So I read on my local paper’s website that the 30 second TV spot is in trouble, and product placement is on the rise. I think the first half of the argument is a little premature, but there’s no doubt that product placement is becoming more and more prominent in film and television, at least that coming out of the big US machines. I’ve certainly started to notice it more and more in stuff that I’ve been watching, although it’s likely that that’s at least partially because my sensitivity to such things has been raised.
But surely it’s getting ridiculous when movie trailers start picking up the (sponsor’s) message and running with it. Have a look at the trailer for the latest Jim Carrey film, “Yes Man“. Seems to be all going fine until you get to about 1 minute in … even then it’s just dropped casually. Then about 10 seconds later, in case you missed the first one, RED BULL RED BULL RED BULL RED BULL. I mean, I get it, the movie industry wants more money, and they can get that from advertisers in the form of product placement. How else do you explain Apple usage in “Hollywood America” being exponentially larger than the regular USA? But sometimes it’s just ridiculous.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m thirsty …
Actually I think the Apple thing is a bit different. I’ve noticed throughout time that computers and computer programs in movies have been customised to look unlike the stuff most people use every day – completely different UIs, mods, skins, odd cases, etc. So I think more and more Apple products are used because fewer people use them in real life, but obviously they still look realistic (because they are real, obviously).
Product placement is really interesting, from a commercial perspective, and also because it contributes so much to the dating of a film/book/etc. And also because sometimes it can be a sort of short-hand for the creators – sometimes this is simply sloppy, sometimes it’s a valuable insight especially for an audience who’s in tune.