Spar takes dramatic step into 'Fair City' product placement

SPAR HAS created one new job at a cost of as much as €900,000 – in Carrigstown, Dublin. RTÉ's first high-profile product placement deal will see Christy Phelan's corner shop in soap opera Fair Citytransformed into Phelan's Spar.

The storyline will prove good news for the local economy in the fictional northside suburb, as the extended shop floor space prompts Christy to take on a new employee, Val (Rose Henderson).

“We look forward to welcoming Christy to under the tree at Spar,” said Willie O’Byrne, managing director at BWG Foods, operators of the Spar brand. The product placement, the first of its kind in Irish drama, is part of a three-year €900,000 sponsorship and marketing investment by BWG.

Gerry McGuinness from RTÉ Sponsorship called it “a perfect example of how creativity and commerce can work harmoniously together”, while commissioning editor for drama Jane Gogan said it would bring “a real-world authenticity” to the soap.

The opportunity for Spar’s entry into Carrigstown follows the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s decision earlier this year to allow paid product placement on Irish television, in line with a relaxation of EU regulations.

The Fair Citydeal has been in the planning since March, when the soap's scriptwriters dealt unlucky-in-love Christy (Tom Hopkins) a blow. Left at the altar by Carol (Aisling O'Neill) on St Patrick's Day, Christy has spent much of 2011 questioning whether he should sell up and leave Carrigstown. To the relief of shop assistant Seán (Ryan Andrews), he has decided to convert the shop into a mini-mart instead.

Viewers of the soap, which attracts an audience of more than 500,000 four times a week, can already see the hoardings up around Phelan’s corner shop (formerly Doyle’s). The on-screen “store launch” will take place in December and will coincide with Christy’s decision to step back from the business and allow Seán – whom he considers a surrogate son – to take a greater role.

Spar’s tree symbol is not the only new logo that viewers will notice. Under broadcasting rules, any programme that contains product placement has to notify the audience at the start of the show. After each ad break, a “PP” logo will flash up, and the deal will also be referenced in the credits.

The rules also apply to programmes such as The Late Late Showwhere prizes are given away. In both cases, if the goods received by producers exceed €5,000, viewers must be notified. "Real-world" brand names have appeared consistently on Fair Cityand other Irish dramas in the past, but broadcasters were unable to take payment for them.

The BWG deal with RTÉ follows a six-figure contract between Kraft Foods and TV3 for presenters on The Morning Showand Middayto drink from mugs emblazoned with its coffee brand, Kenco.The Fair City/Spar link-up also comes after the news that Coronation Street's corner shop is to have a cashpoint installed, after the producers signed a product placement deal with UK building society Nationwide.