Brandtique: 'Seventeen,' 'How To Look Good Naked'

by David Goetzl, Sep 26, 2008, 7:30 AM

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Reality shows are littered with "The Fashion Shoot," the opportunity for a regular-old contestant to be the center of a spread in an Elle or CosmoGirl or Allure. It's not entirely clear whether the publications pays for the opportunity, since they bring some value to the shows: a photo shoot that goes national is a pretty impressive prize.

Although the "Shoots" are prevalent and at clutter-risk, Seventeen magazine used a recent integration on Lifetime's "How to Look Good Naked" in a targeted, strategic way that probably broke through.

On one level, the integration made solid business sense: it sought to promote the magazine's Web site, not its traditional pages. There's not too much more imperative in the print business these days than driving traffic to Internet iterations.

Quick background: The makeover show "How to Look Good Naked" is in its second season on Lifetime. Former "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy" star Carson Kressley is the conductor, as he tries to show women "how to bring forth their inner and outer beauty without plastic surgery or extreme dieting."

In the Sept. 2 episode, Kressley was faced with upping the egos of a mother and daughter. The show illustrates some of the sad body image issues in society. In this particular episode--outsiders, including family members--make it clear that neither of the two should have any concerns about their looks.

The mother, 46-year-old Debbie, is a gem. Just watching her shows the best of motherhood, with her ever-present affection and adoration for her daughter, 18-year-old Taylor. In a touching moment, Debbie expresses her serious concerns about potentially passing on her weight and shape issues to her daughters, hurting their confidence and causing unnecessary obsession.

"I just feel like I'm projecting that on to them," she says. "And they're going to be like me, and I don't want that."

Taylor, too, comes across as a genuine, caring young lady in her mother's image--the adoring, smiling, generous side. But also the side with body-image issues.

She says she wants to lose 10 pounds, a scary prospect for her mother. "We don't need to fix your body," Kressley says. "We need to fix how you think about yourself."

After some shopping and other adventures, the pair participate in makeovers and then the "Shoot" for Seventeen. But the magazine cleverly uses the opportunity to plug its Web site--not to mention linking itself with the show's positive message about appreciating rather than aspiring (one of the top product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX). "Love you just the way you are" is a Billy Joel song and a Kressley preaching.

As the show winds down, Kressley takes Taylor to meet Seventeen Editor in Chief Ann Shoket, who touts Seventeen's Body Peace Treaty. Shoket explains that it involves multiple personal vows to stop obsessing with one's body appearance.

Then comes the Reveal. Taylor is told that the spread will be on Seventeen.com, and the site gets a plug in an on-screen banner. Viewers are directed to go there and sign the peace treaty. Another endorsement comes from banter between master pitchman Kressley and Shoket.

Kressley tosses her a softball: How many people will catch the shoot on the Seventeen site?

An inspired Shoket tells Taylor: "13 million teenage girls are behind you!"

After the show wrapped, maybe more.

Product	Show	Q-Ratio
Seventeen Magazine	How To Look Good Naked	4.2993
Playtex	Mad Men	2.9247
Vitamin Water	Gossip Girl	2.0411
American Express	Project Runway	1.9043
McDonald's	Reality Bites Back	1.6088

Click here to view these placements. Data and Analysis provided by iTVX.

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