NBC, MasterCard Spawn “Life” Pod Busters
NBC Universal and MasterCard have struck a novel marketing partnership to create additional content for the police drama “Life” in the form of “pod busters.”
MasterCard is sponsoring the brief spots that NBC will air during the Wednesday night drama. The MasterCard “Uncovering Evidence of Life” pods will offer viewers clues about the past of Charlie Crews, the central police officer character in the series. They’ll conclude by nudging people to NBC.com for more about Crews’ past life and the conspiracy involving a crime he did jail time for before joining the police.
The “Life” portal on the NBC web site is also sponsored by MasterCard.
“It’s another example of things we do to engage the consumer,” said MasterCard spokesman Jon Schwartz.
This marks MasterCard’s first effort using “pod busters.” Previously, MasterCard sponsored “mobisodes”—video sent to mobile phones—based on Fox TV’s “Bones” series.
The MasterCard spots debuted with the Oct. 3 airing of “Life” and conclude with the Nov. 7 show. They’re being plugged on-air, online and in print.
“This is a great example of how we can partner with our clients to send their marketing messages in unique ways that engage viewers throughout a commercial break,” said Jim Hoffman, senior vice president of network entertainment sales at NBC, in a statement.
