Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic

I guess reality show betting and fantasy leagues are nothing new (http://www.tvvoting.com). But, it was only recently that I stumbled upon one of the few that I really could have gotten into, a fantasy league site for Bravo's Project Runway. The show is heading into its final episode, so no luck for me this season, but it didn't stop me from gaining an appreciation for what Bravo was doing.

The idea is simple, guess the winner of Project Runway each week and compete against your friends to win pride, points, or a sweepstake prize.

As much as I find some of Bravo’s intense promotion antics annoying, or perhaps I am just thinking just their overt product placement… make an outfit this week the embodies the happiness of Hershey’s candies, create a dish only using Barilla products, watch how our past season winners gain inspiration in their Saturn Vue, and don’t forget to use an accessory from our L’Oreal Paris TRESemme BlueFly.com product placement wall.

Anyway, as much as I find THAT annoying, I am actually very impressed at the way Bravo infuses interactivity into their reality shows. There is real-time cell phone voting, extensive additional web content including blogs from contestants and industry experts, online games, polls, tools, galleries, videos, and numerous other ways to waste time.

But the most fun part of the show is watching week to week and see “who’s in and who’s out”. This (TRESemme) Fantasy Runway game is a perfect way to make that a social and competitive experience. And with numerous extensions of the mini-site into banner ads and social network widgets advertising your success, Bravo proves they truly understand that appeal, as much as those product placement monetization opportunities.

Does anyone out there want to join my Top Chef league?

Marta Strickland