NBC Incorporating More "Green Storylines"

Jake de Grazia
Posted on Monday 12th April 2010

When we see a TV character sip on a Coke can or pull a Motorola phone out of his pocket, we're watching something called "product placement." The TV stations have sold screen-space to product manufacturers in hopes that we, the watchers, will notice the products in close connection with characters we admire and run out and buy things from Coke and Motorola.

"Behavior placement," however, is a little more subtle. It's the practice of infusing on-screen stories with actions that audiences might notice and consider and eventually adopt.

NBC has started placing "green" actions. According to The Wall Street Journal:

In just one week on NBC, the detectives on "Law and Order" investigated a cash-for-clunkers scam, a nurse on "Mercy" organized a group bike ride, Al Gore made a guest appearance on "30 Rock," and "The Office" turned Dwight Schrute into a cape-wearing superhero obsessed with recycling.

The goal is to inspire planet-friendly actions among viewers. And the goal of that is to attract extra advertising revenue, which doesn't take away from the good that those actions will do, but it is something worth considering.

Thank you, PSFK.

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