Commentary

Reality Check

The pros and cons of tie-ins with longstanding series in the‘Survivor’ genre

Are reality shows getting old? In chronological terms, shows such as “American Idol,” “Survivor,” and “The Apprentice” aren’t exactly newborns. In fact, they’re granddaddies of the genre.

Yet old doesn’t necessarily mean tired when it comes to reality, still the place to be in terms of branded integration. Take “American Idol.” Tapping into America’s love for the old-fashioned talent contest and reborn with a fresh crop of crooners each round, it remains a ratings juggernaut in its sixth season. As a result, it’s enjoying lucrative, long-running sponsorship deals with Coca-Cola, Ford, and Cingular, who reportedly pay some $25 million per season each to integrate their products into the sponsor-friendly show.

“It is truly a television phenomenon, and there are not too many things you can say that about,” says Coca-Cola spokeswoman Susan McDermott, who also points out, “The fact that in its fifth year it had higher ratings than ever before is a real testament to the loyalty people feel for the show.”

In fact, during its fifth season, “American Idol” shows on Tuesday averaged 31 million viewers and its Wednesday installments 30 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.

And while “Survivor” isn’t pulling the astounding ratings “American Idol” gets, this show is still going strong after 13 seasons (the most recent installment, “Survivor: Cook Islands,” averaged 15.7 million viewers per episode) and continues to procure major sponsorship pacts. Based on the show’s enduring popularity, which lies in once-in-a-lifetime adventures shared by revolving bands of castaways, Ford premiered its all-new Mercury Milan during “Survivor: Cook Islands,” tying it in with a Web site contest.

The exposure on “Survivor” marked the first time the car, hitting retail at Ford dealerships this month, was seen anywhere in detail. It was also the first time Ford debuted a new vehicle on a reality show, says Mercury brand manager Kim Irwin.

Meanwhile, even the veteran reality shows that aren’t the mega-hits they once were are snagging big-time brand integration deals. “One has to remember it is not necessarily the total number of eyeballs, it’s what eyeballs you’re reaching,” MindShare Entertainment president David Lang stresses. “So if your brand is aimed at women, and the reality show hits women 18 to 34 really well, it’s a good buy.”

That’s why Dial Corp. joined forces with the ratings-challenged “The Apprentice” for its current sixth season, sponsoring not one but two separate challenges — one for Renuzit Super Odor Neutralizer and another for Soft Scrub Deep Foaming Cleanser.

While “The Apprentice” has seen ratings take a dive since its inception, the show does reach the specific upscale 25- to 45-year-old female demographic Dial seeks, reports Dial Corp. senior vice president and general manager Brian Shook. He says his company picked up the last two sponsorship opportunities available with the program.

Going into season six, shifting from a New York to a Los Angeles setting, “The Apprentice” was overwhelmed with interest from potential sponsors, according to self-promotion master Donald Trump. Word is Mark Burnett Productions, which produces the show, slashed its asking price for sponsorships, making deals for $1 million to $1.5 million for season six as compared with the $2 million to $3 million going price for season five.

In addition to Dial, “The Apprentice” has deals with companies such as Lexus and Priceline. “They really look at the numbers. These are very sophisticated buyers,” Trump says, “and if “The Apprentice” weren’t what it is, they wouldn’t be on it.”

But the show has cut back on sponsored tasks at NBC’s request, Trump says. “They wanted us to go back a little bit to the selling of lemonade,” Trump says. “If you remember, [the task on the first episode of the debut season] was selling lemonade because, frankly, nobody knew “The Apprentice” was going to be such a success.”

It’s a good move, according to Lang, who says, “When a show is not as cluttered, brands look at it as a better opportunity.

Dial agrees. “You like to stand out,” says Shook, “and the more people in the crowd, the harder it is.”

Incidentally, Dial will be the first company in the history of “The Apprentice” to sponsor two challenges in the same season. Those challenges will be supported by 360 marketing efforts entailing in-store, online, and traditional advertising.

Not every partnership is an ideal fit, however. Excedrin had previously linked with “The Apprentice” to sponsor a contest through which viewers could vote for the contestant they deemed “The Biggest Pain of the Week.” But it was a forced match, and when Catapult Marketing became Excedrin’s agency of record last January, the firm sought to establish a sponsorship with a reality show that was a better fit for the product. “The problem with [“The Apprentice” effort] was it didn’t really tie in with Excedrin’s positioning, which is ‘Power Through and Go,’” Catapult Marketing vice president Jenn Gioffre explains. “Their consumers are the people that don’t let pain stop them, and they fit in more with “The Amazing Race.”

“The Amazing Race” made sense for Excedrin, given that some of the contestants probably needed to pop painkillers to get through some of the grueling challenges on the show.

Another great fit in brand integration is the long-established partnership between Sears and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” It may be a match made in heaven. “Sears products are integrated so organically and seamlessly into the story line that it really has a wonderfully positive effect for the show and for Sears,” says Lang, who notes that MindShare’s Shari Cohen was the architect of that deal.

So what’s different this season? “We’re going to up the ante,” says McDermott. Among the new tie-ins: Along with allowing fans to use their Coke Rewards Points to submit questions for the idols to be asked live on air by Seacrest, Coke will sponsor a contest in which fans will be invited to redesign the judges’ Coca-Cola cups.

While Coke is thoroughly integrated into “American Idol,” Gioffre’s 5-year-old son has taken particular notice of Ford’s relationship with the show, though he’s years away from a driver’s license. “We were walking through a parking lot, he saw a Ford logo, pointed to it, and said, ‘American Idol!’” Gioffre shares. “That sort of brand recognition is unbelievable. He’s 5, but now he sees that logo, and it is associated with his show.”

Next story loading loading..