Lost? Bullseye.

I watched the Lost finale last night with some friends (and I’m still mulling it over in my head, but that’s a whole other story) and while I should have expected it, I was surprised at how many commercials there were. But out of all the advertisements during the 2.5-hour show, I remember only two brands: Target and Bud Light. (And I remember the Bud Light ad because they used it earlier this year and because of the Target ads.)

Each TV spot during the finale was a regular TV spot that I had likely seen some other day. But Target made three new ads that dealt specifically with the show and it’s audience. (Scroll down if you want to see the ads.)

Now, every brand didn’t have to go to the level that Target did and use a specificimage from the show (like the smoke monster or the Dharma computer), but there are plenty of themes and characters and ideas that would easily connect to the show. It was such a simple idea and it worked wonderfully.

I agree with Darryl Ohrt: “Whoever said you can’t be creative in 15 seconds, or speak to a niche audience, or have fun with a meme can shut their pie hole now.” (He also used my first idea for the title of this post…)

With this example I wonder if we’ll see more like it in the future. I would love to see more ads that are specific to the show I’m watching, that deal with some theme or location in the show and connect it with their brand. I guess it’s a little like reverse product placement–Instead of fitting the script to the product, the product gets to fit the show to it’s own brand.

Did you see these ads during the show? Were there other ads that I missed that stood out during the Lost finale? Let me know!

(Disclaimer about only recalling the Target ads: I will admit that I didn’t pay rapt attention to each commercial break–that was time for theorizing and re-filling my plate with snacks.)

Continue reading to see the Target ads that aired last night:

(This first one was my favorite)

What do you think?