'Extreme Makeover' is made by the US network ABC, and airs in the UK on UK Living.
In it, subjects such as an unhappy divorcee who wants to get rid of her tattoo of her ex-husband's name and a 25-year-old mother who looks well beyond her years, are transformed from ugly ducklings to swans via plastic surgery, teeth whitening and, almost invariably, a big hairdo.
Despite the questionable message of the programme and the gory detail in which cosmetic procedures are shown, it has become a ratings hit for ABC.
Now the Mentor Corporation, which makes saline breast implants, is planning to run 30-second advertisements during the show to target people who are inspired by the transformations.
Mentor was the first company to advertise breast implants in the US, where direct-to-consumer healthcare advertising is allowed. Its first campaign appeared five years ago. Its new campaign will break in September, when the new series of 'Extreme Makeover' runs.
The company's chief executive, Joshua Levine, said: "'Extreme Makeover' has had a tremendous positive impact on the growth of breast augmentation and other cosmetic procedures, and we are pleased to be in this innovative relationship with it."
Breast implants are a growth industry in the US, where 8.5m cosmetic procedures were performed in 2003, a rise of 20% on the previous year.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
