Let Lonelygirl15 Go, Villain, or I’ll … Blind You With Neutrogena Rapid Clear™ Acne Eliminating Spot Gel
by John Paczkowski
Posted on June 22, 2007 at 11:20 AM PT
When Lonelygirl15 first entered the pop-culture consciousness in June 2006, ostensibly as a video blog by a perky but innocent 16-year-old girl named Bree, some wondered if it wasn’t actually an elaborate ad campaign for Target. After all, everything in her room seemed to have been purchased from the retailer.
Turned out, the video series was a fictional one put together by a coterie of filmmakers and backed by Creative Artists Agency. It wasn’t a front for a national advertising campaign, though.
At least not at the time. But by early the following year, Lonelygirl15 had begun shopping itself for product placements and managed to sell one to Hershey’s. And now the video series has gone a step further: It’s allowing Neutrogena to sponsor a new character. On Monday, a 22-year-old Neutrogena scientist will appear on the series to help its lead characters defeat an evil organization known as “the Order.” “This type of integration actually allows us to achieve even more reality for our show,” said Lonelygirl15 co-creator Greg Goodfried. “The most important thing is telling a compelling story. In this instance, the story line comes first and the fact that the new character works at Neutrogena heightens the reality.”
“Reality” here being stealth-marketing parlance for “our bottom line,” right Greg?
