No Commercials? No Problem!

Advertisers have more options than ever to reach their audiences: direct mail, television commercials, radio spots and online banner ads are just the beginning. With consumers getting wise to DVR fast-forwarding, advertisers are looking for other ways to get noticed. One option available to local companies is virtual product placement.

This new technology allows companies to embed their logos on products in the TV show. Yes, it's product placement after a show has been produced.

Local station KASW-CW6 offers virtual product placement in the syndicated show How I Met Your Mother, which airs weeknights from 5 to 5:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 6 p.m. Phoenix is one of a select number of markets with this opportunity.

“Any time you go outside the 30-second commercial and integrate into the show’s content, it’s attractive to advertisers,” says Kirstin Jones, director of media strategy for E.B. Lane. “We’ve been wanting an option for our clients beyond the 30-second commercial for years, and we are excited to be one of the first markets to pilot this new technology.”

Here’s how it works: 20th Century Fox, which manages the syndication of How I Met Your Mother, contracts with company that developed the technology to embed the logos. In advance, they decide where virtual product placement would make sense — a calendar in the background of a scene, a water bottle on a nightstand, a bus with an ad or a billboard, for example. Then, they offer up these specific spots to sell.

“There might be three opportunities in the show today and maybe only one unit available tomorrow,” says Mark Demopoulos, director of programming and research at KASW-CW6 and KTVK-3TV. A full “unit” lasts about 10 to 12 seconds. And even though it’s not a lot of airtime, it can be valuable.

“It’s one way for an advertiser to really put themselves in a unique place within the framework of a show,” Demopoulos says. “You might be the only advertiser in that show, and it’s in the content.”

Jones notes that virtual product placement can be successful as part of a larger advertising plan. But, she says, it’s important to make sure it’s the right fit.

“The beauty of product placement is that it’s seamlessly edited in,” she says. “You don’t want a disconnect with the advertiser or the show. When done properly, the placement stands out just enough to be noticeable by viewers.”

Get Connected
KASW-TV
www.azfamily.com

E. B. Lane
www.eblane.com

This story, written by Stephanie Conner, is part of the Chamber's monthly Business Driver email. To sign up for any or all of the Chamber's email newsletters, click here.