Film Gecko

Product Placement

by Erin Harvey on September 17th, 2005

There was a big kerfuffle a few years back regarding the corporate infiltration of our hard-earned entertainment time via product placements in television and movies. Apparently our freedom of choice was being undermined by the subliminal machinations of these conglomerates who were, as Wayne and Garth might say “sucking our will to live” (or at least shop). With the close ties between big business and Hollywood, product placement is thought to be on the rise thanks to its reputation as an effective way to reach a wide consumer base spanning several demographics. Exhorbent amounts of money that are being paid for these pitch spots, which range from the promotion of Reese’s Pieces as E.T.’s favourite earthly snack food, to the seemingly ridiculous use of Fiat’s economy vehicle, the Panda, as the wheels for the new James Bond.

Consumer awareness of these practices however, has been growing. Advocacy groups such as Commercial Alert have been lobbying the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission for full disclosure of embedded advertising. I think it highly unlikely to see that kind of cooperation from studios, but I do think that if film companies and their advertising cronies are not careful, there may be a strong backlash against this kind of brand marketing. Already, analysts are speculating on the possible negative ramifications, with the blatant, decidedly non-subliminal advertising in this summer’s The Island being cited as an example (if a bit of a stretch) of what could happen if a film forgets that it is not a marketing vehicle, but exists primarily to serve the entertainment needs of the movie-going public…it tanks at the box office.

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POSTED IN: Film Industry