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An ugly proposition?

Posted in Media, Marketing January 18th, 2007 by Nikki Preston

It’s been dubbed the next phenomenon to follow on from Sex and the City and Friends in terms of popularity.

Perhaps the producers are onto something with Ugly Betty – the characters are less loveable than Monica or Ross, and lacking the glamour of Carrie Bradshaw – targeting the average female who understands what it feels like to be the ugly duckling.

The newest comedy to hit Channel Four has been hyped up as much as the premiere’s of Lost and The OC, but I only hope the new comedy Ugly Betty will actually make it past series four before getting the axe.

The show is currently backed by ads promoting Vauxhall Astra cars, Virgin credit cards and Dulux paint, indicating that the age group the advertisers are targeting are about 15 years older and much wealthier than the main character Betty Suarez.

Should Ugly Betty follow down the same path, only slightly wonkier, as Sex and the City then the cosmetic and fashion sectors could be queuing up to have the next Hermes bag, Gucci watch or Dior lipstick on an episode.

Ugly Betty is already the talk of London town, with this week’s issue of Grazia making “ugly cool” and outlining where you can get the next puffy blue padded jacket, thick rimmed coloured glasses and chunky platform shoes on the high street.

However, the show’s true test of product endorsement will be whether or not these items now fly off the shelf or are stuffed at the bottom of the retail store room until the next clearance sale. And although I am still eternally grateful I outgrew braces at fifteen years old, I think the fact that I am holding out for the next ugly installment goes some way to showing that this might be this, and perhaps even next, season’s winning style.