At ABC they’re pushing Target. NBCUniversal? Well, they’re hawking Jeep. And Scripps likes Land Rovers.

These days it seems like the good old days of radio and TV with stars acting as pitchmen left and right for products that are tied to their shows.

The New York Times reported Thursday on the latest trend in television advertising: cast commercials are back.

And everyone, it seems, is getting in on the game.

The cast commercials are running either online or on Web platforms, and advertisers see them as a way to break through an increasingly competitive market and “create some noise.”

Often, the contemporary cast commercials are offering a softer sell than their bygone counterparts. The Times points out that one of the NBCUniversal spots for Jeep Cherokee features “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” stars Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky driving through scenic southern California in a Cherokee, while Richards says she likes to “hit the road less traveled.”

Read More: The New York Times

Brief Take: Networks and advertisers have hit on a solution that serves both parties: Madison Avenue finds a new way to pitch viewers that might cut through the noise and DVR ad-skipping, while the networks have new content they can serve up online for fans of popular shows.

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