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In the new "reality" show "Truly Famous," an actor poses as "Crisanto," a fictional Spanish film star who tricks the unwitting into treating him as a celebrity.
In one episode, Crisanto visits a luxury-car dealership in Beverly Hills, sporting an entourage of manager, bodyguard and paparazzi. Of course, no one admits that he hasn't heard of Crisanto. Without an ID or a drivers license, the fake celebrity borrows a new Porsche for the weekend.
However, you won't be able to watch the show on network television - or even on cable. Instead, the episodes will be available on a website owned by Anheuser-Busch Cos.
Welcome to A-B's latest way of marketing beer.
During Super Bowl XLI Sunday night, the nation's largest brewer officially will take the wraps off Bud.TV, its new online bid to capture the fickle attention span of twenty-somethings.
With a half-dozen channels of sports, comedy and reality shows calculated to appeal to young, Web-connected adults, Bud.TV represents a shift into the edgy, hip and potentially lucrative world of "branded entertainment."
Anheuser-Busch, already known for its heavy spending on traditional television advertising, is getting into the business of orchestrating programming as well as commercials.
Though the programming won't start until late Sunday, Bud.TV visitors can get the gist of it through teasers and trailers available on the website. One show offers a clothing makeover for clueless guys, orchestrated by a trio of attractive women. Another shows a chimpanzee replacing mechanics, artists and dental-office workers in their own jobs.
"We're following the consumer in many ways," said Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports...