Is the new NBC series Knight Rider guaranteed to be one of the worst things the ex-Seinfeld network has ever aired as well as a vehicle to not sell Ford Mustangs? Is David Hasselhoff popular in Germany? What I'm less certain of is what to make of Midnight Rida, a new online-only series from maniaTV and Unilever's Axe brand.

Midnight Rida is actually pretty funny. It's a blaxploitation spoof of the series that launched Hasselhoff into superstardom in Northern Europe and certain parts of the Balkans. And the entire thing—all 23 webisodes—is underwritten by the Axe brand to promote its new body detailer, basically a man-loofah. (The idea behind the product is for frat boys to imagine themselves being scrubbed down by hot car wash girls while they're really loofaing themselves up. Sweet.)

After watching episode one, however, it seemed to me that Midnight Rida was more of a promotional vehicle for Cadillac. Roll tape:

Midnight Rida: G.A.R.I.'s Return: Midnight Rida: EP 1

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Also, the branding for the show includes big, fat hero shots of a shiny new Caddy. A lengthy Adweek article talks much about the Axe deal but only includes this mysterious line regarding other possible sponsors: "There are plans to include other advertisers, said Jackson [Carlton Jackson, director of client services at maniaTV], though he declined to discuss details."

Hammer time: This show, though a bit sophomoric, is a great example of storytelling in the post-advertising age. A sponsor works with a content producer and puts together an entertaining show that speaks directly to the sponsor's audience. Authority to publish? I haven't done the math, but my initial impression is that while Midnight Rida is about fighting crime, Axe is about fighting boy-smell, which is a sort of crime. And, when you watch the show, you'll realize that the sponsor takes a back seat to the content, unlike most sponsor involvement in televised content through product placements. The Times Online didn't even know it was anything but a takeoff on Knight Rider.

My only question here is, Is Cadillac along for the ride? What's the deal? Is Axe making money from the Cadillac sponsorship?

Here's another great piece of content/free ad for Cadillac:

Which reminds me of this undeniable remix by Kanye West: