Hasta La Creative!

Earlier this year I tried to work a product placement deal between Tiki Bar TV and a prominent spirits company. I was pretty excited by the prospects, but sadly it never went anywhere.

Today, The Wall Street Journal details successful forays by brands into the land of web-based shows.

The Journal points to “edgy niche video sites” like Break.com and College Humor as two that have made production deals with Samsung, Mountain Dew and Old Spice.

Break.com created the three-part series “Ballpark Invasion” to promote Samsung’s Instinct phone. Old Spice recently drafted College Humor to produce a series to promote its two-in-one body wash and moisturizer. The result: “The Great American Twofer Hunt.”

Costs for the shows, which are typically a couple of minutes long and include anywhere from two to 20 episodes, range from about $250,000 to $750,000.

College Humor is owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp.