Friday, November 25, 2005

Product placement considered as the alternative to paying for TV episodes (assuming broadcast advertising falls to TiVo): sure, that's all very well and good when you're selling cars. My characters can drive your cars. They can take Tylenol and they can drink Pepsi instead of Coke. And I can definitely work Levitra into an episode. But ING Bank? The stuff for clearing up infections under your toenails? Auto insurance? Some of the stuff they advertise on TV is boring, and a lot of it is kinda gross. I don't think anyone can count on sponsorship and/or product placement to replace broadcast advertising.

Tags: screenwriting; TV; advertising

4:57 PM

4 Comments:

But certainly that's just one component of the whole financing picture isn't it?

We're rough penciling a budget for a show and we figured out to do a $3M movie in Saskatchewan, all we'd need would be a little over $1M in cash. Product placement, tax incentives, labor incentives, loans, presales, all of it is the jigsaw puzzle that producers have to put together to make a movie.

(Just getting the swag would be good. Now we won't have to always see cans on coffee tables labeled "Beer" or "cola")

Weren't there digital billboards in BLADERUNNER hawking PEPSI or COKE? How about DEMOLITION MAN where all restaurants have become TACO BELL? Sci-fi, horror, and yes, historical drama all plays better when the audience can project themselves into the world you're setting up -- Products and language do that. Example(other than above): Using modern language in the HERCULES and XENA series.

And Alex, you can't come up with a story where someone walks into an IMG bank and tries to rob it? Or a doctor in the ER using a product to help someone? Or a little kid piling down the steps squirting mommy's Massengill over their younger sibling like a squirt gun?

Let's quit bringing up the negative about product placement and let's start coming up with story possibilities, then getting a product to step up...If we're going to bring up the problem then we also have to step up and bring the solution.

By  Cunningham, at 6:32 PM  

Of course you can cite me, Alec. I'm flattered.

In general, you may cite anyone on the Net. If they don't want their opinions broadcast, putting them on the Net is a poor way to hide them.

The blog is actually under a Creative Commons license. You're free to quote, even at length, so long as you cite it and don't rewrite it.

I don't think Massengill would much like the squirt gun notion, and more broadly, product placement is awkward because advertisers only want their products placed in positive circumstances. Of which there are few, drama being conflict.

I think historical dialog should be modern, but avoiding datable slang. See my book for my rant at length!

By  Alex Epstein, at 10:30 PM  

A sitcom I worked on down here in South Africa was sponsored by a bank. Each week we had to work in some dialogue promoting the bank. We tried to go with subtle references - not good enough. The bank got to read the scripts and comment thereon and wanted their brand obviously promoted. And the network agreed - they were getting big bucks from the bank, had to keep them satisfied. So, every week we had some character going on about his XYZ savings account, or her XYZ cheque account and it was hell. That's something that needs to be considered - will mere product placement be enough, or will advertisers insist on attention being drawn to their products?

By  African Den, at 1:09 AM  

While you're both right that THOSE particular companies may not want their products used in a comedic or intense, life threatening situation - the fact is that THERE ARE THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF PRODUCTS available should the initial product drops out.

This will be especially true when the traditional advertising model dries up. Companies will be clamoring to get their product before the audience's eyes - especially if the product is a major component of the story. Example: James Bond.

I agree that BSG or Star Wars would be a difficult fit - unless you take into account that a company could design products for the show just like they do for the James Bond movies. There are James Bond editions of watches, ties, clothing, phones, pens, etc...

What product placement and sponsoring complete series (which is how TV got funded in the first place - Texaco Star Theater anyone?) is doing is solving a problem we are going have when traditional ad sales goes away. Go to a public place and look at all the products and advertising around you.

Having products out there onscreen provides realism not intrusions.

By  Cunningham, at 1:16 AM  

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