Transport for London to bump off key character in hit Bebo series
When it comes to product placement, the best most sponsors can hope for is a cheeky logo or a well-placed compliment (al la James Bond). But Transport for London is hopping on board popular Bebo drama Sofia's Diary, and has engineered a tragic storyline to draw attention to their teen road safety campaign.
Sofia's Diary is a popular Bebo series, that has attracted millions of viewers - last year over five million tuned in for the first two weeks of series two. The first two series of Sofia's Diary also made the crossover from web to TV - the first UK series to do so - and was picked up by TV channel Fiver. The series is produced by Irish production company Campbell Ryan Productions for Sony Pictures Television.
TFL will be sole sponsors of the third series, but brand visibility will be kept to a minimum - a few links in another part of the site. "This is not a branded piece of work at all. We want to raise awareness and generate 'talkability'," said a TFL spokesperson, who explains that unlike most sponsored online content, Sofia's Diary will not come packaged with the TfL logo or brand. "If that was the case you wouldn't take it seriously, this issue is one that affects people in real life."
As part of the sponsorship deal, road safety issues have been woven into the series, with aspiring journalist Sofia researching a feature on the subject. Although road safety will only crop up in one of the story threads, it's set to culminate in tragedy at the end of the series, with one of the lead characters being killed by a car.
The move is part of TFL's ongoing teen road safety campaign, and ties in with this year's creative 'look after your mates'. Previous campaigns have included 'Talent Lives' and 'Debutantes', which sought to engage young people through creativity, with the idea ''Don't Die Before You've Lived'.
