The Ads are morphing into Shows

As a new strategy to shore up for eroding viewership and commercial skipping many advertisers are moving beyond their traditional role as sponsors of TV programming and are becoming producers -- creating content that showcases their brands. The goal is "to gain the attention of busy, distracted consumers who often ignore or avoid traditional commercials," according to The New York Times. But BusinessWeek warns that "not only are companies creating entertainment to flog their stuff to viewers, they are getting increasingly cagey about it." Links: BusinessWeek 04/17/06 – Bet You Can’t Tivo Past This, NYT 04/17/06 – A Sponsor and It’s Show Interwined