A new breed of evil product placement - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

manigrasso · 06-28-2001, 08:23 PM

So there's a small article in this week's TV Guide, concerning a company that's working on adding product placement to episodes of Law & Order...

What's the big deal? They're adding them to SYNDICATED Episodes of Law & Order! The ones that have already aired on network TV! They're going to digitally insert products to be in the background of various shots!

"Funny, I saw this episode on NBC last year, and I could swear Sam Waterston was NOT eating a Blimpie's Club Sub."

Has corporate America become so incredibly greedy for our eyes, ears, and dollars that they'd hire people to basrtardize shows we know and love?

You know, when I was akid, I thought Three's Company was the greatest show ever. And whenever there was a shot near the doorway, my eyes were always drawn towards their little "Life" butterfly poster. Now I don't hold the show up in the same esteem I did when I was a horny 13-year old, but if I turned it on, and that poster was replaced with the Coca Cola Polar Bear, I'd be pissed as Hell. I want to see the Life poster, damn it!

And who's to say where this could end? There's no law against just filling a room with dozens, HUNDREDS of products in an old tv show. They could take the courtroom in Perry Mason and make it look like Supermarket Sweep, if they wanted.

And what happens if they decide to do it with movies? It's bad enough that there are commercials airing before the movie in theatres, or on the videotape. What happens when you watch Citizen Kane on Turner Classic Movies, and that giant poster of Charles Foster Kane now has him with Snuggles the Fabric Softener Bear riding on his shoulders?

I KNOW that most people wouldn't cosider every TV show, or every movie, art. But since there is no clear-cut definition of what "art" is that would please everybody's criteria, I think that a finished TV show or movie should be hands off. Who knows? Maybe they'll start adding producr placement to art too. I'd love to go see the Venus de Milo and see that someone plastered arms on her so she can sport a Bulova watch, wouldn't you?

The sad thing is that the work will probably be so good, only regular watchers of the show might notice the bastardization. You can be sure that, after it's introduced, the producers of the show won't make an issue of pointing it out. All I can say is: Whenever I find out that product placement has been employed in that way, I will cease to ever use that product. I don't care if its my favorite product in the world, if I don't need it to survive, it's gone. One person might not make a difference, but I hope others feel outraged enough by this act to consider making similar personal boycotts as well.

What do you all think? Is it wrong to take an existing piece of entertainment and add products to it?

BeanBandit · 06-28-2001, 08:36 PM

Wow. This is probably the most disgusting thing that advertising has done so far. I'm a firm believer that a film or TV show should remain untouched after it's been released. Even the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition upset me because of all the junk they added that wasn't really necessary (especially the music change at the end of Jedi). But to diitally add ads into syndicated shows? That's a travesty! And Law & Order on top of that! That's far too close to my beloved Homicide: Life on the Street!

If they do this, the show should have a disclaimer at the beginning like: This show has been modified from it's original version. It has been formatted to brainwash you into buying useless shit.

------------------
"Check him out. He's sippin' on gin and juice."
"They didn't have gin and juice. They drank goat's ass milk back then."

saraswati · 06-28-2001, 10:46 PM

part of me doesn't care, just like i generally don't care when product placement is used in a typical movie or TV show. i mean, people drink coke in real life, they rent ryder trucks when they move, they eat ben & jerry's and blow their noses with kleenex when their boyfriend breaks up with them. and in shows that came on before product placement, you don't get that. you get people sitting around the dinner table drinking "cola," renting MOVING VANs, and blowing their noses with "tissue." it might be nice to see Lucy and Ricky put a tyson's TV dinner in the oven, or have the Fonz drink IBC Rootbeer.

but another part of me feels like the integrity of these shows will be lost. there's nothing to prevent nick at night from allowing companies to traipse all over their shows. the Jeffersons could become the Pepsisons, and there's nothing anyone could do about it because the only advocates the shows have are the people who would be profiting. the producers, directors, stars, etc. aren't around to make sure the syndicated shows aren't turned into 1/2 hour ads.

also, digitized effects (especially in TV) always look so fake and lazy to me. for instance the floating head of Livia Soprano. that kind of thing is really distracting. And it would be especially distracting if companies got lazy, having the snuggle bear lying on a desk in the Welcome Back Kotter classroom and Beaver Cleaver wearing nikes.

though it would be fun if companies could only advertise in shows that were made when their product existed, using vintage ad copy. i would have a stroke if saw Joanie and Chachi ordering a CD off amazon.com, but it would be kinda neat to see Mrs. Cunningham make Shake n Bake chicken, with a vintage 50's box.

------------------
deep in the heat of the bush...

[This message has been edited by saraswati (edited 06-28-2001).]

egman · 06-28-2001, 11:35 PM

Well,well... the ugly hand of consumerism now threatens to defigure some of the things we watch. Boy, am I surprised.

I don't watch TV much anymore, but if this starts to happen to motion pictures, I will do the exact same thing that Manigrasso suggested and totally boycott the product in question.

There has to be some stopping point for advertisers. If they must insist on these guerilla like tatics in order for me to buty some shit of there's, they will only succeded in pissing me off!

Drexl · 07-02-2001, 01:49 PM

Are these the same episodes that air a week or two later than the first airing (on NBC)? If I remember correctly, these "reruns" were a major point of contention for the writers during the negotiations with the studios when the WGA was threatening to go on strike. Maybe this is how the studios are paying them!

