• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 13, 2007

Imagine a marketer that gets exposure in a scripted show as prevalent as billboards in Time Square, yet hopes viewers have their thumbs on the remote control. The goal--to have viewers continually scan in and out of the episode as they aggressively channel surf.

It's a bizarre twist, since conventional wisdom holds that a brand integration works best when length of time is impressive enough to inspire network research departments to start generating client presentations.

But in the March 1 episode of Comedy Central's new "The Sarah Silverman Program," Coca-Cola's quirky Tab brand--one of the top product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX--could have benefited from viewers tuning in and out, checking out the scene, but not sticking around to follow the plot.

The reason? The story line takes some serious fizz out of the 44-year-old brand, poking fun in line with Silverman's caustic cut-ups. However, the episode viewed without sound or perhaps via DVR looks like sort of a wet kiss for Tab, as its moniker becomes virtual wallpaper. Network executives who argue that ads viewed silently in fast-forward mode via DVRs still yield valuable brand exposure may have a point here.

First, the dubious plotline. Silverman's neighbors, Brian and Steve, get into a tiff when one mistakenly is served a glass in a restaurant. Brian chafes; Steve says just drink it.

Episode-long sarcasm ensues with Brian becoming a mock evangelist for the brand--which has managed to survive since the early Reagan years with little more than a cult following. He wears T-shirts, buys loads of cans and two-liters, even dons a Tab-logoed NASCAR-style suit, not to mention his facetious verbal praise:

"This is the greatest soda I've ever had in my life!"

"I'm so jones-ing for the T - A - B!"

Steve, refusing to admit he was misguided by encouraging his buddy to just drink the Tab, holds his ground. He helps Brian lug out a carton of two-liter bottles from a store--somewhat quizzical, since the stuff doesn't exactly lend itself to impulse buys, given its sporadic availability. Finding Tab is as hit-and-miss as finding a store that stocks Mallomars in the summer. Even Coke says the soda's zealots "have been known to travel hundreds of miles to find their favorite drink."

Steve becomes one as he tries to outlast Brian in the war of wills so he'll drop the Tab proselytizing. Steve puts on a Tab-can costume, and shows Brian a car emblazoned with the Tab moniker, while suggesting they quit their jobs and move to the Tab bottling plant in Tennessee. Finally, the spoof ends as they mutually apologize for the sarcasm and shift their thirsts to tea.

There are several ways to evaluate this from the marketers' perspective. To be sure, as a brand with a wacky fan base, the episode-long spoof could be viewed as a nice fit with Silverman's equally wacky devotees.

But the best-case scenario may have been viewing with the sound off--or viewers dropping in and out via the remote. The sarcastic plot and dialogue riffs on the drink, but the visual images are seemingly ever-present.

The T-shirts, NASCAR suit, hat, costume (where did they get this stuff, eBay?), the wall hangings, the painted car, plus enough cans and bottles to prevent passionate fans from having to drive hundreds of miles, are impossible to avoid--even for the most rabid channel surfer.

Moreover, for a brand that many now think has sort of drifted into quasi-retirement Shasta- or RC-style, the exposure could pique some interest, maybe even succeed with a nostalgia tack.

Ironically, Coke doesn't appear to be using Tab's retro appeal for any marketing benefit. Last year, it launched a spin-off, Tab Energy, with the same distinctive hue, but in a thin can.

The goal is to possibly challenge Red Bull. But the pink isn't likely to yield much green.