Product Placement in TV Episodes

[zombywoof]

Probably the first time I really noticed it was on Buffy (Apple).

[Patch]

Originally Posted by Thudlow Boink

Yes, TV and radio shows often had corporate sponsors (sometimes the show was even named after them), and those sponsors were plugged on the show instead of or in addition to having independent commercials shown during breaks in the program.

They could do a pretty good job of it, though. I have a bunch of Jack Benny radio programs on mp3, and one of my favorites was when Lucky Strike cigarettes was still the sponsor. The running gag was Jack wasn't happy with the Lucy Strike quartet's performance on a prior show, and had stashed them in a closet to rehearse constantly until they got it right. Whenever someone left a scene they'd open the closet door by mistake and pick up the jingle at some random point.

[kunilou]

Originally Posted by etv78

When did the change happen? (approx.)

Back in the late 1950's. ABC had terrible ratings and couldn't get their shows sponsored. Some sales genius came up with what they called a "magazine" structure where advertisers could spread commercials around the schedule rather than a single program. The idea caught on and within a few years none of the networks would even sell a show to a single sponsor anymore.

[Accidental Martyr]

I never watched The Dead Zone when it aired but recently watched all the seasons on DVD. One episode had a Visa product placement so blatant it was like a slap in the face.
http://www.mediapost.com/publication...#axzz2EQs4Tjlt

[Voyager]

Originally Posted by etv78

When did the change happen? (approx.)

Somewhere between 1960 and 1965, I think. I'm sure I remember sponsored episodes of the Dick van Dyke show, but by Star Trek time ('66) it was gone. Shows might have gotten too expensive for one sponsor. I don't remember characters doing ads though - that might have happened when I was too young to get it, but I have examples on my DVDs.

[voguevixen]

I actually think it's worse when it's trying to be NOT product placement. Like I remember episodes of Family Ties where they would be drinking something like "Pepi Cola" or some obviously Shasta variant and it was actually distracting.

My favorite "product placement" gag is in whatever "Killer Tomatoes" movie George Clooney was in. There was a point where a Corn Flakes box appeared out of nowhere and they stared and stared and stared at it. LOL.

[RobDog]

It's a difficult line to tread no? On the one hand overt product placement distracts the viewer and jars them out of the fictional universe, on the other hand having no recognizable products at all, or deliberately fake products, has the same effect.

I'm reminded of a trope about the UK TV soap Eastenders, set in a supposedly typical although fictional part of the East End of London called Walford. The thrust of the trope being that if it really was a typical part of East End London, the characters would be regularly talking about what was happening in... Eastenders.

[DigitalC]

Originally Posted by Peter Morris

The villain of the episode, yes. The rest of them treated it as a really fun game.

I don't think this is a ringing endorsment

[Son of a Rich]

On The Mod Squad, the hip young crew would blend into the subculture by driving around in new Ford station wagons.

[obfusciatrist]

Just watched the Elementary episode. Thought it was pretty innocuous as far as such things go. No mention of the product, no extolling some special attribute. Just using it in a way you'd actually use it. No less jarring than fake brands such as when on Law & Order they'd search something Friendbook or FaceJournal.

And if anybody is going to be a technology polyglot, Sherlock Holmes seems like a good candidate (but then we currently have iOS, Windows, and Android devices in active use in our home so that doesn't seem so odd to me).

[dropzone]

Originally Posted by Max Torque

Most blatant I've seen has gotta be Chuck. For no reason, they would stop in the middle of the show and wax eloquent about Subway sandwiches, going ingredient by ingredient. It took several minutes.

Totally realistic because I believe that Big Mike lived on Subway and Dunkin' Donuts, like all other retail managers and employees.

ETA: A 6" Cold-Cut Combo would hit the spot and is only $2, for a limited time only.

[alphaboi867]

Originally Posted by Voyager

Somewhere between 1960 and 1965, I think. I'm sure I remember sponsored episodes of the Dick van Dyke show, but by Star Trek time ('66) it was gone. Shows might have gotten too expensive for one sponsor. I don't remember characters doing ads though - that might have happened when I was too young to get it, but I have examples on my DVDs.

I have seasons 1 & 2 of The Lucy Show on DVD. Both sets have original commercials with Vivian Vance & the actors who played the kids (never Lucille Ball). They're always in character & the ads are shot on the same sets; sometimes they even reference events that happened in that particular episode).

