink their media budgets, it is quite clear the path Infiniti is taking with branded entertainment. Infiniti has closed branded entertainment deals with “Inside the Actors Studio” (Bravo Network), “Spectacle” (Sundance Channel), “The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central) and NCAA Men’s Basketball (ESPN / CBS).

Complex integration deals require clear and comprehensive analysis. “There is no margin for passive research metrics. Infiniti needed pro-active accountability and learnings for immediate strategic decisions,” said Jon Brancheau, Director, Infiniti Global Marketing Communications.

“Today’s branded entertainment deals are utilizing multiple platforms to deliver a common brand message. iTVX is providing new tools and strategic learnings that will help Infiniti better understand the quality, value and recall of their branded entertainment campaigns. We are impressed with the integration quality Infiniti and its agencies are executing,” said Frank Zazza CEO of iTVX.

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At a time when  General Motors’ Saturn is running an ad stating forlornly, “We’re still here,” rival Infiniti is revving up its branded entertainment placements.

The automaker has embedded its models and “inspirational” tagline into the current NCAA tournament, Elvis Costello’s music-centric series on Sundance Channel and Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio.

Infiniti executives are also mulling a continuation of a two-year deal with Comedy Central’s Colbert Report, where the brand recently sponsored an online interactive-voting application that lets viewers pick their favorite moments from the show.

Though parent company Nissan North America is hurting, along with the rest o the industry—car sales in units fell 27.7 percent for the first two months of this year versus the same period in 2008 per AutoData, Woodcliff Lake, N.J.—Infiniti isn’t dialing back on marketing.

“We have to be in market, talking to shoppers,” said Kathy Roznowski, senior manager, Infiniti media, at parent company Nissan North America. Though its primary focus is on nuts-and-bolts marketing, Infiniti also is emphasizing branded entertainment, which “gets us into venues where we can show the value of our brand and speak to a demographic that has an affinity for us,” Roznowski said.

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By iTVX Staff

With a whopping Q-Ratio™ of 5.0615, FOX’s “MADtv” with Serena Williams as host topped off iTVX’s Featured Product Placements of the Week from November 15th through November 22nd. The show’s integration of Guitar Hero was an integral part of the episode. For more from the list, click here.

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By iTVX Staff

With a Q-Ratio™ of 3.7319, Friday Night Lights’ leads the pack of featured product placements for its placement of Vaseline the week of Nov. 9-14. The Directv series shifts back to NBC this winter. Other shows making the cut were HBO’s The Life and Times of Tim and Fox’s Family Guy. To view the featured product placements of the week, click here. iTVX.com reveals its top featured product placements of the week every Thursday.

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The industry has been smitten with the idea of virtual product placement for perhaps a decade, while continuing to experiment with it. Before the DVR revolution, which has heightened its potential, the prospect offered an opportunity to squeeze more dollars out of syndicated programming.  

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It’s tough to beat Tina Fey at her Sarah Palin best, but among so many memorable “Saturday Night Live” campaign spoofs over the past weeks, John McCain’s opening sketch on Nov. 1 was near the top of the list. Four days before he would lose to Barack Obama, McCain appeared as a “QVC pitchman,” and finally seemed like a happy warrior. Although resigned to his fate as an election loser, the happy warrior incarnation fit him well, and could have benefited him on the campaign trail.

McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin appeared as herself on an “SNL” episode several weeks before he took the stage. She received credit for being able to laugh at herself, but seemed a bit uncomfortable throughout. McCain seemed to be in his element. And credit the “SNL” writers for helping him do it.
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By iTVX Staff

With a staggering Q-Ratio™ of 3.8499, HBO’s “Little Britain USA” integration of Starbucks tops the featured product placements of the week for iTVX from October 25th through November 1st.

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