Behind the scenes of the Oprah giveaway deal Behind the Scenes of the Oprah giveaway deal

The stunning on-air Oprah Winfrey-Pontiac giveaway stunt that has generated an explosion of media coverage since Monday isn't over yet, Madison + Vine has learned.

In a move that raises the bar for product placement concepts, Oprah Winfrey and Pontiac gave away 276 new cars. But there's more to come.

The long-range plan that has integrated General Motor's Pontiac brand into a high-impact Oprah drama calls for the TV diva to revisit at least two members of the studio audience in the future to explore how their Pontiacs changed their lives. Those future video features will heavily reinforce the extraordinary branding impact already achieved with the car giveaway, which has a total retail value of nearly $8 million.

On Monday, when Oprah opened its 19th season with a "Wildest Dreams" theme, Ms. Winfrey electrified the studio audience by giving every one of the 276 people in attendance a new, fully loaded Pontiac G6 sedan worth $28,400.

The program also included footage of Ms. Winfrey helping on the G6's production line and her praise of a variety of product features, including GM's OnStar communications system.

Aaron Walton, president of Radiate Entertainment Group, part of Omnicom Group, characterized the stunt as one that set an example of how a marketer can get a product on the air in a way that makes a deep and lasting impact on viewers.

"I TiVoed it," Mr. Walton said. "It was so emotionally uplifting. It is an A-plus in marketing and brand entertainment. It's got talk value, PR spin, there's an emotional connection. It is something you couldn't have paid for."


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