The Show within the Show

During last Sunday’s episode of “Desperate Housewives,” viewers were teased with a Sprint commercial titled “Another Desperate Housewife.”

This spot was created by the writers of “Desperate Housewives” and was given the same general feel as the program, with a similar setting, tone and narration. It was like a mini spin-off masquerading as a commercial and featured a couple in the throes of suspicion, betrayal and mystery a la Wisteria Lane. There will be seven more of these shorts throughout the season, and the couple from the commercial will casually appear in a real “Desperate Housewives” episode, further blurring the line between the program and the commercial.

“You want to be able to relate to viewers within the property they know and love and that they have a passion for,” said Stephanie Kelly, Sprint’s entertainment media manager.

By incorporating elements of this highly rated program into their spot, Sprint is hoping to pique the interest of viewers and reduce the dreaded fast-forwarding of their commercial.

This is an innovative way of increasing commercial viewership. It makes sense. People who enjoy the campy salaciousness of “Desperate Housewives” will be intrigued and entertained by “Another Desperate Housewife.”

It is safe to predict that this ad will most likely be watched more frequently than a traditional ad and will be better remembered. But will it sell more Sprint phones?

--Tessa G.

Fox Introduces the “Tweet-Peat”

Fox is teaming up with Twitter to give viewers a unique reason to watch repeats of “Glee” and “Fringe” this week. Cast and crew members of the shows will tweet commentary, offer behind-the-scenes information and answer fan questions via Twitter. These tweets will scroll at the bottom of the screen during the repeat episodes of “Fringe” at 9 p.m. Thursday and “Glee” at 9 p.m. Friday.

I am a fan of social media. Both Twitter and Facebook are viable venues for my egocentric need to express myself and my voyeuristic desire to steal a glimpse into other people’s lives. But if I wanted to get insight into a television show, I would do it online.

We have to deal with so much sensory overload on cable news networks with the scrolling news and split screens. We put up with the scrolling commentary on last season’s repeat episodes of “Lost” because, frankly, “Lost” became so convoluted with its constant twisting of time and space that without the commentary, most of us couldn’t remember what happened before the commercial break, much less determine whether what happened was in the future, past or present.

Will fans take the time to go online and tweet their questions? Will these “Tweet-peats” increase viewership, or will the tweets merely annoy viewers? I expect that true fans of these shows will enjoy the inside information coming directly from the cast, but will they care about what the executive producers have to tweet?

To join in on this Twitter/TV experience, follow the two events at: twitter.com/FRINGEonFOX and twitter.com/GLEEonFOX.

--Tessa G.

At heaven’s door with a giant check?

Ed McMahon has passed away after a long and successful career as an actor, sidekick to Johnny Carson and pitchman extraordinaire.

I remember him most clearly as the guy with the giant check. As a kid, I was mesmerized by those American Family Publishers TV spots in which he shows up at someone’s door and changes their life with a huge payoff. I never really knew how much the award was—I was a kid, so a dollar was big money—but I knew it must have been a lot. I mean, did you see the size of the check?

Those spots could be considered the precursor to reality TV, particularly the brand of before-and-after TV to which I am addicted: “What Not to Wear,” “Flip This House” and their counterparts. They make viewers imagine the possibilities. If ordinary Dick and plain Jane can have a fantastic haircut or a gorgeous kitchen in just a half-hour, maybe so could I. And if someone who looks like my next-door neighbor can win an enormous, new-house-new-car-new-life check, maybe so could I. I just need to enter the sweepstakes!

It was a great campaign that took advantage of TV’s visual nature: the oversized cardboard check in hand, the pause outside the door, the jumping and screaming and crying. And it made Ed McMahon a super-good-guy in my memory. Really, could there be a better way to make a living than selling hopes and dreams?


--Julianne W.

DTV Switch Goes Without a Hitch

As of last Friday, television stations across the country dropped their analog signal, switching exclusively to digital TV. More than 900 stations waited in anticipation for the switch to take place, expecting a plethora of problems. For the most part, there were no major glitches. FCC Chairman Michael Copps declared the transition a success. “For TV broadcasting, it was a final farewell to the Dinosaur Age and the dawn of the Digital Age,” Copps said.

All TV stations in Fort Wayne made the switch with very few issues. The stations received a handful of calls from viewers with reception problems, most of which were resolved by having the viewer re-scan the airwaves for the digital frequency.

--Tessa G.

Wheelie cool

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute’s Traffic Safety Division has an important but challenging mission: to reduce death, injury, property damage and the economic costs associated with traffic crashes on Indiana highways.

Perhaps most difficult is making authority and safety seem cool. But ICJI’s new campaign, starting today on TV, radio and billboards, has an authority figure of a different variety: 2006 Moto GP champ Nicky Hayden.

Nicky’s a great spokesperson. He’s got the street credit to talk to a thrill-seeking crowd. As a motorcycle racing pro, he appeals to the nontraditional outsider. And he’s a winner, so he represents something to aspire to.

Nicky also has charisma. Watch how he delivers the last line of this TV spot. “Save a life and be aware: motorcycles are everywhere” could easily devolve into a sing-song rhyme. But Nicky says it like a friendly reminder from one cool guy to another. You wouldn’t want to cut this guy off in traffic, right?

--Julianne W.

Yaz strikes out

You know pharmaceutical advertising has some challenges when there’s a whole TV spot dedicated to clearing up claims made in a previous TV spot.

The Pharma Marketing Blog has all the dirt on the Yaz controversy. And you can still find the original spot on YouTube.

If you ask me, there’s only one Yaz commercial worth watching—the vintage Kahn’s spot featuring Captain Carl Yastrzemski. The only side effects that Yaz ever experienced were a Triple Crown, 3,000 hits, and general awesomeness.

--Anthony J.

NBC Unveils 2009-2010 Season

NBC has announced its schedule for the 2009-2010 season two weeks before the other networks. The traditional upfront week, when networks announce their new schedule, begins May 18. NBC jumped the gun on May 4 with an “infront” presentation of their new fall season, although they did not reveal official time periods. They are launching four new dramas, two comedies, three reality shows and a new talk show with Jay Leno, which will air Monday through Friday from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The Dramas:

• Mercy: A medical drama seen from the perspective of three nurses.
• Parenthood: An adaption of the movie by the same name.
• Trauma: Another medical drama about first-responder paramedics.
• Day One: About a group who survive a major catastrophe.

The Comedies:

• 100 Questions: A woman’s experiences as she looks for love via an online dating site.
• Community: The life and trials of a group of college students.

The Reality Shows:

• The Marriage Ref: Celebrities analyze domestic disputes between real-life couples. (Created and produced by Jerry Seinfeld.)
• Breakthrough with Tony Robbins: Author Tony Robbins gives insights on how to live a better life.
• Who Do You Think You Are?: Celebrities tell their life stories.

Adam Stotsky, president of marketing for NBC, said they wanted to start spreading the buzz about the new season early in order to have more control over how the information is conveyed to consumers.

“We learned with the successful launch of ‘Heroes’ that every piece of information posted or leaked or chatted about becomes part of the campaign,” he said. “Our fundamental strategy is to control that information from the get-go. If we don’t do it, the consumer will do it on our behalf—sometimes accurately, sometimes not. So we have to shape the message we want to advocate.”

Sources: Adweekmedia.com and tvweek.com