Everyone knows that China is the hot new market and branded entertainment is the hot new marketing strategy. Now the biggest marketer of them all, Procter & Gamble, is setting new standards by acting
as a pioneer in both arenas. The giant consumer products marketer has teamed up with numerous local reality TV broadcasters in China to develop innovative methods for embedding its products in
programming. The company recently invested nearly $1 million with Hunan Satellite TV, a provincial channel with national distribution through cable and satellite media, to make Gillette Vector the
title sponsor of a folk art show and a series featuring outdoor singing performances. P&G has also teamed up with News Corp.'s Star network for its Whisper brand to sponsor "Dance Competition," a
popular reality show on Star's Mandarin-language Xing Kong channel that hunts for the most entertaining and talented dancer across China. The deal entitles P&G to sponsor billboards and promotional
events in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. "This is poised to be the year of reality TV in China because of last year's 'Super Girl' success," said J. Alfonso (Pon) De Dios, P&G's associate director,
media in Greater China, referring to China's most successful television show to date. "What P&G is doing in this area in China depends on where you are and which brands we're marketing."
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