Promo - February 2008 - (Page 8)

10 Slim-Fast 12 Malibu Rum 14 retail 16 Interactive 18 Experiential THE PLAYERS “Extreme Makeover” host Ty Pennington (left) talks to guest Paul DiMeo as he tests a treadmill at Sears during one recent episode. Have Reality, Need Product Writers strike results in more product placement opportunities/Richard Tedesco The protracted writers strike is resulting in an abundance of product placement in reality TV, and the engine isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Since November networks have relied on an accelerated production of unscripted shows ripe for integration to help defray production costs. “My experience is that content integration deals are easier to do in non-scripted shows than scripted shows,” says Guy McCarter, managing director of Green Room Entertainment, part of the Omnicom Group. “And since there are going to be more unscripted shows, I think there are going to be more product integration deals.” The signs are already on the small screen. When NBC’s “American Gladiators” recently made the Sunday night lineup, it was a harbinger of more prime-time reality to come. “The strike may help push brands into trying other forms of engagement,” says Tom Valdiserri, senior vice president of entertainment and alliances for The Marketing Store. It’s a situation in flux, according to Dan Longest, senior vice president for integrated marketing and promotion at ABC. “We’re in a bit of holding pattern. There obviously is a bit of uncertainty about how things are going to play out [with the strike],” he says. Longest says ABC isn’t seeing a flood of more reality programming in the pipeline yet. But he acknowledges that a rush to reality would portend more openings to plug in branded content. “If we tend to develop more reality shows, there will be more opportunities for product integration.” That’s because product placement in reality shows appears to be natural, less obtrusive and much more likely to make an impression on viewers. “I think you have more opportunities because you’re taking a real world brand and putting in an environment that’s real,” says Longest. ABC has struck the right balance with Sears and Tyson 8 February 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - February 2008

Promo - February 2008 Contents Editor's Note Reality TV Products Rebound - Soon? The Real World Young But Not Stupid Social Tease Health Quencher How Effective? Big Game in Big Easy Commentary Mailbox Marketing Q&A: Coke's Kruse Control Gift-Card Monte Room Service The Agency Center Resource Center Can't Beat Loyalty Index of Advertisers

Promo - February 2008

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