• Adweek, Thursday, December 27, 2007 10:46 AM

Tyson Foods' product integration on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and Sue Bee Honey and Soft Scrub placements on NBC's "The Apprentice: Los Angeles " were the most effective product integrations this year, based on impact on brand opinion, according to IAG Research.

With a brand-opinion index of 394, Tyson--which supplied a year's worth of meat to a family and 20,000 pounds of flesh to their community--managed to boost viewer opinion of the brand to a level nearly four times the average for a product placement. And when "Apprentice" contestants were asked to harvest, bottle and sell Sue Bee, the brand hit a score of 368. A month later, they had to produce "Webisodes" to advertise Soft Scrub--netting the cleaner a 332 score, IAG says.

Integrations are generally believed to work better when at least one commercial also runs during the show, but only six of the 2007 top 10 did that. "Based on years of data collection, IAG has found that pairing a product placement with a regular commercial typically leads to greater recall for both; they help reinforce one another," says David Kaplan, senior vice president of research and product development for IAG. "However, if done well, placements can successfully stand on their own."

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