The popularity of reality television with the youth demographic is no secret. With hits like The Hills, The Real World, Rob & Big, Making the Band, and Run's House MTV has created a world of marketing opportunities for brands looking to catch the ever-wandering eye of tweens and teens.

For instance, the recently aired 4th season premiere of The Hills boasted a viewership of over 3.5 million, most of those eyes belonging to viewers between 12 and 34 years of age. With statistics like these, a marketer can't help but wonder how to leverage these reality tv giants for the benefit of the products and services we represent. (MTV reality programming holds 5 of the top 10 programs for product placement occurrences in the first quarter of 2008.)


The Hills has rocketed many brands into the spotlight over the last 3 seasons and is sure to only continue to do so on the fourth (and final?) installment. LA clubs Hyde and Foxtail, fixtures in the nightlife of the cast, have become must-see tourist spots for traveling 20-somethings.

The brilliant people at Mystic Tan took the opportunity to feature their tanning salons on The Real World: Key West. The cast members were required to learn exactly what it takes to open and manage their own Mystic Tan salon. As a result of this very rare (and enormous) product placement, Mystic Tan saw a 75% jump in their website hits during the airing of the episodes.


But, success with product placement in reality tv doesn't apply only to the hospitality and tourism industry as you may suspect.

Jeep converted one of their signature Wranglers into a bar for the Denver season of The Real World. This unique house feature was prominent in nearly every episode. Jeep also ran a contest for viewers to win their very own Jeep Wrangler as a supporting promotion.

And, Teen Vogue, where two cast members of The Hills work, has seen a 4.6% increase in circulation since becoming a part of the show.

So, while youth are conditioned to seeing brands in their tv programs, one has to wonder if "real" people using brands is more impactful to them?

-Lindsay, Campaign Manager
Lunch today: grilled cheese, jalapeno macaroni, sweet potato fries (yeah, I'm stuffed)