We’re a little more than halfway through the third season of NBC’s The Apprentice, and several brands have lent their names and products to the show. In doing so, these brands give up control of their image to the producers of the program. In return, they hope to gain valuable exposure. But does it pay off for every brand? Read on for our report card.
Brand: Burger King
Stunt: The two teams–Magna Corp. and Net Worth–took over Burger King franchises and launched new burgers.
Review: Was there anyone out there who wasn’t craving the Western Angus Steak Burger–or at the very least an old-fashioned Whopper–after watching this episode? Not even Danny’s terrible singing could spoil my appetite. This stunt worked in large part because Burger King went all out, whipping up six potential new burgers for the teams to pick from and allowing them to run two of its Manhattan restaurants. There’s no way Burger King could have a beef with The Donald after this successful stunt.
Grade: A+
Brand: Nescafé
Stunt: The two teams created marketing campaigns for Nescafe’s Tasters Choice products.
Review: Net Worth came up with a clever street promotion for Nescafépitting two faux political candidates against each other in a mock debate over whether the coffee was best served hot or cold. While Nescafé certainly came out of the experience with its brand reputation in intact, this stunt wasn’t particularly memorable. In fact, one needed a jolt of caffeine to stay awake during it.
Grade: C
Brand: Dove
Stunt: The two teams created and produced television commercials for Dove Cool Moisture Cucumber & Green Tea body wash.
Review: Donny Deutsch and other head honchos from Deutsch, New York, judged Dove spots created by Magna Corp. and Net Worth, and in a first for The Apprentice, both teams were declared losers. While Magna Corp. created a creepy soft-porn style commercial that found a man and a woman, uh, shall we say “massaging” a cucumber, Net Worth staged a fake race that found the a sweaty contestant attempting to revive himself by washing his face with Dove body wash, failing to actually rinse the product off and leaving a gooey white mess on his face. Given the gross images I now associate with Dove body wash, Dove was the real loser in this stunt.
Grade: F
Brand: Visa and Airstream
Stunt: Using $5,000 in seed money provided by Visa cards, the two teams created mobile, service-oriented businesses operating out of Airstream trailers.
Review: Magna Corp. created a spa service on wheels, while Net Worth lured wannabe actors into their Airstream with the promise of meeting a big-time casting director. Both ideas were creative, but as a New Yorker who lives in a small, cramped apartment, the last thing I would want to do is climb into a small, cramped Airstream. Meanwhile, as a television viewer, I expect The Apprentice to take advantage of the amazing locations the Big Apple has to offer. Why the producers of The Apprentice said yes to Airstream I’ll never know. Wait, I do know: Money, money, money, money. Money!
Grade: D
Brand: Sony PlayStation
Stunt: Each team supervised the creation of graffiti billboards in Harlem promoting the Sony PlayStation game Gran Turismo 4.
Review: While The Donald, who expressed his overall distaste for graffiti, might have seen this stunt as akin to watching paint dry, graffiti billboards offer a hip, alternative means of reaching the mostly young male demographic that plays video games. And in this case, even the losing team came up with a pretty cool mural.
Grade: B
Brand: FUSE TV
Stunt: The teams produced 11-minute charity auctions broadcast on Fuse TV and benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Review: FUSE TV, the music television network, allowed members of each team to go air to conduct charity auctions that included prizes linked to stars such as Moby, Gene Simmons and Lil Jon. It was wildly entertaining watching the suits from The Apprentice attempt to shed their corporate images and adopt cooler personas to negotiate with the rockers and hip-hop stars they encountered. All in all, this stunt made for good television, giving FUSE TV much-needed exposure and raising a lot of money for a worthy cause.
Grade: A
Brand: Home Depot
Stunt: Each team led an in-store demonstration in which they showed shoppers how to construct a particular item.
Review: Home Depot hit the nail on the head by inviting The Apprentice into its stores, forcing the team members to trade pinstripes for power tools and in the process proving that with a little help from Home Depot anyone can become–if not a master carpenter–at least a little bit handier around the house.
Grade: A