Unilever and MindShare – online TV front-runners?
Futurescape’s tracking of online TV sponsorship has revealed a clear determination by Unilever and MindShare to be the front-runners in understanding how to connect with audiences via online television.
The combination of Unilever products and MindShare’s online television savvy is funding a whole slate of big-budget shows, some now into their second season.
In the UK, Bebo has just announced that its new teen drama Sofia’s Diary is to be sponsored by Unilever’s Sure Girl deodorant. Viewers will be invited to contribute articles about "What makes you sweat?," for a chance to appear in the show. The deal was arranged by MindShare Performance and MindShare Interactive.
In the USA, Unilever’s Degree deodorant is backing the second season of The Rookie, an online spin-off from Fox’s thriller 24. The six-episode series is produced by MindShare Entertainment and production partner Science + Fiction. The partners have also created two seasons of the sit-com In The Motherhood, funded by the Unilever Suave brand that includes hair, skin and, yes, deodorant products.
For more on In The Motherhood and an exclusive interview with Brad Curtis of Science + Fiction, see 2008: The Birth of Online TV.
Hi... Actually, the correct term for "The Rookie" and the "24" connection is Parallel Programming. We've taken the assets of the TV show and shifted the character set to develop a parallel CTU story.
Both "The Rookie" and "In The Motherhood" are doing great this year. Final numbers aren't out, but it looks like we're doing about 5-10 times the traffic of last year's shows.
Posted by: Brad Curtis | Friday, 28 March 2008 at 03:02 PM