Advertisers who use branded entertainment as part of their marketing strategy have a new venue in which they can place their products--television news programs. Previously considered off limits to
product integration, cash-strapped stations are now reaching out to advertisers for deals. "There are more local news stations that are incorporating brands into news in innovative, cutting-edge
ways," said Aaron Gordon, president of entertainment marketing firm Set Resources Inc. "The line, which has always been black and white in terms of what's news and what's commercials, is now being
blurred." Among those station cutting deals with advertisers--many of which include media buys or integration fees--is Young Broadcasting's KRON-TV in San Francisco and Univision's KMEX-TV in Los
Angeles, both of which said they have integrated advertisers into their newscasts and are actively seeking out product-integration deals. Also, Meredith Broadcasting's Fox affiliate KPTV-TV Portland,
Ore., launched a new lifestyle show in January called "More Good Day Oregon" as an extension of its morning news program "Good Day Oregon" that airs weekly segments designed to serve as vehicles for
brand integration. "We're all trying to find ways of integrating commercial messages into content that satisfy the audience and advertisers without hurting our product," KRON president and general
manager Mark Antonitis said. "When you're an independent, you've got to do what you can to survive. You bank on your credibility as a news organization every day, but you also have to be successful as
a business. You have to be creative for your advertisers without compromising the credibility of your news organization.
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