• by David Goetzl , February 13, 2006

In a recent "Frontline" documentary, would-be branded entertainment guru Mitch Kanner touts product placement's ability to turn a brand into a hero. Consumers, the logic goes, then grow attached to the car, the coffee, the console--perhaps unwittingly.

Kanner gives the FedEx and "Cast Away" example, where after years, not only does a package get delivered--it delivers romance. "How much better could you feel about the brand?" Kanner asks.

Now from PBS to Fox. The Feb. 3 episode of "Trading Spouses" attempts to turn Oreos into a FedEx-style hero (evaluated and ranked via research firm iTVX as one of the five most effective product placements last week) and it actually works. Add the creme-filled sandwiches to William Hung, Al Bundy, and Joe Millionaire as unlikely heroes Fox has given us.

The show, which cops the conceit of ABC's "Wife Swap," has mothers switch homes to evaluate problems and maybe offer some advice on how to make things better. In the Oreo episode, the visiting mom is shocked to find a 15-year-old with parents who are overprotective and discourage their daughter from having friends and fun.

She's never been on a date and she never gets ... Oreos. What teenager can't curl up on the couch with a bag of Double Stufs and the remote control? "They forever go together, what a classic combination," right?

"You poor, deprived thing," her guest mom, Christina, says.

Agreed. The teen, Sondra, is ecstatic in the cookie aisle of the grocery store when Christina lets her have free reign. "We never have Oreos, so this is a big treat," Sondra says.

The Oreos then embark on their heroic mission. Not only do they facilitate bonding between Christina and Sondra, they help the teen have a blast with a friend--something she sorely needs. When a buddy comes over for a sleepover, Sondra is thrilled to unveil the bag of cookies. "Oh wow," says her buddy.

It's over the top, of course, but viewers are warmed by the thought that Sondra gets to enjoy those staples of childhood. And they're hopeful that maybe her parents will come around. Plus, suddenly, they're humming: "The one and only O -- R - E - O..."