Viewers who tune into three of today’s most popular TV shows may see something they didn’t expect to see: a can of TetraMin Tropical Flakes. Tetra (Blacksburg, Va.) hopes such exposure on Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” MTV’s “The Real World” and ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” will send consumers a subtle message about aquariums and TetraMin.

“Aquariums play a big part on the set for ‘Best Damn Sports Show Period’ and ‘The Real World,’ ” said Molly Montabert, an assistant brand manager for Tetra. “On ‘Best Damn Sports Show Period,’ viewers see a 55-gallon freshwater tank in the background every night. And on ‘The Real World,’ there’s another 55-gallon tank, this one a marine tank that features prominently in the show. On both shows, there’s a can of TetraMin next to the aquarium.”

Tetra also worked with ABC to install a 55-gallon African cichlid tank between the kitchen and family room of a house on “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.” Incorporated into cabinetry that matches the kitchen, the tank maintains the home’s design style and is accompanied by a can of the fish food.

According to Montabert, seeing a can of TetraMin next to these aquariums is a unique experience for consumers. “Normally, a consumer might see our product in a magazine ad. But on these TV shows, the TetraMin can is ‘in context’ sitting right next to the aquarium,” she said.

Tetra considers these projects a good way to promote the aquarium hobby. “We’ve taken steps to make the aquariums an integral part of each show, so that the camera will have a reason to feature the aquarium as more than just a background fixture,” Montabert said. [March 2005 PET AGE]