Marketers have lined up to back NBC’s newest reality quest series, Treasure Hunters. Attendees at the Association of National Advertisers Forum for Branded Entertainment on Wednesday got a preview of branded entertainment deals tied to the new show.
Toyota, Visa, Motorola, REI and Ask.com are among the brands involved in deals on the show, Jak Severson, the show’s executive producer said. Contestants will use branded products as they travel the world solving clues to a puzzle, the solving of which qualifies them for a cash prize. For example, multi-person teams will place calls on Motorola phones, carry REI backpacks and use Visa credit cards for purchases.
Severson classified Treasure Hunters as “the most ambitious television series.” He said a number of brand marketers inquired about partnering with show, but not all made the cut because they didn’t have an organic fit into the storyline.
Successful brand integration keeps audiences buzzing, he said. Severson also works as managing partner for Madison Road Entertainment, a Hollywood-based branded entertainment studio.
“When a viewer is more engaged in a TV show, the producer wins and the advertiser wins,” Severson said Wednesday.
Search engine Ask.com partnered with the show’s producers to demonstrate the product to an engaged audience, said Greg Ott, VP-marketing, Ask.com, the forum’s luncheon speaker. In the show, contestants search for answers on Ask.com to solve clues leading them to the treasure.
“Branded entertainment is a way for us to snare consumers in a way they might not expect,” Ott said. “We really saw a great fit.”
Treasure Hunters, positioned as a cross between The Amazing Race on CBS and the DaVinci Code, premieres June 18 at 8 p.m. on NBC.
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