Toothsome Tie-Ins

First there was "Buffy." Then there was "Twilight," "True Blood" and now, "The Vampire Diaries." Hollywood sure knows how to suck the life out of something. So with the glut of vampire-based entertainment out there, how do you get viewers interested in your content?

Without the aid of Robert Pattinson and his hair, The New York Times reports that the CW network is using some unusual marketing to garner buzz for its new teen vampire drama "The Vampire Diaries." The show is partnering with the American Red Cross to promote blood drives at high schools and colleges -- the target audience for the program -- with posters of the show's stars above the tagline "Starve a vampire. Donate blood." Among the other product tie-ins: encouraging good dental hygiene with "fang floss" and responsible sun protection with sunscreen that has a "vampire protection factor" (VPF) of 1000.

Will it work? Who knows? Maybe vampire shows have a longer shelf life than ones about single ladies in the city. Because no amount of free lip gloss tie-ins could get me to watch "Lipstick Jungle" or "Cashmere Mafia."

Photo courtesy jcorrius, via Flickr