Unilever Returns Sponsored “Rookie” Program

Unilever made a bit of an advertainment splash last year with its online series "The Rookie." Sponsored by Degree deodorant, The Rookie featured a counter-terrorism plotline, and ran for six episodes at three- to five-minutes each. This year's series -- returning to DegreeRookie.com with brand elements intact -- will also air on DirecTV and Comcast On Demand. Fox, which produces the shows, is appealing to a niche: the desirable 25 to 34 year old male demographic who won't think to ask why Jason Blaine is still a rookie in Year Two. (Yes, yes, I know -- it's a fictional compression of time thing.) 

The Hollywood Reporter: March 17, 2008
By Gail Schiller