NEW YORK People.com and creative shop Ideocracy have struck a partnership to launch a new online video platform to link brands with celebrities.
The Time Inc.-owned site "continues to look for innovative opportunities to bring to advertisers," said the title's associate publisher, sales, Karen Kovacs. And the aim of this latest deal is to deliver brand-related video content to People.com's estimated 9.4 million monthly unique visitors.
The 18-month deal calls for People.com to serve as the exclusive distributor and Ideocracy the sole creator of content for a service known as Vipwich.
In a continuation of its past practice, clients pay Ideocracy to produce the work and Ideocracy owns the content. The agency, in turn, shares a percentage of that amount with the actors and talent brokers, said Ted D'Cruz-Young, founder of the independent shop. The percentage varies from actor to actor.
People.com will distribute the content via a link to a broader site that Ideocracy is developing about the intersection of celebrities and brands. This site will also include a collection of old TV spots starring actors, pop stars and TV-show hosts. The tagline will be "Celebrities at work."
The site has yet to go live, but People.com will introduce the shorts within the next two weeks, D'Cruz-Young said.
The first two brands to be featured are Mott's apple juice and Vitaminwater (though the latter of which is not yet a client). Mott's paid Ideocracy to create the shorts; Ideocracy shot the pieces for Vitaminwater on spec, hoping that the brand, now owned by Coca-Cola, would sign on.
The satirical Web shorts, which range in length from one to five-plus minutes, are loosely scripted and allow for improvisation. Several depict Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) leading humorous focus-group discussions about the Vitaminwater brand. Others show Judy Greer (Arrested Development) as a serious-minded casting agent interviewing small children. In one, a little girl sips Mott's from a juice box as Greer deadpans, "Do you train with anyone?"
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