Following the increasingly integrated and undisclosed use of product placement in TV shows, like a Seventh Heaven episode where a wedding ring was embedded in an Oreo cookie, the busy beavers at the FCC are planning to scrutinize the practice. [Broadcasting and Cable]
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Why is this a big deal? My REAL life has a lot of name-brand products in it. Why does television programming have to be devoid of it?
I guess I really don’t care about product placement. I mean, if product placement was a form of brainwashing or mind control, which hypnotized me into buying only certain brands against my will, then ok, get the FCC involved. But what kind of disclosure are we talking about? Should a not come on before the show starts saying “Warning: You may see products in this show which you seein commercials and in real life. Viewer discretion advised.”?
The Sopranos was chock-full of product placement (those people never bought generics, apparently!) – is this a problem only on network TV?
Did anyone happen to see the latest Simpsons episode where they bought a TiVo. I love the Simpsons, and I love my TiVo, but how could that have been anything but a commercial? (Although there is a certain irony in a TiVo commercial as part of a Simpsons episode, where they’re talking about how you skip commercials with a TiVo, but nobody would skip the TiVo segment, even though it really was just a commercial).
See, this is why I don’t WATCH television. Notice how I said “television” and not “T.V.”. That’s because “T.V.” is a nickname, and nicknames are for friends, and TELEVISION IS NOBODY’S FRIEND.
The example given does not sound like a big deal.
Who here has a child that askes for Sandwitch Cookies? They ask for orieos right?
Who here asked for cotton swabs? You ask for qtips right?
Or who askes for bandages, you will most likely ask for bandaids.
In the 7th heaven episode mentioned, who would of thought it strange if they kept saying sandwitch cookie?
I thought I was going to be the first, but will repeat my first thought anyway:
Who cares. If it is a show I watch, then if they want to through a real product into the show to make a little extra money – as long as it fits into the show – great. (I actually hate it when a scene is filled with obvious “fake” products anyway – I would rather see real products then a can of Popsi Cola trying to pretend it is a real product… and then just takes me out of the show since I’m looking at fake products that stand out.
@DrGirlfriend:
Where I dislike it is when it’s blatant and extensive, and The Sopranos was the worst. Tony bought Carmella or AJ an SUV, and they went on about it, talking about the engine size and everything else. I almost shut it off. In an episode in the last season, Christopher and Tony are driving along, and Christopher says “You got the new SoAndSo CD?” Tony: “Yeah, it’s great.”
Made me want to hurl.
TV is mind and culture rot. I hardly think product placements on TV constitutes the crux of the problem.
@DallasDMD: Yep, I stopped watching TV over two years ago and things are great!
@Murph1908: The Sopranos took it too far, I agree. I noticed it right away, whereas the kind pf product placement I don’t really care about is when it’s just kinda snuck in there, or part of the background, etc.
@DrGirlfriend:
agreed
30 Rock abuses the concept, too. Two or three episodes ago they did this ridiculous Verizon plug. Tina Fey tried to make it less gross by turning to the camera and saying, “Can we have our money now?” after she said her lines—but it was still intrusive and didn’t fit with the irreverent tone of the show.
Last night, I noticed that instead of trying to work the product placement into the show, they ran a 30 second quasi-commercial during a break. It was like an extra scene from 30 Rock, apropos of nothing in last night’s episode. It functioned much more like a commercial. And what’s more, I actually stopped the Tivo and WATCHED it. Granted, that was because at first I thought 30 Rock had come back on, but in the future I will probably watch them still, because it was silly and absurd just like the TV show. (IOW it wasn’t like those awful Simpsons Butterfinger commercials.)
Rent “The Truman Show” and you’ll see some funny product placement bits in it.
I was always really surprised by the brand names plastered all over the Sopranos, especially considering David Chase’s constant harping about how TV exists to make consumers feel good so they can go out and buy lots of crap….but then again, it does make TV more realistic. I always hated when characters drank generic “Cola” brand.
It only bothers me if they take it too far. I don’t mind seeing products in shots, but it really kills me when they unnecessarily talk about the products, and start getting into things like the features. It’s really awful when they do that.
I agree that some are a little obvious as to what they’re doing. So much so, sometimes it reminds me of that bit in Wayne’s World when they’re mocking product placement.
I’m more annoyed with all the garbage they put over the show after commercial breaks. Upcoming shows, some marathon, or other promotion. Sometimes these take up a quarter of the screen.
This is why I don’t pay for television any more. The ads are bad enough, but paying for these is even more annoying. Free to air satellite and blockbuster.com: all the television you’ll ever need.
Doesn’t bug me. I like Oreo Cookies… Not as much as I did when they were made with Trans Fats, however.
I agree with the sentiment that product placement is fine as long as it remains in the periphery rather than the focus. One it becomes the nucleus of a television show, it becomes bothersome. It should be a raindrop passing down a car window, not assimilate like the Phalanx.
*waits for no one to get the nerdy comic book reference*
…x_0
Large companies have staff in their marketing departments dedicated to doing this– making deals with producers to put their products into commercials, TV series, and films. It’s big money.
The Bond films are the marquee example– what sweet sled James is driving is always decided by the highest bidder.
What’s the problem again?
Aqua Teen Hunger Force did an ENTIRE episode for Boost Mobile. Excessive? Yes. Was it funny? Yes.
It seems that it is in everything. I assume most companies compensate the shows for the placement. Shows that take place in real places and use real businesses would go nuts having to create a fictional world to avoid tourism (a type of product) placement.
Are they going to fix religion being embedded in shows like Seventh Heaven?