• Ad Age, Wednesday, September 5, 2007 10:15 AM

The makers of the YouTube drama "LonelyGirl15" may have hit the advertising equivalent of pay dirt through their latest venture "KateModern," the online video/interactive media series that partners with the social network, Bebo. "Kate," with 3 million views in just over three weeks, is both a commercial and crossover success, neatly integrating brands into the lives of its characters, who have interactive profiles on Bebo, in addition to the story's plotline.

"Kate," whose launch advertisers included Microsoft Corp., Disney's Buena Vista International, France Telecom's Orange and P&G's Gillette, Pantene and Tampax brands, is the ad antithesis to "LonelyGirl." Once, during a Thanksgiving episode of the latter, the creators turned branded items on the table away from the camera because they were wary of commercialism. This proved to be a mistake, however, as people liked the main character and wanted to know what brands she liked.

With "Kate," the product placements are often tongue-in-cheek. A truly interactive endeavor, "Kate" lets its audience influence the plot via email and messages on Bebo. The results have been so positive that Microsoft recently extended its partnership with the social network to include the show on MSN, which also runs on YouTube and LG15.com.

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