Last week we were talking a lot about television. One topic that was briefly discussed was product placement in TV shows and movies. Product placement is when companies will pay money to have their product be either used or seen in the frame of a show in some way. Here are some examples. (don't miss my favorite of the bunch starting at 4 minutes and 52 seconds!)
While "Wayne's World" mocks the usage of product placement, it is quite easy to overlook all of the products that are advertised in a single TV show. After our class discussion, I even started noticing it in music videos. Last week, while browsing YouTube, I saw a new Dr. Dre song with Eminem. To watch the video, check out this link: I need a doctor
1:10- dre gets in a Ferrari
4:15- you can see a tablet with the HP logo
5:01- a G Shock watch is at the center of the screen,
5:34-the tablet again
while reasonable because it is his own company, at
5:56- there is a computer with the "beats by dre" logo,
6:00- the camera zooms in on his K Swiss shoes,
6:41- Gatorade
With all of this blatant advertisement, can you even take this video seriously? Does the advertisement abridge the serious tone of the song? Try to search for advertisements for yourself and see if it either:
A- disrupts the mood of a TV show or song
or
B- has an affect on you (do you feel obligated to purchase or use these items?
I remember when Lady Gaga's music video for "Telephone" came out and I was shocked to see how much advertising there was. Product names were everywhere. According to this yahoo article (http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/musictoob/29122/is-lady-gagas-video-for-telephone-just-one-big-ad/), Lady Gaga wasn't paid to have all of the products in her music video but she had preexisting partnerships with the company. But I can see why a company would want their product in her music video considering the dating website she "advertised" had a 15% increase in traffic after the video was released.
ReplyDeleteTo answer you question I think that the product placement detracts from the art of the music video.How can a person focus on the scene when there's a big label on the screen? I'd like to say that advertisement doesn't have an effect on me but I'm sure it does. Why else would companies fork over millions to advertise their products? The more you see a product the more likely you are to buy it, especially if a famous musician is endorsing it.
I think that it is all in the business. First of all, I think the brands make it more realistic. Who owns a car that has no brand or logo? Who drinks a generic soda? Who buys shoes that have no logo? As long as the people in the show are going to have to use a car, why not cut the costs of buying a car, and get a brand new car, paid for by BMW? Win win situation. BMW gets a little advertising for only a few hundred thousand dollars worth of cars, and the movie gets some great props. Why not? And whats the point of TV or movies anyway? To distract us. I don't have a problem with all the advertising. It is clearly to make money, and I know that, so I can defend against it.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I agree with your point, but at least in the music video for "I Need a Doctor" the product placement can definitely be distracting. For example, when Dre takes a break from working out to take a drink from a brightly colored gatorade bottle it just seems cheesy and I feel like it detracts at least slightly from the emotion/intensity of the video. I would say the same for the tablet that had a giant HP logo on it. However, I do like the fact that he is driving a ferrari, that definitely does not subtract from the appeal of the video.
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ReplyDelete