Some of the food and drink served in the next season of the frenzied FX family restaurant comedy “The Bear” may just be a lot easier to recognize.
After getting queries from more than 40 different advertisers after the program’s first season on Hulu, Disney has come up with ways to mix Madison Avenue more closely into the recipe of the program. Viewers are likely to see Stella Artois, Coca-Cola and American Express’ Resy online-reservations service develop a closer relationship to the series, with products showing up in scenes and customized promotional content placed alongside the program.
The goal, says John Campbell, Disney Advertising’s senior vice president of entertainment and addressable solutions, is to “allow brands and clients to get closer to the intellectual property, closer to the talent.”
The second season of “The Bear,” which streams as part of FX’s presence on Hulu, starts Thursday, June 22. Disney has signed 12 advertisers to higher-level sponsorships that could include such elements as promotional clips featuring “Bear” stars and producers that can appear alongside an episode or even be placed in a client’s social-media feed. BetterHelp, Jägermeister, Universal Pictures and Nutrafol have also signed on.
Some ad concepts are already in motion ahead of the series’ second-season debut. In Chicago, Disney has created a replica of “The Beef,” the central setting of the program, where visitors can check out both the front and back of the house, as well as the alleyway outside that has proven to be a pivotal setting. Oh, and there’s food, too, particularly Stella Artois.
While TV ad sales have been shaky in recent months, networks seem eager to court food and beverage marketers and travel and entertainment purveyors. These advertisers are spending more than they did during the coronavirus pandemic, and some media companies have launched new properties to attract their dollars. Fox Entertainment’s recent launch of its “Studio Ramsay,” featuring entrepreneur and chef Gordon Ramsay, was done so in part to court more food advertisers and marketers eager to woo consumers who like food experiences.
“We collaborated with this season’s sponsors to develop meaningful opportunities that authentically align with the show, its audience, and the overall restaurant industry,” says Campbell.
