So, the Celebrity Apprentice ended tonight, and I can finally reveal that my company Phenomenon had been retained by Mark Burnett and Donald Trump to help find and integrate brands into this season’s episodes. The statistics and results of Branded Entertainment^TM initiatives are becoming undeniable, but as media and production companies are starting to see interest, prices and rules are also getting out of control. 

Starting tomorrow, I will begin a series of articles on the concept of Branded Entertainment^TM, and why I believe it must now become part of every serious brand’s strategic budget planning. For those interested, I will provide a series of guidelines that will help brands plan, budget, strategize and execute appropriate Branded Entertainment^TM initiatives. I will also describe evaluation criteria and methodologies for multi-channel activation using those initiatives.