Too often, product placements “interrupt” the flow of a television program, and “they’re just there for the sake of being there,” according to Brian Terkelsen, executive vice-president and managing director, MediaVest USA.

Marketers should integrate their products in a way that pushes the consumer to participate with the brand, while creating a sense of community, he said during the “Effective Product Integration” session, part of Marketing Week in Toronto.

“Consumers… don’t want to be interrupted, they want more of what they want and if you’ve got the ability to give them more of what they want, you should do that as a marketer,” he said.

Several agencies in the U.S. have taken on the notion of branded entertainment and are focused on TV product placement, which is “small potatoes” and “narrow thinking,” he said.

“Where you’re finding groups succeeding for brands is when they start talking about this as an innovation and messaging versus product placement on steroids,” said Terkelsen.

As an ideal example of content based product placement, he cited a 45-second “where is she now” TV spot the agency developed as part of Cover Girl’s sponsorship of America’s Next Top Model.

The “My Life as a Cover Girl” spot featured the previous season’s winner, and was followed by a 15-second brand sell. The spots were also featured online and used for an online talk show.

“The reality is, those little shows string together and tell a bigger story… and it is just thinking differently about how I need to activate and get involved with that community other than just slapping a billboard in front or behind the show.”

Another example: Motherhood.com, an online community sponsored by Sprint and Suave hair care products that invited women to share their everyday stories, with members voting on their favourites and the most popular turned into a short film.

“It was a tremendous success,” he said. “The community was asked to be involved. These brands had a greater opportunity to have a deeper relationship than just a mass exposure world.”