Categories: Media

WTF? Friday: Fictional Characters and their Blogs

Squarely in the WTF? category comes this bit: Woman’s Day magazine has hired the character Melanie Moretti, from the TV show Hot in Cleveland, played by Valerie Bertinelli, to author a column in the magazine.

Did you get that? The column is written by a fictional character. From television. And then printed in a magazine.

WORLDS COLLIDING!

The column, which looks like a blog to me, appears on the Woman’s Day website.

Photo credit: TV Land

The stunt (which, come ON! It totally is!) has been referred to as a “partnership” and a “crossover promotion,” as the column is the character’s actual job on the show, and is referred to during episodes.

Got that?

I personally think this practice of fictional characters writing columns, features or blogs is hokey as all get out. I don’t like it — at all.

Is it fiction?

Is it a column?

What the heck is it?

And who really writes it? Bertinelli? Her writers? I’m so confused.

What do you think?

 

Marijean

Marijean Oldham (Jaggers), a social media specialist and public relations professional, is president and CEO of Jaggers Communications LLC, a strategic communications firm based in Charlottesville, Va.

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