Aug 20 2009
Kudos CBS and PepsiCo
I am definitely one for advertisements that break through boundaries and bring the message they hark to people in a way that is innovative, creative and unexpected. So of course, the joint effort between CBS and PepsiCo would strike my fancy – and probably yours, too.
First the background information: CBS (the television network) has joined with PepsiCo for a one-off collaboration (although an upfront collaboration is in the works between the two for future projects, including the next Super Bowl which CBS will air) to promote CBS’s fall line-up (Including How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, CSI: Los Angeles, Accidentally on Purpose… etc) and Pepsi Max for men. A normal television commercial will probably be seen as will a normal print ad in magazines. But for the lucky Entertainment Weekly subscribers in Los Angeles and New York City, something new is in the works.
A video ad that will run in a print magazine. Yes, CBS is inserting paper-thin video players (interactive, by touch) into copies of the Sept. 18th issue of Entertainment Weekly to promote the “Monday to the Max” comedies on Sept. 21st. When people flip through the pages of this magazine, they’ll come across the ad with a small screen that will flicker and load a video. You can select which segments you want to watch – montages from Big Bang, Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother. There’ll be an ad for Pepsi Max and sneak previews of CBS dramas.
This interesting promotion (the first I’ve heard of – a video player in a magzine?) is a great experiment and a step out of the box – and this isn’t CBS’s first step into creative and clever ways to reach viewers where they least expect it.
In 2006 CBS printed promotional messages for shows on eggs in grocery stores (Asking buyers to “Crack the case on CBS” for CSI) as well as ads on meat wrappers at the butcher counter in delis and supermarkets. One of my favorites, though, is for the now-canceled vampire show Moonlight – Ads placed on the frozen food aisle doors that appeared when the door fogged over.
I am really glad to see a company this mainstream stepping outside of it’s normal boundaries and hopefully will continue to see more, because companies are going to need it. Traditional advertising no longer gets the job done.
Original story and more info Here.