[Eyebrows 0f Doom]

Oh man. I just saw another episode of Bones that had really obnoxious product placement. It was the one that aired on Nov 26 (clearing out my DVR) and there was scene where Bones & Seely are driving and Seely says something like "My new Prius can get GPS navigation to the location on the screen." Cut to a CU of the screen showing the map. "Yeah it's a really good feature. It does so much blah blah blah."

Seriously they spent the whole scene talking about the Prius.

Ah! And I just found that first Bones product placement I had mentioned earlier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4horzn9R7s

[Dallas Jones]

Originally Posted by Son of a Rich

On The Mod Squad, the hip young crew would blend into the subculture by driving around in new Ford station wagons.

The F.B.I TV series which ran from 1965 to 1974 was also sponsored by Ford. Well, as you would expect, the agents drove Fords. But they took it a step further.

Every taxi cab shown was a Ford, every ambulance, Ford. Every car driving on the streets were Fords. Following a car? Ford. Car coming from the other direction? Ford.

If they were driving through a town or neighborhood, every car that was parked on the street was a Ford.

[Alessan]

What I really couldn't stand was Game of Thrones, with its constant Valyrian Steel (tm) product placement. Give it a rest, guys!

[voguevixen]

Originally Posted by dropzone

ETA: A 6" Cold-Cut Combo would hit the spot and is only $2, for a limited time only.

Does that come with an ice-cold, refreshing Pepsi-Cola product? *glug glug* "AHHHH!"

[Mattie Blue]

Originally Posted by Rubixcube

Most blatant one I can think of was the Bones episode where they shilled Avatar. The characters stared in awestruck amazement at clips from the trailer and exclaimed that it was going to be "so much more than a movie" before three of them go to camp out for good seats. I seem to remember it be a pretty crappy mystery too. It annoyed me because it wasn't simply an awkward mention or a lingering shot on a logo, it was an entire subplot made purely as an advertisement.

Made all the more obvious and rather annoying when I realized one of the characters in this episode (actor Joel David Moore) was one of the more major minor characters in the movie.

[alfonzos]

Who knew soap stars enjoyed Cheerios so much? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGtig5DiTxc

[Tim R. Mortiss]

Don't forget the NCIS gang watching the news on the ZNN Network.....

Actually, product placement (real products) doesn't bother me at all. Walk around your own house or office; all of real life is product placement!

[Acsenray]

Originally Posted by zeldarae

I noticed this same product being placed in Suburgatory the other night. In fact her story line centered on how she was filling her empty time with reading her tablet, of which they went to great pains to demonstrate the detatchable keyboard. If they would not have had so many commercials for it I don't think it would have bothered me so much.

That was not product placement for the very practical reason that she always referred to it as "my tablet." No company would pay for such generic references. For it to have been product placement, they would have to have clearly used the brand name. There was an episode of Modern Family in which one of the story lines was about the debut of the Apple Ipad. Now that might have ben product placement.

Originally Posted by Dewey Finn

I think the American version of The Office had a product placement deal with Chili's Restaurants (where the gang went for the Dundies Awards) and Staples (one of the characters used a Staples-brand shredder in one scene shown in the opening credits). And you can see that they're using Cisco VOIP phones and HP computers.

The Chili's reference was not product placement, I believe, but Chili's persuaded them to put in a disclaimer as part of the show that Chili's would not approve of binge drinking.

At one point, The Office did have a deal with Hewlett-Packard. All the computer monitors prominently featured HP logos.

[Mr Downtown]

I notice a lot of sitcom kitchens seem to contain a distinctive yellow-and-red can of Cafe Bustelo, going way back to at least Friends. On my old CRT I can't tell if it's actually Cafe Bustelo, or a prop coffee can intended to be more generic.

[amanset]

Originally Posted by Acsenray

At one point, The Office did have a deal with Hewlett-Packard. All the computer monitors prominently featured HP logos.

You see, when you get to levels like this it just seems normal. Companies generally speaking get all their gear from one manufacturer. We use Dell here, so walking through here is like walking through an episode of a show with product placement. Except it is just reality. All the computers and monitors have the logo and if anyone is near a computer or monitor you are going to see the logo. That's just reality.

And purposefully covering up where you know a logo would be just draws attention to it.

