This fall, new shows will be starting and so will a new take on the commercial break. Fox has a plan to inspire you while you wait for the latest episode of your favorite show to continue. It is a move that will motivate viewers to do something other than purchase something they see on TV. Thanks to a series of vignettes, Fox hopes to do something more life-enriching. During the break, viewers will watch as extraordinary people deal with profound circumstances.
For those of us who are not into commercials (raises hand), this sounds like a more than worthwhile alternative. This concept provides an opportunity to have an already-enraptured audience watch something other than content solely pitching a product. Fox will utilize traditional advertising time to showcase people as they victor over circumstances such as cancer, limb loss, and blindness, per Variety.
And Fox is hoping that marketers ranging from pharmaceutical companies to sports advertisers, and beyond, will sponsor the vignettes. The features will vary in length, depending on the format with a span of six seconds to longer-form concepts. The series of moving vignettes will be called "Unbreakables," with the tagline being "stories that heal." Fox Networks Group is behind the move, so expect to see Unbreakables across Fox channels, including Fox, FX, and National Geographic.
This means whether you are watching the latest episode of Bob's Burgers on Fox, Legion on FX, or installments of Genius on National Geographic, you will be able to catch the inspiring stories. Finding the subjects of Unbreakables has been done through culling stories from local newspapers and social media, according to advertising agency TBWA's global director of creative and content, Theodor Arhio. He will also be among those to executive produce the vignettes. Arhio says the agency has already found 300 stories for potential showcase.
In an age where network television has seen sweeping changes brought to its doorstep thanks to streaming platforms, this is a welcome change. As far as networks go, they are being faced with the commercial-free content of its rivals and let's face it: that has helped gain streaming platforms like Netflix a considerable part of its upper hand. How have services like Netflix survived without advertisers? They have subscribers.
Similarly, when you see a movie, it is not interrupted for a commercial (although movies in theaters are preceded by trailers). You paid for the ticket and the film itself usually features loads of product placement that you may or may not notice. The advertiser is hoping you do. Fox's plan puts viewers in the midst of a personal story that could change their lives. That's worth watching.
For new upcoming and returning television shows you can anticipate watching in the coming months on Fox networks and beyond, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's summer premieres.
