Prime Time Gets Racier With 'Coupling' Promos

Viewers who were startled to hear references to threesomes and bisexuality on NBC commercial breaks during the weekend might be reassured that even the network's in-house agency worried its promos for the racy new sitcom Coupling might have gone too far.Vince Manze, co-president and creative director at The NBC Agency, was skeptical that at least one of the ads for Coupling, set to enter the Thursday-night lineup this fall, would ever hit the air. "I've never put a promo on with this word," said Manze, referring to the word erection, which is heard in one of the five sexually charged rough cuts NBC approved last week to tout the show.An Americanized version of the British show Coupling, the sitcom—which is about the dating lives of six thirtysomethings—will begin airing Sept. 25, following Will & Grace.The comedy-driven spots, which broke over the weekend, feature the six core characters. "The overall concept is to embrace the fact that this is an adult show," Manze said. "It's a little risqué—not compared to Sex and the City, but certainly for network television it is pushing the envelope a bit."The immediate goal for the network, said Manze, is to maintain the Will & Grace share and demographic. "It's the final year of Friends," he said. "This is a huge thing for us. We want to get as many people as we can to see it."The campaign also includes radio, print, online and outdoor, and NBC is looking at other ways to create buzz, such as street marketing, Manze said. "The more risqué promos" will not air before 9 p.m., he said, noting the launch strategy is riskier than it was with Friends and Will & Grace.Coupling's racy content does not appear to be scaring off advertisers. While companies previously have been skittish about advertising on adult-themed prime-time shows, Jeff Zucker, president of entertainment at NBC, said the show is completely sold. "I think we had the advantage that nobody has really understood, in that Coupling had been airing in this country on BBC America for several years," he said. "A lot of media buyers were already familiar with it. They knew what it was, and it has been well-received by most critics."Sources said companies such as Procter & Gamble, Revlon, Pfizer, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, Mazda and Unilever have commitments to the show. Those advertisers either would not comment or did not return calls.Several media buyers said behavior that may have been shocking 10 years ago is now acceptable to more clients."We've seen women kiss women, we've heard various kinds of profanity, we've seen nudity, all on broadcast television—so for advertisers, the question is, what else is there that's really risqué and shocking?" said Brad Adgate, svp and director of research for Horizon Media in New York. "The answer is not much, and they're not really worried."That does not mean, however, that advertisers will not keep an eye on the show's content."We think the show could be a hit, and we're prepared to take our chances with it," said a marketing officer for one finance-related company. "Still, we will be watching closely to see if it does go too far into the realm of bad taste and how the audience responds."Lisa Farrell, svp and media director for Publicis Groupe's MediaVest USA in New York, which works with companies such as P&G and Kraft, said most clients have reacted to the show with "curiosity coupled with a small dose of skepticism," but are not put off by its raciness. "Any concern is simply based on whether it can live up to its built-in expectations," she noted.

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Prime Time Gets Racier With 'Coupling' Promos

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