• by David Goetzl , December 13, 2007

If there's truth to be told in new research about brand integration released this week, then Bravo quite simply has a winner in Tim Gunn. The thrust of the new findings: Consumers are exponentially more likely to have positive feelings about--or make a purchase of--a product if it is integrated into a show they deem "highly enjoyable."

And that's where Gunn comes in. The linchpin of both Bravo's "Project Runway" and its new makeover show "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" certainly makes a series fit that bill by himself--at least to the target demographic.

For those who are unfamiliar:

"The breakout personality ... an unlikely heartthrob," the New York Times wrote of Gunn way back during "Runway's" first season. Flash forward to the day after the premiere of "Guide to Style" and EW.com labeled "his dry wit, big heart, and plus-sized vocabulary" as the big draw. From "The Glam Guide" blog: "Everyone loves Tim Gunn. And why not! He's a fashion guru and a fabulous person through and through."

So credit Macy's for linking with Gunn on the Nov. 29 episode of his "Guide"--not coincidentally right as the holiday shopping season kicked into high gear (ranked as one of the top product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX). The Macy's maneuver came after Bluefly.com made a "Runway" appearance on Nov. 14.

While Gunn doesn't mention Macy's in the episode, his co-host, Veronica Webb, offers up a gushing plug after an exterior shot of Macy's flagship New York store: "It's 11 floors; they have everything in the world."

And the ensuing camera shots try to reinforce that with sweeping looks at displays and seemingly endless racks and dressed mannequins, all set to accompanying music.

Then, as "Lori" tries on clothes to be evaluated by style-guide Gunn, she walks out from a dressing room where the Macy's nameplate is visible; it's also noticeable several times behind Gunn. And there's a "brought to you by Macy's" billboard leading into a break.

But from a marketer's perspective, the reasons to line Bravo's pockets for integration in a show with Gunn aren't the camera angles or the voiceover tones on the billboards, but Gunn himself and his growing devotees of viewers presumably "highly enjoying" themselves.

Another reason: Gunn appears to have their interests at heart. In a mid-2006 interview about "Runway," he expressed concerns about overt brand integrations. "This is the huge, horrible, hand-wringing, head-holding issue for us--the sponsors' demands, and how to work with them and not completely compromise the show," he told the Chicago Tribune.

But he said he knows their dollars are needed--describing a conundrum where co-star Heidi Klum refused to hold up a bottle of champagne where the label was visible--so he had to step in. "Moet & Chandon is a sponsor, and [in one scene] Heidi refused to hold the bottle of champagne in a way that allowed the label to be seen," he told the paper. "But we had to do it. So I end up doing it, but in a different scene. She said, 'I'm not doing it.'" Moet might have actually said "Cheers" to how things worked out.