• by Wayne Friedman , David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, December 12, 2006

The Donald does not do criticism. Although NBC's "The Apprentice" has been slammed in recent ratings-plummeting seasons for being over-commercialized, it will include an array of sponsors integrated into its sixth season, which kicks off Jan. 7. Past sponsors such as Procter & Gamble and GM have opted out--but new ones, like Toyota, Dial Corp. and GNC, have signed on.

Sales of integration deals for the show--once an appealing commodity on Madison Avenue--may have lost luster, not to mention high-pricing levels, according to analysts. Deals in the past had been priced as high as $2.5 million to $3 million per episode, which analysts say has dropped from those levels. "Apprentice" producer Mark Burnett Productions sells the brand-integration opportunities.

Dial will take advantage of the show's top-tier sponsorship opportunity--in which the contestants are given a marketing challenge to best promote a brand that receives significant exposure in an episode's first half-hour--to offer an "Apprentice" first. The Dial challenge involves creating a Webisode for one product and a commercial to be shown in cinemas for another.

Dial plans to extend its "Apprentice" link off-air to include in-store displays, sweepstakes, print and TV ads, and other promotions.

Another sign that the appeal of sponsorships may be waning is the lack of blue-chip advertisers on board for the new season. NBC decided to keep the show off the fall schedule, opting for a less-is-more flier. Toyota's Lexus brand is the only marketer in Advertising Age's top-50 national advertisers that has purchased an integration. (A sports facility where Home Depot has the naming rights will make an appearance).

Other changes: "The Apprentice" shifts to a Los Angeles setting from New York in a bid to reinvigorate the show. Large marketers in the new season include GNC and Priceline.com. But others on a decidedly lower scale include Sue Bee Honey and designer Trina Turk.

In a news release touting the new sponsor slate, Burnett Productions mentioned the success that marketers have had with their sponsorships in previous seasons, such as P&G enjoying a major spike in Web-site hits regarding a Crest product. Also, GM's Pontiac experienced a mass sale of vehicles. But neither company has decided to slot one of its many brands into the coming season.

Other past participants, such as PepsiCo, Microsoft and Burger King, are not returning.

Ratings for "The Apprentice" roared as the show and the antics of its star, Donald Trump, became cultural phenoms in the spring of 2004--a 10.1 in the 18-to-49 demo, trailing only "American Idol" in rankings for the season's leading shows. But by that fall, the ratings had dropped 23% to a 7.8--and continued to descend for its two runs last season, with a 5.0 followed by a 4.0 last spring.

Some industry observers felt the show began catering too much to marketers, allowing their presence in a particular episode to become so widespread that it overwhelmed some of the drama and made it tough for the show's contestants to shine.

The Chicago Tribune wrote that the show "routinely doubles as an infomercial."