Sears Eye for the Straight Buy

Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) has signed on as the centerpiece sponsor of an ABC reality series, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” that will premiere tonight at 10.

The deal, estimated to be costing Sears more than $1 million, includes the placement of products like Craftsman tools, Kenmore appliances and Lands' End home furnishings in each of the six episodes. During the series — now in production for a regular run expected to begin in January or February — there could be scenes of trucks delivering merchandise from Sears, plumbers and other workers from Sears home-improvement services making repairs and visits to Sears stores by the show's makeover-team cast.

The attraction for Sears is that “advertisers can take advantage of the opportunity to showcase products in real-life situations,” said Dan Longest, senior vp, integrated marketing and promotion, at the ABC television network division of ABC in New York.

It also allows sponsors to avoid viewers' increasing habits of clicking and bypassing expensive commercials. The Federal Trade Commission is said to be reviewing watchdog complaints about the blurring of the line between advertising and entertainment.

Sears is sensitive to the intensifying criticism about sponsored entertainment, according to Janine Bousquette, executive vp and chief customer and marketing officer. “We are extremely choiceful about what opportunities we pursue,” she said, because “consumers are smart and want to be treated with respect. ABC will ensure that the series stays authentic and relevant and entertaining to the viewers, and we would not ask the network to do anything less.”

The content of the series, showing the before, during and after elements of extensive house renovations, “makes it easy for Sears to be part of the show in a way that's authentic versus forced, integrated in a way that's truly relevant,” Bousquette said. “I don't think you can force your way into a show and be considered seriously by the consumer.”

Longest said ABC would “never take it to the point where it would seem like a bunch of logos slapped in a show. It's something we all have to police.”

Executives at ABC and Sears are working together to develop additional tie-ins between the retailer and the series, like displays in Sears stores. One already in place, Bousquette said, would be the appearance of “specific products in the show” on the Sears web site after each episode is broadcast.