For these reasons, product placement for the most part just does not bother me. Reality has products and we all see them. From my chair right now I can see Dell, Intel, Windows, Taxi Stockholm, Twinnings, Coca Cola, EMC, Netgear, HTC and Apple. And that is just my desk. All I have a problem with is shilling along the lines of the Hawaii 5-0 example earlier in the thread. Discussing the product for no purpose other than advertising it. Otherwise all the shows are doing is showing reality.

When you learn to accept this it really doesn't bother you. I have seen every episode of Chuck and despite knowing that there was a deal with Subway I never really noticed it. Why? Because if this office was right next to a Subway most people would be eating Subway for lunch too.

[The Other Waldo Pepper]

Originally Posted by alfonzos

Who knew soap stars enjoyed Cheerios so much? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGtig5DiTxc

Plus, in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, we see that an all-American breakfast at the wholesome Kent farm is -- of course -- a big fine bowl of Cheerios.

(What, you think the square-jawed exponent of truth and justice from the heartland of this great nation is a Count Chocula guy? Well, you're wrong.)

[well he's back]

I agree with amanset and others that " normal" product placements male sense, and less jarring than awkward generics. The awkward attention grabbing use of the surface tablet that I mentioned in the op is a different animal altogether.

[chargerrich]

I would prefer standard ads in shows than something that "The Shark Tank" does... they try to work T-Mobile and their "Super Fast Network" into normal conversation and it is so much more annoying than any other way to advertise.

Putting a damn giant T-Mobile banner on set would be less irritating.

[Jman]

The Suburgatory one mentioned early in the thread was by far the most jarring. I was kind of OK with the "I love my new tablet" and showing her operating it...not a big deal, but at the end when she basically broke into 'commercial' mode, it was the worst thing I'd ever seen.

"But you see, it has full size USB ports, an integrated kickstand and a really sizeable hard drive" (which is wrong, BTW...since it uses flash memory).

Terrible. They did it that badly on Bones before with a Prius, but at least that was somewhat how real life would go "wow, why did your car do that...oh, it's this cool feature." That conversation actually happens from time to time.

[The Other Waldo Pepper]

Originally Posted by chargerrich

I would prefer standard ads in shows than something that "The Shark Tank" does... they try to work T-Mobile and their "Super Fast Network" into normal conversation and it is so much more annoying than any other way to advertise.

My pet theory about "Shark Tank" is that it's all happened already.

How does the show play out? Your idea gets entertainingly ridiculed as crap -- but then I come on, and a Shark explains how wonderful my product is, at which point I agree to cut him in on the profits and he agrees to promote the heck out of it -- and then cue another would-be success story who trots out her get-rich-quick scheme, which they sneeringly deride to delight the viewers.

So now imagine I didn't meet that Shark on the show; I pitched him beforehand, and agreed to cut him in on the profits, prompting him to promote it with ease: the next episode of "Shark Tank" will be one big commercial for my product -- interspersed with somebody else coming out on stage to get mocked, since she still thinks this is the part where we pitch them.

[That Don Guy]

A lot of people are referencing shows from decades ago where a particular product showed up a lot because it was a sponsor (BTW, Bewitched was sponsored by Chevrolet for a while - guess what make of cars pretty much always appeared?).

However, I think the OP is referring to the current trend of "in your face" product placement, where it seems that the characters are involved in a commercial for the product. Two of these come to my mind: an episode of (IIRC) Alcatraz where they are driving through San Francisco and, pretty much throughout the scene, the two people in the car are commenting on how it handles, and a recent episode of New Girl where Jess is a showroom model for the new Ford Fusion Hybrid (and I think they were plugging the "plug-in" Fusion Energi as well).

[silenus]

The latest episode of Wedding Band had a rather funny approach, I thought. There were huge banners hanging around an extended scene at a wedding reception advertising various companies/products. It was explained as the event planner selling sponsorships to off-set the $300K the father of the bride wanted to enjoy but not spend. He was a bit peeved about her solution.

[Smeghead]

Warehouse 13 has been doing this lately - setting scenes inside whatever brand of car it is so that they can chat about some cool feature or another - but it's such a silly show to begin with that it seems kind of pointless to get upset about it.

[panamajack]

There was a white paper from the Writers Guild back in 2005 complaining about some of the worse kinds of 'product integration'. It doesn't seem like things are any better now. Are You SELLING to Me?

