• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, June 19, 2008

At this week's Promax industry event, an expert in the space was asked whether marketers are devoting larger pots of their budgets to branded entertainment. The response: Not really.

The reason being--as the recent upfront has shown--that marketers still love traditional spots. "No media planner ... has ever been fired for buying a lot of TV," the pundit said. It "can be really difficult for people to depart from that in terms of where they direct their dollars."

Based on those comments, it would appear the dip-toe-in-water approach to branded entertainment is not limited to marketers with limited budgets.

Nonetheless, experimentation comes easier when an advertiser has a hulk-like budget--and perhaps no one has more to gamble with than a movie company looking to promote an expected blockbuster during the week prior to release.

Purchase Thursday-night spots in scatter on "Grey's Anatomy"? Done.

Take over the MySpace home page? No problem.

Paint the New York Post green? Easy enough.

Whoops, Discovery just did that for its new eco-friendly channel, so maybe do something similar with the Daily News.

In the blank-check vein, Universal essentially did a takeover of the June 9 episode of NBC's "American Gladiators," plugging the debut of "The Incredible Hulk" film several nights later. (It was one of the top product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX.)

Befitting the show's campiness, the promotion took on a similar absurdity, as "Hulk" had a seemingly constant presence throughout the hour. (What role Universal's corporate sisterhood with NBC had in paving the way is not clear.)

The "stands" were packed with "fans" donning and happily displaying the unmistakable green Hulk Fists--much as if they were waving towels at an NBA playoff game. Lou Ferrigno, star of the "Hulk" TV show who has a cameo in the film, sat among them.

The announcer opened the show with: "Gladiator Arena turns green for the first time ever as we pay tribute to 'The Incredible Hulk.'" And indeed, a green hue served as a backdrop for the "action."

In one "battle," two of the "Gladiators" wore the Hulk Fists as they tried to stop the contestants from bullying past them.

Bad news in the consumer products arena? The contestants were able to hammer by.

Over the course of the show, the announcer teased a coming "exclusive sneak peek" of the film. Which finally came toward the end--with a lengthy trailer, the likes of which would precede another film at the theater.

And there was one green, well, blue-ribbon organic integration. As a 113-pound female contestant prepared to take on a strapping "Gladiator," the announcer came on with: "Our Hulk has her ready to go."

Cut to show host Hulk Hogan.

The whole promotion was of course farcical in so many ways. But while some might look to put on Hulk Fists and knock it down as an example of colossal over-commercialization --as a case of NBC engaging in a standing-room-only sellout--it strangely didn't offend as much as might be expected.

It's not PBS. The show doesn't take itself seriously--tellingly highlighted when one "Gladiator" wore Hulk Fists and offered a combination to the camera, but then couldn't help himself from laughing.

So, did the fandango work? Did Universal get its money's worth for what surely was no bargain?

It may not matter.

The studio raked in the green. "Hulk" had a $54.5 million opening weekend.

Product	Show	Q-Ratio
"The Incredible Hulk"	American Gladiators	10.0149
Match.com	Commuter Confidential	2.1761
Revlon	Commuter Confidential	1.0029
Snuggle	So You Think You Can Dance	0.8986
M&M's	Last Comic Standing	0.3388

Click here to view these placements. Data and analysis provided by iTVX.