Product Placement, Integration or a 30-minute Commercial?
Category: Blog - September 30, 2008
Kids born today will possibly not know what it's like to be lost, learn how to read a map or even ask for directions, thanks to advancing and ever-present GPS technology. This same technology-savvy generation also will be faced with distinguishing the difference between paid product placement, product integration and the "old fashioned" commercial."For younger kids, it's not even clear what the distinction is between ads and regular programming," says Robert Weissman, director of a watchdog group called Commercial Alert. Since the 1980s when product placement became commonplace, consumers and audiences have, for the most part, had the luxury of identifying and determining the products being marketed to them through commercials and blatant product placement.
Now, with the popularity of Tivo and DVRs allowing viewers to skip through commercials, the lines are becoming blurred as consumer product companies are increasing their spending (up 13 percent in 2007) on product placement and integration. The "you can run, but you can't hide" theory is becoming a battle cry in c-suites of Fortune 500 companies. American Idol is the king of product integration with 4,349 placements during its 2007 season. Can you guess which brand? If you guessed Coca-Cola you are correct, and it's exactly what the folks in Atlanta were determined to do - have the consumer associate their brand and product with TV's most popular and "coolest" show. This is not product placement, it's product integration.With product integration becoming more prevalent and better "hidden," it begs the question of whether or not disclaimers are needed every time we see a product placement on television. It's possible, but how do you run a disclaimer during live television - like an interview with a NASCAR driver after he gets out of the car and just happens to be thirsty for a Mountain Dew while on camera?
Is it okay for the next generation to not know when they are being marketed to? I can't see constant disclaimers being the appropriate fix (unless we'd like to see a permanent scroll while watching American Idol), but in this age of political correctness and full disclosure, we can expect to see some significant changes in how our children's nightly viewing experience is presented to them, the consumer.
Matt Hansen
Account Supervisor
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