This post is written by IMC2016 candidate Geena Deweerd. What do you think about product placement?
The future of television commercials is uncertain.
Historically, networks rely on advertising revenue. Emerging technology promises viewers a way to avoid commercials altogether. Understandably, these developments are under opposition by networks. Twenty-First Century Fox Inc sued Dish Network over their AutoHop feature, claiming copyright violations. They recently lost.
The threat of losing this advertising channel is real, and companies are desperate to have a replacement before commercial skipping is commonplace.
Cue product placement. 1992’s Wayne’s World calls inline product mentions ‘selling out’ even as they parade Pizza Hut, Doritos, Reebok, Nuprin and Pepsi in front of the camera for laughs. It’s also oddly effective in connecting with the audience.
Screenshot from Brooklyn Nine-Nine (or from a Volkswagen ad? Hard to tell).
More effective than the legitimate ways products are featured in television shows, that is. Brooklyn Nine-Nine spotlights the Volkswagen Jetta in an awkward one minute segment.
While it…
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