The
Times has an article on
product placement in TV shows. Not that it's anything new, of course. But it may become more important. People can't skip past the product placement the way they can the ads. As we move towards a TiVo world, networks are going to have to replace ad revenue with something, whether it's DVD sales or pay tv or product placement or ... ?
2 Comments:
I fully intend to have product placement in pretty much every episode of The Black Tower. But not for the mega-name brands like Pepsi, Doritos or Ford.
On the official website for my series there will be a section where people can find out more about or purchase the clothes, shoes, jewelry, props artwork and other doo-dads I will have on the show. Items created/purchased by the show's production crew or donated by little mom & pop operations or young entrepreneurs in the hopes of getting some publicity without having to fork over $200,000 for a 30 second ad that people don't watch in the first place.
Remeber back in the day when radio and tv were brought to you by a particular product or company? THE SHADOW brought to you by Firestone? MILTON BERLE / CAVALCADE OF STARS brought to you by Texaco?
There was a new midseason show last year that defied a lot of models by being put together with advertiser and product placement money first - then it was produced (It was some family drama that was on Sunday nights).
People aren't going to care if it gets them "free" tv shows. As much as people pay for certain things on cable, they also like the idea of getting something for free, and in much greater numbers. Advertising, product placement, sponsorship - all of it - benefits the consumer by giving them free programming. If the consumer doesn't like it - the ratings go down. The show gets cancelled. Justice is served.
Back to Complications Ensue main blog page.