The CW's Savvy Niche Marketing

After this week’s episode of “Gossip Girl,” I immediately logged on to download two or three songs that I had just heard (and had never heard before then), and it suddenly struck me how much music has found its place on television over the past few years.

When I was in high school, much of my indie music “education” came from Seth Cohen of “The OC.” After Death Cab for Cutie did a quick cameo performance on the show, my iTunes has never been the same since.  “The OC” was one of the first shows to see themselves as an authority on music, but certainly not the last. A good friend of mine told me that she was always impressed with her friends’ iPod playlists until she watched a season of “Grey’s Anatomy” over the summer and quickly realized that a majority of the songs she thought were underground and undiscovered were actually straight from the show.

The CW’s Music tab lets users choose from their teen-friendly shows like “Smallville,” “Supernatural,” and “One Tree Hill.” “90210” leads to an episode playlist sponsored by T-Mobile, while “Gossip Girl” is dotted with Verizon logos. Direct “buy it!” buttons take users straight to iTunes, where they can buy the full albums of little-known featured artists (Marching Band, Tilly and the Wall, Cloud Cult, the Republic Tigers… not ringing any bells?). Sure, there’s the odd Rihanna track, but the fact that these in-demand, big-budget shows are playing songs that have never even had radio time is both impressive and quite savvy of the network. I know people who watch “Gossip Girl” not for the desirable drama and Blair Waldorfism but just to hear the subtle background tunes hand-selected by superstar music supervisor Alex Patsavas (also from “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Chuck”, and, you guessed it, “The OC”).

The partnerships don’t stop with music. The CW’s Style tab allows fans to shop by character, episode, even brand. If my memory serves me correctly (and it should, considering the amount of time I spent on The CW’s website last season catching up on missed shows), the Style section used to send me to a select few sponsored sites that carried similar—but certainly not identical—clothing. This time around, the CW has a partnership with StarBrand.TV, which does the dirty work of searching the internet for an e-boutique that sells the exact same ritzy upper-east side staples like Sperry Topsiders and Kate Spade totes.

From a recent article, “Gossip on demand,” from the Guardian:

The voiceover kicks in over shots of Manhattan and the credits roll. Then comes the kicker: “Tonight’s Gossip Girl featured music by the Pierces, the Fratellis, Seabear, Santogold and LCD Soundsystem. To download the music head to CWTV.com.” Should you choose to follow those instructions you’d find further riches in store. Literally in store. For America’s The CW channel, home of Gossip Girl, America’s Next Top Model and the new 90210 remake among others, isn’t just a television channel - here, the show you watch is linked to the fashion you buy or the music you download.