06-28-2001, 08:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
manigrasso Forum Sage Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: NJ	A new breed of evil product placement So there's a small article in this week's TV Guide, concerning a company that's working on adding product placement to episodes of Law & Order... What's the big deal? They're adding them to SYNDICATED Episodes of Law & Order! The ones that have already aired on network TV! They're going to digitally insert products to be in the background of various shots! "Funny, I saw this episode on NBC last year, and I could swear Sam Waterston was NOT eating a Blimpie's Club Sub." Has corporate America become so incredibly greedy for our eyes, ears, and dollars that they'd hire people to basrtardize shows we know and love? You know, when I was akid, I thought Three's Company was the greatest show ever. And whenever there was a shot near the doorway, my eyes were always drawn towards their little "Life" butterfly poster. Now I don't hold the show up in the same esteem I did when I was a horny 13-year old, but if I turned it on, and that poster was replaced with the Coca Cola Polar Bear, I'd be pissed as Hell. I want to see the Life poster, damn it! And who's to say where this could end? There's no law against just filling a room with dozens, HUNDREDS of products in an old tv show. They could take the courtroom in Perry Mason and make it look like Supermarket Sweep, if they wanted. And what happens if they decide to do it with movies? It's bad enough that there are commercials airing before the movie in theatres, or on the videotape. What happens when you watch Citizen Kane on Turner Classic Movies, and that giant poster of Charles Foster Kane now has him with Snuggles the Fabric Softener Bear riding on his shoulders? I KNOW that most people wouldn't cosider every TV show, or every movie, art. But since there is no clear-cut definition of what "art" is that would please everybody's criteria, I think that a finished TV show or movie should be hands off. Who knows? Maybe they'll start adding producr placement to art too. I'd love to go see the Venus de Milo and see that someone plastered arms on her so she can sport a Bulova watch, wouldn't you? The sad thing is that the work will probably be so good, only regular watchers of the show might notice the bastardization. You can be sure that, after it's introduced, the producers of the show won't make an issue of pointing it out. All I can say is: Whenever I find out that product placement has been employed in that way, I will cease to ever use that product. I don't care if its my favorite product in the world, if I don't need it to survive, it's gone. One person might not make a difference, but I hope others feel outraged enough by this act to consider making similar personal boycotts as well. What do you all think? Is it wrong to take an existing piece of entertainment and add products to it?

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06-28-2001, 08:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
BeanBandit Actor Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Toronto	Wow. This is probably the most disgusting thing that advertising has done so far. I'm a firm believer that a film or TV show should remain untouched after it's been released. Even the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition upset me because of all the junk they added that wasn't really necessary (especially the music change at the end of Jedi). But to diitally add ads into syndicated shows? That's a travesty! And Law & Order on top of that! That's far too close to my beloved Homicide: Life on the Street! If they do this, the show should have a disclaimer at the beginning like: This show has been modified from it's original version. It has been formatted to brainwash you into buying useless shit. ------------------ "Check him out. He's sippin' on gin and juice." "They didn't have gin and juice. They drank goat's ass milk back then."

06-28-2001, 10:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
saraswati Actress Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: New York City?!	part of me doesn't care, just like i generally don't care when product placement is used in a typical movie or TV show. i mean, people drink coke in real life, they rent ryder trucks when they move, they eat ben & jerry's and blow their noses with kleenex when their boyfriend breaks up with them. and in shows that came on before product placement, you don't get that. you get people sitting around the dinner table drinking "cola," renting MOVING VANs, and blowing their noses with "tissue." it might be nice to see Lucy and Ricky put a tyson's TV dinner in the oven, or have the Fonz drink IBC Rootbeer. but another part of me feels like the integrity of these shows will be lost. there's nothing to prevent nick at night from allowing companies to traipse all over their shows. the Jeffersons could become the Pepsisons, and there's nothing anyone could do about it because the only advocates the shows have are the people who would be profiting. the producers, directors, stars, etc. aren't around to make sure the syndicated shows aren't turned into 1/2 hour ads. also, digitized effects (especially in TV) always look so fake and lazy to me. for instance the floating head of Livia Soprano. that kind of thing is really distracting. And it would be especially distracting if companies got lazy, having the snuggle bear lying on a desk in the Welcome Back Kotter classroom and Beaver Cleaver wearing nikes. though it would be fun if companies could only advertise in shows that were made when their product existed, using vintage ad copy. i would have a stroke if saw Joanie and Chachi ordering a CD off amazon.com, but it would be kinda neat to see Mrs. Cunningham make Shake n Bake chicken, with a vintage 50's box. ------------------ deep in the heat of the bush... [This message has been edited by saraswati (edited 06-28-2001).]

06-28-2001, 11:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
egman Actor Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Lawrenceville, GA	Well,well... the ugly hand of consumerism now threatens to defigure some of the things we watch. Boy, am I surprised. I don't watch TV much anymore, but if this starts to happen to motion pictures, I will do the exact same thing that Manigrasso suggested and totally boycott the product in question. There has to be some stopping point for advertisers. If they must insist on these guerilla like tatics in order for me to buty some shit of there's, they will only succeded in pissing me off!

07-02-2001, 01:49 PM	#5 (permalink)
Drexl Actor Join Date: Jun 2000	Are these the same episodes that air a week or two later than the first airing (on NBC)? If I remember correctly, these "reruns" were a major point of contention for the writers during the negotiations with the studios when the WGA was threatening to go on strike. Maybe this is how the studios are paying them!