Advertising Without Advertising

OK, so a novice meets his zen master in a cranberry bog.

The zen master says: today you must learn how to advertise without advertising.

It’s no joke.

Ocean Spray is running its first-ever holiday TV special, “Cranberry Christmas.” in December on ABC Family. The special will be entirely “commercial-free”.

Yet since Ocean Spray IS cranberries for most people, it will function as a half-hour commercial for Ocean Spray aimed at Moms and Grandmoms at home with young kids.

It’s the most brilliant piece of targeted zen meta-communication I’ve ever heard about. Well done, Ocean Spray.

P.S. On the downside, the special features two new songs by Barry Manilow. If the special had managed to eliminate two Barry Manilow songs from the world, it would have been perfect.