Media Daily News weighs in on the Match.com product placement in the new TBS show “My Boys�.
Judging by the brand’s appearance in the Nov. 28 debut episode, the product placement feels forced, a potential consumer turn-off. This despite Match’s CEO telling the Times the appearance had to feel “seamless and natural.â€? (The integration was one of the top-ranked product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX.)
Match and TBS clearly made an effort to achieve seamlessness. The show’s conceit dovetails within the orbit Match circulates: 20somethings trying to get the relationship thing right.
But the initial dialogue in which Match appears strains credulity on several levels. It’s a scene where two female friends grab lunch and discuss the highs and lows of the dating minefield. One woman (PJ Franklin, played by Jordana Spiro) laments a recent encounter. Another (Stephanie, played by Kellee Stewart) struggles with a break-up but turns to Match to find Mr. Right.
“I have been on Match.com a lot,� Stephanie says.
“Doing what?� PJ asks.
“Online dating! It’s fantastic!â€? Stephanie says.
Cringe. I haven’t seen the show yet and I’m out of their demographic but in general this is why I have Netflix and HBO.
Match shelled out between $1-2 million to be featured in My Boys, based on a woman sports reporter in Chicago.
