Commentary

Branded Entertainment Can Still Be Awkward And Inorganic

Trying to make money for your TV show in the 2010-2010 TV season? Go lighter on the product placement and branded entertainment.

This activity has been around too long for TV producers to still be producing stuff "inorganically." They need to avoid the artificial flavoring.

During a recent episode of USA Network's "In Plain Sight," a teenage character -- in a witness protection program -- gets a new car from her father. The teenager is so giddy that before she gets in her new car she calls her girlfriend to say, "Guess what, my father bought me a new Toyota Corolla!" Then she gets in and drives off.

And what do we see then? A nice head-on product shot of the car, perhaps two seconds too long. That's not organic, but instead sweetened too much for most viewers (probably not enough for marketers, though).

TV producers continue to be heavy-handed with their use of product placement. A couple of years ago an episode of "Pros Vs. Joes" on Spike TV had Snickers as sponsor -- on the field and on some uniforms. That must have caused a sugar rush and crash among viewers.

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Recently a producer for ABC's "Modern Family" said he thought a certain iPad story line on one episode -- though not a paid placement -- "sort of backfired on us," with viewers thinking it was a "giant sellout."

PQ Media reports the value of brand entertainment/product placement deals declined in 2009, in line with the suffering economy.

But I'm wondering if there's more to it that. Years ago when branded entertainment first started up, experts talked about how sophisticated viewers wouldn't stand for bad executions. Viewers are even savvier now, which makes it harder on the writers and producers of TV shows to work in deals.

At the end of the day, branded entertainment executives need to work much harder -- not because of their clients, but because viewers can see too much of a slow-moving automobile, or watch someone take too big a bite of a candy bar.

3 comments about "Branded Entertainment Can Still Be Awkward And Inorganic".
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  1. Aaron B. from AnimationInsider.net, July 7, 2010 at 4:15 p.m.

    I thought NBC did an okay job with their Subway partnership for CHUCK this past season... until I found out the last episode was named "Chuck Versus the Subway," for no logical reason.

  2. Stanford Crane from NewGuard Entertainment Corp, July 7, 2010 at 5:01 p.m.

    or are the advertisers demanding that much time?

  3. Hisani Dubose from Seven Generations Productions, July 8, 2010 at 11:12 a.m.

    Perhaps branded entertainment is not seemless because they are not using writers, story writers (screenwriters, TV writers) who know how to tell stories. A good story teller could insert a brand and make it part of the story. Maybe the advertisers should step aside and let the story tellers take over. People really are not stupid but if the product really fit into the story it would work. Need help, contact me:sevgenprod@aol.com

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