Colbert's Wheat Thins Sponsortunity: Host Mercilessly Mocks Own Sponsor (VIDEO)

Stephen Colbert may be at his very best when he's openly mocking the people who had the nerve to give him money.

In the spirit of his "Hail to the Cheese: Stephen Colbert's Nacho Cheese Doritos 2008 Presidential Campaign Coverage," Colbert introduced his newest integrated "sponsortunity" on Thursday with a segment devoted to Wheat Thins. And true to form, he gave the brand it's money's worth... and then some.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Stephen how important could Wheat Thins be?" Yeah, I used to think that way too. Until I received this actual memo from Wheat Thins detailing for my sponsorship purposes what the role of Wheat Thins is in our lives. And let me tell you something. You think you know Wheat Thins? F*ck you. F*ck you and the cracker you rode in on.

Colbert then proceeded to quote directly from a brand memo that used the sort of lofty, aspirational language that marketing professionals so enjoy applying to snack foods. With such ripe fodder at his fingertips, Colbert could barely contain himself:

Let me reiterate -- I cannot say this too many times -- that this is an actual memo from Wheat Thins that I received. And I just wanted to make sure you understood that before I informed you that [quoting from the memo] 'Wheat Thins are not a crusader or rebel looking to change an individual's path (or the world).'

Added bonus not seen in this clip: a Wheat Thins ad ran immediately following the segment. All things considered, we'd say it was a pretty successful product placement.

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Comments

[cindyw]

07:01 PM on 02/26/2012

I'd love to think that Wheat Thins knew exactly what Colbert would do with that memo. If so it was genius, but that's probably not what happened.

[reggieb]

07:19 PM on 02/25/2012

Can you win an Emmy for a commercial? We had Wheat Thins in the pantry and got them out for a snack to salute the funny.

[mimi411]

01:09 PM on 02/26/2012

Us too! Very very successfuly product placement

[kutcher balzov]

07:12 PM on 02/25/2012

Once again I am reminded that the most talent-less and brainless make their way into marketing.

[glasth]

05:23 PM on 02/25/2012

Don't think Kraft could have asked for a better segment. Colbert, pretending to be edgy and subversive, followed the memo obediently, satisfying both his corporate sponsors and his Viacom owners. Kudos to Kraft PR.

[Loophole]

06:58 PM on 03/05/2012

How true, Mr. Spock.

[astroup123]

03:07 PM on 02/25/2012

I'm less like a wheat thin and more like a big fat nubby triscuit. Like 40 or 50 triscuits.

[mblahnikluver]

01:21 PM on 02/25/2012

This was pretty darn funny. It had me cracking up last night. I love me some Wheat Thins!

[dwhuston]

10:08 AM on 02/25/2012

I love the cinnamon ones... now I can't enjoy them :( Colbert you are evil....

[LegalCat]

09:36 AM on 02/25/2012

Best Colbert bit ever. I am actually going to go out and buy some Wheat Thins to express my approval to Nabisco for being good sports about it. That, and I actually love Wheat Thins. Which is undoubtedly because they're about half sugar, but still.

[cynic1]

08:18 AM on 02/25/2012

That is one of the funniest bits I have ever seen. Colbert and his writing staff are truly amazing.

[lrlrlr]

12:03 PM on 02/26/2012

Nabisco wrote most of this material it would seem. Corporate America has become so full of itself.

[cynic1]

11:23 PM on 02/26/2012

For some reason they were clueless as to who they were dealing with. Or perhaps they did not care about being sliced and diced. I will always chuckle when eating that 17th cracker.

[max bmw]

08:10 AM on 02/25/2012

Nailed 'em!

[radams36]

01:21 AM on 02/25/2012

There is no stopping the comedy genius of Colbert. I find it hard to fathom that the writer of this memo failed to see how absurdly ridiculous it was in every way. Good to see Gingrich's PR flack found work again....

[JustTheFacts4Me]

11:43 PM on 02/24/2012

Classic Colbert - branding and marketing companies take note, you've just been schooled ;)

[Add In Canadia]

10:06 PM on 02/24/2012

Remember that the difference between the 16th and 17th Wheat Thin is between an open minded all inclusive individual, and a rebel out to cause mayhem and destruction!

[misterknowitall]

08:39 AM on 02/25/2012

I want to be the latter, but I'm so full.

[Michael Hattem]

11:39 PM on 02/25/2012

DON'T EAT THE 17TH CHIP!!

[fenriswolf26]

09:31 PM on 02/24/2012

Sending a memo like that to a guy like Colbert is flat out begging him to read it on the air.

[Dosadi]

09:22 PM on 02/24/2012

Colbert gave us a great lesson in how things are marketed.  He revealed all of the talking points and by doing so schooled us on how we are being used.  Most seemed to have missed this valuable lesson.  Colbert aimed to show us that we are nothing but targets. Every one who has something to sell sees us all as marks just waiting to be taken.

Play the segment again and this time pay attention. Colbert ripped the lid off the advertising market by showing us just how much research and money has gone into selling us things we don't want. Everything we ever see in any commercial is the product of years of research and many focus group reviews. The advertisers know exactly what to show us and say to us to push our little " I've got to have that" buttons.

Please look at it again and pay attention to the buzzwords and catch phrases he was ordered to use to sell that product.

[insightdeluxe]

11:26 PM on 02/24/2012

its actually brilliant though. its not just a wafer of whole grain wheat but a way of life. be the wheat thin. porshe is a way of life. gulfstream is a way of life. old milwaukee lite is a way of life. you just have to recognize what is being sold.

[Dosadi]

06:33 PM on 02/27/2012

Yep. The grass is always greener on the other side of the imaginary fence.