CBS' Eggstraordinary Ad Campaign

CBS is enlisting eggs in its scramble to attract viewers. The CBS logo and slogans promoting the TV network and its series will appear along with coded expiration dates on eggs sold by grocers — just another promotional measure in the competitive world of television. More than 35 million eggs will be marked with phrases such as "CSI: Crack the Case on CBS" and "The Class, New Grade-A CBS Comedy" as part of a deal between the CBS Marketing Group and EggFusion, an egg-coding company. The campaign will begin in September, when the fall TV season begins, CBS said Saturday at a meeting of the Television Critics Association.

However, CBS isn't putting all its eggs in one marketing basket. The campaign is part of what the network is calling its "Outernet strategy," an effort to reach viewers "outside their homes as they go about their daily lives," the network said in a statement. EggFusion, based in Deerfield, Ill., will use laser technology to create the expiration dates and "On-Egg Messaging," the release said.

Other networks have tried offbeat ways to attract viewers, such as putting messages about shows in public restrooms or, for ABC's "Desperate Housewives," using dry-cleaning bags to promote the series.