NBCs The Restaurant Serves Up In-Broadcast Exposure With Product Placements

New NBC show The Restaurant features three brands in utilizing product placements. The in-broadcast exposure value from the product placements totaled nearly $500,000.

(PRWEB) July 25, 2003 -- Sunday nights airing of NBC prime-time reality series The Restaurant" featuring well-known chef Rocco DiSpiritos foray into the Manhattan restaurant scene landed three brands-American Express, Coors Light and Mitsubishi Motors-nearly a half-million dollars of in-broadcast exposure value thanks to product placements throughout the program.

According to research conducted by Joyce Julius and Associates Entertainment Marketing Research Services - which specializes in documentation and analysis of exposure stemming from product placements in television programs and motion pictures - Coors Light led the trio of brands with on-screen time (42 seconds) and product mentions (3) bringing about an exposure value of $240,000. Mitsubishi was the next most successful at getting its name and logo in front of the viewers, garnering $148,400, followed by American Express with a $50,800 showing during the one-hour broadcast.

To determine an exposure value, Joyce Julius evaluates each individual circumstance of logo on-screen time and assesses a Brand Recognition Grade which takes into account such factors as visibility of the identity within the camera angle, the amount of clutter" surrounding the logo, and the integration/activation level of the brand during the particular segment. Each Brand Recognition Grade represents a percentage (100-10%) of the estimated advertising cost for a traditional 30-second commercial ($120,000).

Coors Light also won the night for best product integration into the programs storyline, as an impromptu drinking game played by the restaurants staff and a segment featuring a beer delivery to the restaurant were some of the more creative ways the shows producers interwove the beer brand into the plot. Likewise DiSpiritos navigation of Manhattan streets in his Mitsubishi SUV, and a reference to the restaurants bookkeeper to pay an invoice with the American Express card, also provided practical integration for those respective brands. According to a published report in the Boston Globe, the three brands have worked out a financial deal wherein they cover the cost of production on the show as a trade out for prominent product placements throughout the programs six-week run.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Joyce Julius and Associates also produces the    Sponsors Report, which conducts in-depth studies of sponsor exposure monitored during more than 2,300 nationally televised sports and special event programs annually. Additionally, Joyce Julius and Associates specializes in the evaluation of total sponsorship programs through the use of its National Television Impression Value (NTIV®) Analysis. For more information regarding the research products and services offered by Joyce Julius and Associates, please visit our web site at www.joycejulius.com.