NBC Brings Behavior Placements Into Programming

Many of us in the creative world know well the practice of product placement–the intended peripheral marketing technique that embeds branded goods and services into regular broadcasts and programming.

The Wall Street Journal reports that NBC, lead by its parent company, General Electric, have begun a new process of “behavior placement,” which integrates actions into show scripts they want their viewers to adopt.

WSJ explains:

“In just one week on NBC, the detectives on “Law and Order” investigated a cash-for-clunkers scam, a nurse on “Mercy” organized a group bike ride, Al Gore made a guest appearance on “30 Rock,” and “The Office” turned Dwight Schrute into a cape-wearing superhero obsessed with recycling.

Coincidence? Hardly. NBC Universal planted these eco-friendly elements into scripted television shows to influence viewers and help sell ads.”

The message here is obviously green, and executives at General Electric hope that viewers watching their favorite characters perform everyday actions in a scripted manner won’t be as noticeable as a product placement. The company has asked every daytime and prime time show to include a “green storyline” episode once a year.

In scheduling these episodes into the yearly schedule mix, brand can book their advertising strategies well in advance, building attention to the issues both in their product lines as well as marketing.

And it’s worked–at least for NBC.

The first experiment with behavior placements started in 2007, when NBC launched “Green Week,” the programming component of a larger “Green is Universal” corporate campaign. According to The Wall Street Journal, that effort brought in an estimated $20 million in advertising revenue from 20 sponsors.

What remains to be seen is how such a message, over time, will be received by viewers, and how to measure success in behavioral terms.

The Wall Street Journal: “What Your TV Is Telling You to Do”

[via Green is Universal]