NBCU and Insurance Company Present “In Gayle We Trust”

The 10 three-four minute episodes of “In Gayle We Trust” will depict “an insurance agent who serves as the de factor life coach for a town of quirky characters.”

American Family worked with Mindshare Entertainment and NBC Universal Digital Studio to come up with the episodes, and a new episode will appear weekly with the first episode running this week.

“In ‘Gayle and the Plumber,’ for example, she rebuffs the awkward advances of a plumber while pointing out that American Family provides identity-theft insurance.”

Personally, I love this concept of branded entertainment. Of course, I may be predisposed to like the idea because, in the late 80s and early 90s, I worked for a product placement agency in Los Angeles, putting branded products in films.

In 2009 advertisers have to be more and more creative in getting out their message. It’s no longer enough to have a sign in the background of a movie scene that says “American Family Insurance.”

Thus, in focusing on getting the attention of an online community that expects interactivity, this branded entertainment series is a step in the right direction. (There’s even a message board under the navigation tab “community” at http://www.ingaylewetrust.com/.) I’m looking forward to seeing what the next step is.

Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller
Social Media Marketing