Advertising Everywhere

Some two decades ago, in a sly yet silly vignette from Wayne's World, Mike Myers and Rob Lowe exchange testy remarks about a sponsor's gauche intrusion into Wayne's cable access show. Reclining nearby in mullet-to-toe Reebok gear, Garth, Wayne's companion and co-host, laments, "It's like people only do things because they get paid. And that's just really sad."

It's not sad, of course; Garth—and Reebok—are in on the joke, and the product placement manages to charm its way through its own obtrusiveness to memorable effect. This weekend, Morgan Spurlock, documentarian provocateur last seen eating his way to angina in 2004's Super Size Me, gives that same joke full-length treatment in a film financed by and about "advertainment"—the increasingly pervasive nexus of commercialization and entertainment.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/04/the-greatest-movie-ever-sold-and-the-future-of-product-placement/237724/

(I am based in Hong Kong)

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Posted by Ed (758 days ago)

Quite an eye-opening article... product placement has often become so subtle...

I have been wondering about why news networks seem to promote the likes of Facebook and Twitter - more than they actually promote their own websites...

For instance... CNN will direct people to CNN FB over CNN.com...

Could it be that CNN gets paid by FB to mention the word Facebook in their news broadcasts?

Likewise with Twitter - why in the world would a news broadcast direct anyone to Twitter? It makes zero sense...

Gotta be product placement (and just another step towards the death of journalism)

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by bbrave (735 days ago)

Your theory of product placement is possible however in this situation I think it's more of a case of CNN using twitter and FB and not the other way around. It's well reporting that TV viewer ship is on the decline and more young people (ie future of business - since their current viewer demographic will die) spend time mostly online tweeting and FB. Their using twitter as a free marketing tool and to keep relevant like every other celebrity or brand is doing.

(I am based in Hong Kong)