THis will be cool seeing a TV show with a Challenger until ours arrives.


'Lucky Chance' for Challenger - TV show


In This Year's Upfront, It's All About Branded Entertainment
Marketers Get More Engagement With Content While Networks Can Charge More for Exclusive Relationships


By Andrew Hampp

A new deal-making process is grabbing attention during the biggest buying time of the TV season: Branded-entertainment conversations are taking precedence over large-volume prime-time bookings this upfront.

To get that $16 billion in cable- and broadcast-TV upfront dollars on the table, the networks are increasingly offering marketers the option to meld their brands' DNA into a story or cause that captures an audience's interest. And that might be a good idea: With ratings steadily declining and commercial ratings entering their second year as the upfront metric of choice, networks and marketers often fight a losing battle to keep viewers hooked during ad breaks. Branded entertainment is an increasingly attractive solution, giving marketers more engagement with products and allowing networks to charge more for exclusive relationships.

If you need convincing, look no further than Ben Silverman.

To allow time to secure long-term integrations with ad clients, NBC's co-president of entertainment took his network's 65-week program schedule to buyers a month ahead of time this year, dubbing his strategy an "infront." It's already generated a deal with General Motors that will integrate two of its new vehicles into the fall series "My Own Worst Enemy," starring Christian Slater.

Now, a trio of branded-entertainment deals on cable is adding further oomph to the upfront's status as a place for detailed marketing partnerships. GM has another deal with Discovery Communications, and Chrysler's Dodge, AT&T and Lowes have all committed to projects.

'Lucky Chance' for Challenger

TNT and Dodge will pair up in July for "Lucky Chance," a branded microseries produced by Espionage and Omnicom Group's Full Circle Entertainment. The 20-part series follows an undercover Drug Enforcement Agency agent named Lucky Chance who uses his 2009 Dodge Challenger to transport $50 million in four days to a mob boss threatening to blackmail him for a crime he didn't commit. The project began as a script written by Pete Pepe of Espionage and jointly developed with Full Circle, which pitched it to Turner as a branded mini-series. Linda Yaccarino, Turner Entertainment's exec VP-ad sales and marketing, said the project was developed through the same process as any of the network's other original dramas, with directors, writers, producers and ad clients all involved from day one. Consequently, AT&T also came onboard as an integrated sponsor for its global positioning system and will help Dodge cross-promote the series through on-air spots.

Dodge is using "Lucky Chance" as a launchpad for its national Challenger campaign, which will roll out later this year. Mark Spencer, senior manager of Dodge Communications, said the brand likely will use alternate footage from the "Lucky Chance" shoot as content for the car's other TV spots and online video ads.

Robert Riesenberg, president-CEO of Full Circle Entertainment, helped negotiate the Dodge and AT&T deal and, as the producer of "Chance," was able to change the traditional agency role in branded entertainment. As an Omnicom-affiliated production company, Full Circle offers projects to the holding company's brands on a first-look basis with a limited response window before offering it up to other agencies. Although Omnicom agency PHD was able to offer Dodge, Mr. Riesenberg ventured to WPP Group's Mediaedge:cia for AT&T.

In addition to its new NBC pact, GM has agreed to a marketing partnership with Discovery that will make its debut on the Planet Green network, which launches in 50 million homes on June 4. GM