The latest example of using paid advertising as part of content was on Fox’s Sunday (1/10/10) pregame show before the Arizona–Green Bay playoff game. As usual, Subway sponsored part of the show with its name plastered on all the screens behind the anchors. But then Subway spokesman Jared showed up in the Fox studio with a table full of Subway sandwiches and he talked all about them. Then he bantered with the anchors and athletes who sat on set for a total of about one minute.
Advertisers continue to integrate their products with content so viewers don’t ignore them during commercial time or zip through them via their DVRs. That’s not to say Subway didn’t have lots of TV spots during the football game – they did – but it must have been a hell of a package deal. And more and more non-news programming is willing to sell out to advertisers.
It’s clear the Jared appearance is part of Subways long-term plan to connect Jared and its healthy menu to athletes and celebrities as this clip shows.
Soon after Jared was featured in-studio, American Idol had a :30 TV spot, which reminded me of A.I.’s deep integration of its sponsors, Ford and Coke. A.I. is one of the originators in integrating advertisers into its content, frequently playing music videos (like this one) during the show featuring Ford products and A.I.’s contestants.
So what’s next? Jared on American Idol!
