Ziploc's Latest Brand Integration in The Biggest Loser is a Big Loser – Success is in the Details
Posted: 2/5/2010 3:12:59 PM by
Carrie Urban Kapraun | with 0 comments
There are several reasons why Ziploc's latest brand integration in The Biggest Loser was a bust. Somehow the :45 brand integration managed to leave me confused and conveyed nothing of value about a product that is actually useful. I have to wonder if anyone watched the integration before it aired. I actually debated whether the feature should be considered branded entertainment, product placement or brand integration. Technically, it is integrated in to the show, but it just feels like a bad infomercial. Beyond the less than stellar actual integration, it appears Ziploc needs to step-up its activation around The Biggest Loser to make it pay off.
In case you didn’t see it, Ziploc’s integration featured Jillian Michaels and contestants Sam and Koli. Sam and Koli are preparing a meal in the kitchen when Jillian enters and asks why the fruit in the kitchen is always spoiled. She then asks for the Ziploc bags and starts to tout the Ziploc SmartZip Seal and its ability to block out freezer burn. Sam and Koli look visibly uncomfortable during the whole integration and Jillian kind of stumbles through it. The positive is that she does talk about how Ziploc bags keep food fresh longer and can help save money. The negative is there is a disconnect between placing fruit in plastic bags and freezer burn. Is she saying that the fruit should be frozen, should it be left on the counter in the bag, or should it be refrigerated? I can imagine a home viewer putting a cantaloupe in a Ziploc bag, leaving it on the counter and then wondering why it spoiled. Also, no one cares about the SmartZip Seal (product feature); people care about how the product feature actually benefits them. Further, Ziploc actually makes a product that is specifically designed for produce. Why wasn’t that product promoted? Lastly, while Jillian is talking about Ziploc’s products, there is an extended shot of a TV screen in the kitchen that has a Brita ad on it. Why is Ziploc’s message being diluted by a Brita ad?
Ziploc should have spent more time talking about how to use its products. I know it sounds stupid – who doesn’t know how to use a plastic bag – but storing fruits and vegetables is especially tricky, especially to viewers that eat out frequently or eat a lot of processed food. Jillian could have chosen a specific fruit like the cantaloupe she picked up during the segment and shown how the whole cantaloupe or sliced cantaloupe can be stored in Ziploc bags in either the refrigerator or freezer. Plus, it would have been nice to know which bag should be used for the refrigerator or freezer. It would have been a perfect opportunity for Ziploc to promote and hopefully sell twice as many bags.
Ziploc should drive people to The Biggest Loser website or the Ziploc website to learn more about food storage. Instead, Ziploc has a lame feature on The Biggest Loser website that tells you how many calories are in certain foods. What does that have to do with plastic bags? Ziploc is also a sponsor of some of the recipes on The Biggest Loser website which is basically a banner ad at the top of the recipe. Again, why doesn’t the recipe include how to store the leftovers in Ziploc bags? Maybe include information about how long the food can be stored for.
Ideally, for this blog, I would have liked to have just shown a clip of the integration so you could draw your own conclusion, but for whatever reason, the clip isn’t available unless you want to watch the whole episode. The clip is supposed to be available on The Biggest Loser website, but I have yet to find it. If the integration was of any value, Ziploc could make the clips available online on The Biggest Loser website, on its website and on places like YouTube. Speaking of YouTube, why isn’t there a Ziploc Channel? Why doesn’t Ziploc have a presence on Twitter or Facebook? Those are perfect outlets to connect with people and provide useful food storage information and promote its association with The Biggest Loser.
Ziploc did run a commercial prior to the integration (I won’t get into the whole debate about commercials during a show with product integration). However, I have to wonder why the commercial didn’t reference The Biggest Loser. For example, even with a DVR, I will watch a commercial during a program that features or references the show that I am watching. It grabs my attention. I know I am not the only one.
Moreover, I can think of a million other ways Ziploc could extend its relationship. Ziploc’s association with The Biggest Loser provides a point of differentiation, which I would imagine is extremely important for a category like plastic bags. Really, many of the activation opportunities available are similar to a more traditional sponsorship.
In Ziploc’s defense some of its integrations have a high-level of recall and Ziploc is consistent in its presence on The Biggest Loser. This consistency leads me to believe that Ziploc must be connecting with The Biggest Loser’s viewers on some level. Maybe Ziploc’s other integrations have been better and I just caught one that wasn’t as good, but based on some of the online chatter, other people think the product integrations in The Biggest Loser are obnoxious (not only Ziploc). I should also mention that I have a lot of issues with Jillian in general, like what are her credentials, which may be influencing my opinion.
If Ziploc would have spent more time on the details, I think the integration could have been something that the viewers found valuable. Instead, not only are viewers seeing regular commercials, they are being subjected to terrible product integrations. There has to be some sort of trade off.
Am I being too hard on Ziploc? Did anyone see the integration? I would love to know your opinion.
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Filed under: branded entertainment, activation