[simster]

Originally Posted by Smeghead

Warehouse 13 has been doing this lately - setting scenes inside whatever brand of car it is so that they can chat about some cool feature or another - but it's such a silly show to begin with that it seems kind of pointless to get upset about it.

Well, they also did fan service in one scene where the other charector said (to the affect) - "this isnt a commercail - lets go already"

[Acsenray]

Originally Posted by Jman

The Suburgatory one mentioned early in the thread was by far the most jarring. I was kind of OK with the "I love my new tablet" and showing her operating it...not a big deal, but at the end when she basically broke into 'commercial' mode, it was the worst thing I'd ever seen.

Did they ever show or mention the brand? I don't recall that they did. If not, then it wasn't a product placement. It was just something they thought was funny. No company is going to pay for placement that doesn't actually show you what they're selling.

"But you see, it has full size USB ports, an integrated kickstand and a really sizeable hard drive" (which is wrong, BTW...since it uses flash memory).

Well, that kind of proves that it wasn't product placement. An advertiser is not going to pay for an incorrect description of the product.

[voguevixen]

The most obnoxiously forced product placement I've ever seen was from the movie "Disclosure" (the one where Demi Moore is sexually harassing Michael Douglas for some inexplicable reason.) At one point Douglas' character goes to the lounge for a Coke and we see the Coke machine. Fine, people do this. But after he pushes the button for his Coke the camera cuts to an extreme close-up of the can coming into the vending chute, with the letters "COKE" lining up perfectly and filling the ENTIRE movie screen. Seriously, it was all of a sudden:

COKE

It boggles the mind how much time they must've wasted filming that over and over and over until it lined up just right.

[obfusciatrist]

The more overt ones can be annoying, but I just chalk them up as commercials and don't worry about it too much and kind of enjoy the effort whent hey manage to integrate it better.

Figure I can't complain too much that the product I'm watching for free because it lives on an advertiser model has decided it needs to keep the ads in front of me when I've skipping over the old fashioned ones.

[Red Barchetta]

Originally Posted by chargerrich

I would prefer standard ads in shows than something that "The Shark Tank" does... they try to work T-Mobile and their "Super Fast Network" into normal conversation and it is so much more annoying than any other way to advertise.

Putting a damn giant T-Mobile banner on set would be less irritating.

Seriously. I love Shark Tank, but those ads are not only distracting, but are actively damaging to the premise of the show. That's not real at all; it's contrived, forced, and scripted.

Terrible

[simple homer]

The latest episode of Pawn Stars (Season 6, episode 14) had 3 product placements for Skype.
That is getting ridiculous.

[Morbo]

Originally Posted by simple homer

The latest episode of Pawn Stars (Season 6, episode 14) had 3 product placements for Skype.
That is getting ridiculous.

Came in to post this today. When you have the old man saying "That's a pretty great piece of technology!" it's time to take a step back methinks.

[Snooooopy]

In last night's rather genealogy-heavy episode of CSI, you'd have thought that Ancestry.com was an official sponsor given the way one of the guest stars gushed about how wonderful it is. I have to say, it was a little off-putting. It took me out of the episode for a moment.

[terentii]

CSI. Product placement. Dell.

[Voyager]

I remember a good one. In the Dragnet movie they keep getting worse cars as they trash old one, until the wind up with a Yugo, "the cutting edge of Serbo-Croatian technology."

[Acsenray]

Again, there's no way that that was product placement. Just because a brand name is mentioned in a show or movie doesn't mean it is product placement.

[audit1]

It seems THE PRICE IS RIGHT is nothing but product placement.

[Acsenray]

Originally Posted by audit1

It seems THE PRICE IS RIGHT is nothing but product placement.

"The Pice Is Right" comes from the ancient American TV tradition of incorporating sponsors' ads right into the show. It demonstrates that there's really nothing new about product placement.

[Jman]

Originally Posted by Acsenray

Did they ever show or mention the brand? I don't recall that they did. If not, then it wasn't a product placement. It was just something they thought was funny. No company is going to pay for placement that doesn't actually show you what they're selling.



Well, that kind of proves that it wasn't product placement. An advertiser is not going to pay for an incorrect description of the product.

Show? Yes...closeups on the Windows interface, etc. Oh, and each of the blatant references was immediately followed by a commercial break where the first ad was a loud, vibrant Microsoft Surface ad.