NBC combines product placement and e-commerce
Published:
25 April 2001 y., Wednesday
At the end of Thursday’s episode of “Will & Grace,” NBC tried to sell the shirt off of Debra Messing’s back — a $52 Polo T-Shirt.
IN WHAT APPEARS to be the first attempt to cross promote a prime-time show product placement with an e-commerce site, NBC ran a 10-second promo at the end of the last commercial break on the highly rated sitcom. It said: “If you’d like to buy a Ralph Lauren pink pony T-shirt like the one Grace (Messing) is wearing in tonight’s episode and help the fight against cancer, log onto Polo.com.”
Polo.com is the e-commerce Web site for designer Polo Ralph Lauren’s clothing line and is 50 percent owned by NBC. Once at the site, a box with a picture of a model wearing the cotton T-shirt “seen on Will & Grace,” pops up and links users to the section that sells the item. Fifteen dollars of the $52 price goes to “support programs dedicated to raising cancer awareness.”
Networks have long talked about doing actual selling of items seen on shows as a way to generate revenues outside of conventional advertising, but there have been few serious attempts at making a real business out of it. NBC insisted the Polo.com promo was not a way to test the waters for future e-commerce tie-ins, and emphasized the charitable aspect of the offer. After the show aired, traffic on the site doubled from its previous high — NBC didn’t disclose an exact number — and 3,000 pink pony T-shirts
had been ordered by midday Friday. It’s likely that some of those online users purchased other items as well.
Šaltinis:
msnbc.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Software company announced new structure_ of it_s business.
more »
Confirming rumors that surfaced over the weekend, Apple has started selling the unlocked version of the iPhone 4 in Apple Retail stores.
more »
You didn’t expect Anonymous to take the recent Spanish police action against them lying down, did you?
more »
The era of foldable touch screens is rapidly approaching, with scientists in Taiwan leading the charge to develop computer and cell phone screens that can folded away or rolled up for storage.
more »
During the exibition „Technology Open House 2011“ japanese creators of technologies presented the automatic system, which can translate words into the finger language.
more »
China has warned Google that its business could suffer if it continues to suggest that Chinese spies have been targeting the emails of United States' officials.
more »
South Korea is showing off what it says is the world's first totally eco-friendly business building, a structure that emits zero carbon and uses only renewable energy.
more »
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said that an alleged contract and e-mails that a New York man claims entitle him to a 50% stake in the social networking site are "forgeries".
more »
The growing popularity of tablets has seen many new players enter the market.
more »
Anthony Weiner, a Democratic congressman, has claimed his Twitter account was hacked after a photograph of a bulging pair of underpants was sent to a follower. Here are some of the most memorable social networking 'hacks'...
more »
Hace China have compromised personal e-mail accounts of hundreds of top US officials, military personnel and journalists, Google has said.
more »