J.C. Penney Corp. this week will air its first-ever live TV spots that push the edge between TV programming and advertising.
Two ads will air during the Aug. 31 MTV Video Music Awards, capping JCPenney’s music-heavy back-to-school campaign.
The spots will pan in and out of kids’ bedrooms, segueing from the live awards show coverage via a screen that’s embedded in the ads. The camera shifts from that screen into the surrounding bedroom to showcase Penney’s back-to-school message, then back to the awards show. DDB Worldwide, Chicago, handles.
“We are looking to blur the edges between advertising and show content,” said JCPenney’s VP-brand marketing Michael Cape in a statement. “By making the viewers feel more integrated into our advertisements we are able to achieve a deeper emotional connection with our key audience. These live ads are one way that JCPenney continues to break through to consumers in a meaningful way and is a concept everyone will want to watch.”
At the beginning of a commercial pod, JCPenney takes TV viewers from the awards show coverage into a boy’s bedroom through his TV screen (where he’s watching the awards show), then shifts into other kids’ rooms through different screens (an iPod, an MTV poster) until it freezes on a girl riding her scooter. Then at the end of the commercial pod, the second spot picks up the scene and shows the girl meeting all the other kids featured in the first spot on a rooftop to watch the awards. Their white viewing screen delivers TV viewers back into the live awards ceremony coverage.
Dallas-based JCPenney tapped MTV heavily for its back-to-school push, including a VMA Insider contest that sends two winners this week to New York to appear on MTV and help cover the awards ceremony. The contest ran earlier on JCPenneybts.com, with live auditions in five cities and entries via video online. (A similar tie-in with Fox Broadcasting’s Teen Choice Awards sent two contest winners to be trophy presenters for that Aug. 20 ceremony.)
The Web site also hosts Penney’s back-to-school TV spots, with an option for viewers to click on items featured in the spots and buy them directly online.
JCPenney partnered with The X Games as well as Viacom Networks’ MTV and Fox for back to school.
“The ongoing JCPenney and MTV partnership is a co-branded effort to authentically reach youth,” said Tim Rosta, MTV senior VP-integrated marketing, in a statement. “By pulling out all the stops this year with an online, on-air, radio, on the ground and in-store campaign, JCPenney’s approach is a perfect fit to reach our audience, who experiences entertainment on multiple platforms.”
Other, non-live spots airing during the MTV Video Music Awards will showcase Junior’s and Young Men’s fashions, and kick off the retailer’s fall fashion campaign. The award show returns to New York City after a two-year hiatus (PROMO Xtra, Aug. 25, 2006).
Network
