Commentary

Brandtique: Nissan

In this new age of broadcast television where networks are grappling with how to fend off threats from DVRs, fragmentation and the Internet, it appears that anything is for sale on the branded entertainment front - at least with lower-tier inventory. Witness NBC's new online-only series "StarTomorrow" - an attempt by the network to establish a programming beachhead in the user-generated space now dominated by a new Big 3: MySpace, Google and YouTube.

Since the show, er, Internet video initiative fits squarely within networks' eagerness during the summer to experiment with all kinds of low-risk formats, NBC has opted not only to take a chance on a programming concept, but a product placement one as well.

The show might as well be called "StarNissan." For, the carmaker appears to be the dominant presence. When the advertiser becomes the star, that's risky business.

There is barely a part of "StarTomorrow" where the carmaker's logo or promotions for its new Versa model aren't weaved within the content. It could be confused with a Nissan showroom -- what with signage on the stage where the competing musicians perform, plugs for a sweepstakes, banner ads and video pre-roll on the show's NBC.com home and product placement (both a red and blue Versa are shown) on a prime-time special NBC aired to introduce "StarTomorrow" and drive people to its Web locale. Nissan's eight or so minutes of exposure on the July 31 prime-time special was one of the top-ranked product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX.

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NBC bills "StarTomorrow" as the first show worthy of prime-time network airtime that will run exclusively online (outside of the intro special). It's another attempt by a network to find an "American Idol" facsimile that will generate the same kind of buzz as the Fox sensation. The format has bands competing each week and consumers voting for which ones should advance to the next round. The show does have one significant difference from a network broadcast: Instead of a continual stream, the bands' videos are available for discrete on-demand viewing.

Credit NBC for taking a shot at an online-only series. So far, it does not appear to have created much of the viral hype networks crave, but who knew "Idol" had the slightest shot of becoming a phenomenon when it was a mere summer gamble several years back? But NBC may have gone a little too far with allowing Nissan to go full-throttle with its plugs for the Versa.

As for Nissan, its goal is clear: Make the Versa synonymous with the programming, hope it somehow takes off and then benefit like Ford on "Idol." (One thing is clear and hardly surprising: "Idol" has become the Holy Grail of brand integration and likely the star of marketing confabs in many corporate boardrooms.) But in this day of YouTube and MySpace, where those sites at least appear to be wrestling with how much of their content to turn over to Madison Avenue, Nissan might have taken a page from their circumspection. Less may be more. Perhaps subtly dropping a clever Versa video into YouTube would work better than going full speed on "StarTomorrow."

Is there some way the Versa does something funky with Mentos?

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