Bausch & Lomb commits to Ugly Betty

Shanghai - Following the success of the Chinese version of Ugly Betty, Bausch & Lomb has confirmed its continued support for branded content for the next three series.

The project is a collaboration between Mindshare, Hunan Satellite TV and producers of the Chinese version of Ugly Betty. The US TV series attracted 73 million viewers across China on its opening night last year.

Winifred Chan, marketing director for Bausch & Lomb China, said it places a lot of effort in educating consumers that B&L is the leader in the contact lens market.   

"However, we found that the use of traditional media are often restricted by time and scope, it makes it difficult to communicate the product messages comprehensively," Chan said.

She said the aim for them is to find a media platform that allows it to communicate the product attributes effectively, in a relatively informal and influential manner.

Through branded content, she hopes to raise the brand profile of B&L and its products amongst its targeted consumers in China.

Along with the branded content initiative, below-the-line promotions will be in place to encourage trials, she added.

Mateo Eaton, Partner Invention, Mindshare, said:" Although branded content is still a relatively new form of advertising medium in China, it is getting increasingly popular amongst leading consumer brands."

The program's first season was ranked number one in its time-slot across 30 markets every single day during its broadcast. The series will run for five seasons until spring 2010.