Themed Segment Tours: The Evolutionary Next Step in Product Placement

With the creation of themed segment tours (TST), an evolutionary next step in product placement, NBN has once again taken the lead in defining a new direction for PR broadcasting services. NBN's TSTs -- unique in the industry -- generally feature between four and seven related products or services which as a group lend themselves to a marketing format that can best be described as a conversation among friends. The pre-packaged segment, complete with suggested talking points and transitional segues, is pitched to television stations, then sent with product samples and b-roll to those stations that have expressed interest in broadcasting the feature. We also encourage station tie-in of the story to their website.

One of the TST's significant advantages over a conventional co-op media tour is a product commentary that is delivered by the television station's reporter or consumer advocate, a trusted and familiar face to thousands of viewers. With the help of NBN's editorial staff, each television reporter is encouraged to make the story his or her own, with a personalized commentary and a firsthand perspective that resonates with a regional television market audience.

TSTs offer an innovative approach to product publicity. It's the newest way to take advantage of a growing trend for product placement within television station programming. The TST carries the product placement idea into the newsroom and along with it, the extra credibility of the news story format. TSTs bring value to stations' news departments because they allow each station to localize the feature, and they emphasize product synergy. Cohesion of the product mix is ensured because all the legwork in building a complementary grouping of products is done well in advance, using a thoughtful approach that focuses on how best to highlight each individual product.

Finally, TSTs have proven themselves attractive to television producers because they contain everything they need -- from b-roll and the scripted intro to cover footage and product descriptions -- to broadcast an engaging feature. In this way, NBN saves budget-conscious television stations valuable time and staff resources.