And with people across the nation trying to find the runner to take the prize, business might pick up at McDonald's throughout Ohio. Or the runner might be told to step inside a Starbucks for a decaf latte or dial a number on a Nokia cell phone or pull out a Citibank ATM card for a cash withdrawal. Such moments will not be commercials strictly speaking, but they will be enormous opportunities for revenue, above and beyond whatever ABC takes in on the standard 30- second commercials that appear during breaks in the show. The program comes amid intensifying concerns in the broadcast industry about how networks can retain the bulk of the corporate advertising budgets despite their ever-diminishing share of audience. Advertisers are eager to find ways to present their products to the most possible viewers as hundreds of channels, available at the flick of a remote control, make traditional commercials increasingly easy to avoid.
Product placement is a way of enhancing an advertiser's message.
Mike Shaw, president of sales for ABC, pointed out that concern has grown in recent years about technologies like personal video recording machines, which make skipping commercials easier than ever. This show does it organically. That's the beauty of it. Or the horror of it, others might say. Mr. Jacobson asked.