Product placement. Products get a cameo
You and eight castaways are stranded on an island, competing for $1,000,000. And you could use, well pretty much everything as you are, after all, castaways. Fortunately, Survivor host Jeff Probst announces that you could win one of the nearby crates... all filled with tools, furniture and camping supplies; all bearing the Sears logo. It's a shameless plug, also known as product placement.
Because advertisers know that TiVo has trained audiences to speed past the commercials, they now look for ways to drop their brands right into the show. Sometimes, it's as overt as Probst pointing to a Sears crate. Other times, it's as subtle as a Heinz ketchup bottle on a diner counter, looking every bit a part of the scene. Either way, it gets noticed within the confines of the show.
Web video pre roll. The new :30 second TV spot
Whenever a serious news event occurs, like a politician or celebrity behaving badly, you Google a naughty phrase and arrive at a news website, ready for the skinny. But before you get it, you'll have to get a "pre roll" commercial message first. Those intros can range from a simple logo with the words "brought to you by," to a shortened version of a TV spot. The beauty of the format is that it's an even exchange: You get the news; the advertiser gets your undivided attention for 15 seconds or less. Even better for the brand, they may have pre-identified you as a likely prospect through your past Internet behavior, and might even be able to drive you from promo to purchase at their website. So please, big name public figures: Screw up! We marketers are counting on you!
Viral videos. Slipping ads under the radar, via email
Remember our friend the skiing squirrel? He's hardly the only star of a sight gag gracing your email in bin. Along with cat stunts, parenting games, or trivia quizzes, they're all part of a guerrilla marketing tactic famously known as "viral videos." Advertisers realize that you're more likely to open a video from someone you know. So we marketers have created all manner of cute, silly and informative videos and games for you to send along, covertly carrying a sponsorship message. So don't think of your forwarding friend as one of those annoying people who sends on every email she receives. Instead, applaud her as an engine of commerce!