OK, I know it is for a good cause and all but I couldn’t help feeling a bit icky yesterday when one of the characters on ABC’s General Hospital mentioned a brand name product he liked: Campbell’s V8 Fusion drink.

This not-so-subtle plug was a result of ABC teaming up with Campbell’s Soup Company and the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women”  effort to raise awareness about the dangers of heart disease in women. The February-long effort spans ABC’s entire daypart including heart disease related topics on The View and as ABC’s press release states “cause-related marketing” on ABC’s Soapnet cable channel.

Some of the shows are able to weave the important public service message in fairly seamlessly. On ABC’s One Life to Live this integration of reality and storyline will culminate in a “Go Red” Valentine’s Day Ball hosted by usual enemies Dorian Lord and Viki Davidson. Viki has a history of heart disease and most soaps can’t go more than a few months without a ball storyline anyway.

ABC’s All My Children is working in the concept by having the ladies of the fictional Fusion Cosmetics host a “Go Red” Fashion Show. Not too much of a stretch there either.

But it was the awkward mention of V8 Fusion during an exchange between General Hospital orderly Cassius (Reign Morton) and steely Nurse Epiphany Johnson (Sonya Eddy) that took me out of the suspension of disbelief so important to soap operas and smacked me with real, pure commercialism. It made me long for the days when sitcoms used to have cans of soda marked “soda” as to not give any undue plugs to real name brand products. Yes, those off-brand cans looked cheesy, but I didn’t feel manipulated by a corporate sponsor either.

Brian Frons, President of Disney-ABC Television Group’s Daytime division said of the campaign, “We have the ability to reach millions of women every day. We are thrilled to partner with Campbell’s in their effort to reach women and encourage them to make heart-healthy lifestyle choices”.  Heart disease is the number one killer of women and women make up a good majority of daytime viewers.

That being said, I wish that somehow the product placement aspect of the campaign could stay out of storylines. The mention on GH seemed too forced, too awkward and too beneath the usually smart writing on that show.

The actual heart-disease related storyline on GH has one of the hospital’s staff members suffering a heart attack. Other women who have suffered heart disease will help support her recovery. This seems much more worthy of the actors’ talents than hawking heart-healthy fruit and vegetable drinks during hospital small talk.

Now that I’ve gotten my scroogy two-cents out of the way, this is a hugely important issue.  Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the U.S. Experts say the keys to preventing heart disease include quitting smoking, improving cholesterol, controlling high blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising. Click Go Red Campaign to learn more about preventing heart disease.