• by Wayne Friedman , July 27, 2007

ABC is teasing viewers this summer--just like a romantic meeting--in the marketing of its new fall TV shows.

"We are taking a dating philosophy to our marketing," says Michael Benson, executive vice of marketing for ABC Entertainment. "I'm into doing teases--it's the art of the tease."

Benson says that means offering less video of shows--at least initially. The "Dirty Sexy Money" promo simply offers dramatic, loud music with some video revealing the title of the show in graphics, one word at a time: Dirty. Sexy. Money.

"The title is so provocative," says Benson. "[Viewers will be asking] what is this all about? It's just like dating."

In another campaign, for ABC's new comedy "Carpoolers," one promo will use road-sign billboards with messages, such as "The bus is smelly," "The subway is hot" and "Carpoolers do it in the fast lane."

With these efforts, ABC is returning to the racy marketing of years past, such as when it launched "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost." For instance, there was a "Housewives" promo that showed a wife's to-do list: "1. Pick up laundry. 2. Drop off husband's golf clubs. 3. Kill husband." "Housewives" also did one featuring Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher's character), who teased in a promo: "Mary Alice, what have you done?"

Yet Benson, commenting on "Desperate," is quick to add: "But we didn't tell you what the mystery was all about."

Although some ABC research says fans are frustrated by the lack of video for a show, Benson says, "it means they want to see more of the show. That means it's working." This stance goes to ABC's overall strategy--not offering complete episodes of new shows on the Internet or elsewhere. By contrast, other networks do. Benson believes such a tactic jeopardizes the opening of a new series.

"We won't do that," he says. "The Nielsen sample is so small, if one person sees another screening and they don't like it, they might say, 'We'll, I've seen it, so I don't have to see the premiere.' The most important thing for us is to open a show."