Hellmann’s mayonnaise, a Unilever brand, produced a new show they hoped would air on the Food Network. According to The Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.) the marketer’s ad agency, Ogilvy & Mather, couldn’t reach a deal with the network’s majority owner, E.W. Scripps. The network “wanted final cut, meaning they have the final say in the edit that airs on TV,” says Doug Scott, executive director of entertainment at Ogilvy.
Not to be detered, Hellmann’s found a partner in Yahoo’s Food section. Real Food is a 12-week series starring Dave Lieberman, chef and the host of a popular Food Network television show. He will travel the country seeking out interesting recipes, and once each episode he will cook up a recipe — which in some cases will call for Hellmann’s.
The Hellmann’s program is light on subtlety. Some consumers may notice that the phrase “Real Food” in the show’s title is also Hellmann’s advertising tagline. Hellmann’s logo will also appear on Yahoo’s Food page alongside the videos. And then there’s the occasional appearance of Hellmann’s in the cooking segments.
Yahoo Food, launched about a year ago, drew about 4.3 million people in May, making it the U.S.’s fifth-largest food Web site, according to comScore.
Marketers producing content for the Web increasingly are tying up with a portal rather than creating their own site, reflecting a realization that drawing traffic to a stand-alone site can be challenging.
