• Ad Age, Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12 PM

Morning television shows produced by local TV station have become a gold mine for marketers seeking a place to promote their brands via product placement and program integration. Opportunities still abound on the local shows, unlike at prime-time and national levels, where marketers are finding it difficult to secure available space due to demand. Those other platforms are also more expensive than local TV, where producers are hungry for free content. Appearances on local shows often come in the form of four-minute lifestyle segments dedicated to one brand that feature a brand's spokesperson chatting with the show's host and delivering the product's message to viewers. Third-party endorsements may also appear, as well as follow-up information about a product on a station's Web site. The marketer controls how its brand will be presented, who the spokesperson will be, signage, scripting and what the segments will look like. Categories such as food, beauty, travel and home entertainment are taking advantage of the opportunity more than others, although automotive, financial services, electronics and technology are beginning to get on board.

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