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Our program tonightFor those who remember 1970’s evenings filled with Disney-sanctioned programming, NBC’s future programming may be cause for nostalgia.
Just as the net announced it’s shifting to a 52-week programming model (kinda sorta: almost all of the new summer fare is reality) it added that some shows will be sponsored by specific advertisers - advertisers who will have a great deal of input on each show’s content.
Liberty Mutual Group will be one of the first marketers to re-embrace the once-common practice of underwriting an entire program or series. The insurance company, reports the New York Times, has enlisted for two, two-hour TV movies that will complement the company’s ‘Responsibility. What’s your policy?’ campaign. In what sounds like an after school special for grownups, the scripts - which will be developed in part by the insurance co. - will feature teaching moments such as taking responsibility for one’s actions and deciding how to do the right thing.
The first NBC/Liberty Mutual movie, ‘Kings,’ will be set in the 21st century and take its inspiration from the biblical tale of David. Set to first air in September, Kings may become a series if the audience embraces it. In what some may see as unusual casting, Ian McShane, known as the profane Al Swearengen on HBO’s ‘Deadwood,’ is set to star.
If Kings turns into a series, Liberty Mutual will have the right of first refusal to extend its relationship with the program.
The sponsorship agreement includes NBC’s sister cable network USA and several complementary websites.
Hyper-conservative Rush Limbaugh - heard weekly by nearly 20 million listeners on about 600 radio stations nationwide - renewed his contract with Premiere Radio Networks and Clear Channel Radio, continuing syndication of The Rush Limbaugh Show.
The deal also includes…
WSJ.com’s traffic soared an impressive 94 percent in June compared to the same month last year, according to the company’s internal traffic numbers.
Total page views ballooned 45 percent, to 150 million, compared to the same month last year, writes Mediaweek.…
Kozy Shack, maker of rice and chocolate pudding, is sponsoring the New York Mets, with tubs of the pudding being sold individually at Shea Stadium as well as being included in children’s meals. And the snacks are selling so well…
Though U.K. advertiser investment committed for 2008 is staying put, discretionary spending is becoming shorter-term, at or slightly short of budget; still, WPP’s GroupM forecasts 4 percent growth in 2008 and 3 percent in 2009 for the U.K., thanks to internet…
Email is the most popular form of direct response marketing, with 35 percent of companies using it - compared to 25 percent that use traditional direct mail - according to a new survey conducted by Direct Partners (via Adweek).
The survey…
Without spam protection, the average web user can expect to get 70 spam messages each day, according to a survey by McAfee, the BBC reports (via MarketingVOX).
For the McAfee spam test, 50 people worldwide were asked to web-surf without a spam…
