Being written into the script of a hit network show is the sort of luck that usually involves an ancient bottle and three wishes. But when the show is the edgy “30 Rock,” your genie can turn out to be a member of the “Jackass 3D” cast.
Indeed, things could’ve been a lot worse for Carvel, the revered soft ice cream concept that figured large in last week’s episode of the NBC sitcom.
Yes, the chain’s frozen cakes were used for a flimflam. A key character in the show is given a card entitling her to free Carvel ice cream for life, a reward for dancing (albeit suggestively) on the chain’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float.
She and another character hit on the idea of using the card for a free cake that they asked a store’s two crewmembers to decorate with a purposefully misspelled word. Then they’d bring it back to another worker in the store, complaining about the error and demanding their money back. The other employee, never suspecting that an ice-cream-for-life card had been used, handed over the cash each and every time.
Okay, not the greatest association for you product. But Carvel was introduced into the plot as a treat for the staff. That’s at worst a left-handed compliment.
And the product always appeared attractive—clean pink boxes, a signature of the chain, and cakes that could’ve been food-styled for a photo shoot. The show might’ve stirred some yearnings for those of us who grew up with Carvel.
Then again, when the scam is finally discovered, the worker at fault blurts in a huff that she’s resuming her position as a cut-rate streetwalker.
But what’s a brand to do? It’s free publicity, albeit with a few associations you probably wouldn’t choose for your name. Do you object? Take steps to counter any potential negatives that might or might not be remembered a day later? Or do you do nothing?
Kudos to Focus Brands, Carvel’s franchisor, for turning the situation decidedly in the brand’s favor. It sent a Carvel cake to the “30 Rock” staff as a thank you, with a heartfelt and absolutely perfect inscription on the frosting.
See it for yourself here at Ashley Swann’s blog.
Showing posts with label product placement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label product placement. Show all posts
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Friday, February 13, 2009
New star of '30 Rock': Mickey D's
McDonald’s should have gotten a writing credit for last night’s episode of “30 Rock.” The show pushed product placement to a new level, with Mickey D’s figuring into the plot, the dialogue, and even the series’ signature self-deprecation and snarkiness.
The episode pivoted on romance, particularly the scorching relationship between Alec Baldwin’s smarmy character, NBC honcho Jack Donaghy, and his mother’s former nurse, Elisa, played by Selma Hayak. Jack wants to take Elisa to a restaurant on Valentine’s Day “where even the Pope couldn’t get a reservation.” It's called Plunder, and its signature is a dessert of John Thain decadence. “Imagine a dessert for two with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream in a pool of Cognac, drizzled in the world's most expensive chocolate, covered with shaved white, black and clear truffles, and topped with edible 25-karat gold leaf,” coos Jack. He breathlessly whispers its name: The Lover’s Delight.
That conversation takes place as he and Elisa are lustily enjoying two of McDonald's McFlurries, which they declare to be a dessert of dreams. But, of course, it’s no Lover’s Delight. Or so you suppose at that point.
But Jack and Elisa have a falling out in church, which Elisa insists they attend for St. Valentine’s Day. Jack heads off to Plunder alone, disparaging the Roman Catholic faith as he goes. Capitalism, he explains, is his true religion.
Jack gets his Lover’s Delight, but it’s not the same when consumed solo.
Elisa goes to church. When the collection basket comes around, she spots what looks like a coupon among the donations.
The next scene: Elisa heading into a McDonald’s with the coupon, where she finds Jack in line. She declares the coupon was a sign from God that they should be together. Jack counters that it was just a ploy by a giant of capitalism, and asserts that Ray Kroc, not The Big Guy, is the deity that reunited them.
"Maybe it was the Hamburglar," retorts Elisa.
The fade-out suggests they’re going to enjoy their Valentine’s Day with a McFlurry--especially delicious since it's purchased at a discount. Who needs The Lover’s Delight?
One of 30 Rock’s signatures is poking fun at its reliance on advertisers, with clumsy, sometimes creepy product placements figuring prominently in the early episodes. The coupon and subsequent meet-up fit that tongue-in-cheek approach like a burger on a bun.
The episode’s true commercials included—-surprise, surprise—-new spots for McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. The ads depict a young single person looking on lustily as a stranger devours one of the burgers. A voice-over provides a few mildly salacious observations, a sort of Barry White Lite, about what a mouth craves.
And what should that burger craver have for dessert? Why does a McFlurry come to mind?
The episode pivoted on romance, particularly the scorching relationship between Alec Baldwin’s smarmy character, NBC honcho Jack Donaghy, and his mother’s former nurse, Elisa, played by Selma Hayak. Jack wants to take Elisa to a restaurant on Valentine’s Day “where even the Pope couldn’t get a reservation.” It's called Plunder, and its signature is a dessert of John Thain decadence. “Imagine a dessert for two with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream in a pool of Cognac, drizzled in the world's most expensive chocolate, covered with shaved white, black and clear truffles, and topped with edible 25-karat gold leaf,” coos Jack. He breathlessly whispers its name: The Lover’s Delight.
That conversation takes place as he and Elisa are lustily enjoying two of McDonald's McFlurries, which they declare to be a dessert of dreams. But, of course, it’s no Lover’s Delight. Or so you suppose at that point.
But Jack and Elisa have a falling out in church, which Elisa insists they attend for St. Valentine’s Day. Jack heads off to Plunder alone, disparaging the Roman Catholic faith as he goes. Capitalism, he explains, is his true religion.
Jack gets his Lover’s Delight, but it’s not the same when consumed solo.
Elisa goes to church. When the collection basket comes around, she spots what looks like a coupon among the donations.
The next scene: Elisa heading into a McDonald’s with the coupon, where she finds Jack in line. She declares the coupon was a sign from God that they should be together. Jack counters that it was just a ploy by a giant of capitalism, and asserts that Ray Kroc, not The Big Guy, is the deity that reunited them.
"Maybe it was the Hamburglar," retorts Elisa.
The fade-out suggests they’re going to enjoy their Valentine’s Day with a McFlurry--especially delicious since it's purchased at a discount. Who needs The Lover’s Delight?
One of 30 Rock’s signatures is poking fun at its reliance on advertisers, with clumsy, sometimes creepy product placements figuring prominently in the early episodes. The coupon and subsequent meet-up fit that tongue-in-cheek approach like a burger on a bun.
The episode’s true commercials included—-surprise, surprise—-new spots for McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. The ads depict a young single person looking on lustily as a stranger devours one of the burgers. A voice-over provides a few mildly salacious observations, a sort of Barry White Lite, about what a mouth craves.
And what should that burger craver have for dessert? Why does a McFlurry come to mind?
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