6 ms·

ALL shows have product placement. Some more blatant than others. You can't get around that.

lebanon_tn 9y ago
The FX show Baskets has its product placement front and center the entire time. It's hilarious and I don't mind one bit though.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
coding123 9y ago
There are a few shows like Chuck that were basically saved by blatant product placement. It's funny to watch - breaks the illusion for a moment - but knowing the story behind how it basically saved the show makes it worth it for the fans.
- nofilter 9y ago
  Oh man, Chuck was awesome! I'm adding it to the list of shows to re-watch.
herbst 9y ago
That is simply not true, firstly most cartoons and anime, but also other shows that come with a higher budget seem to be able to avoid product placements.
- lloeki 9y ago
  Interestingly enough, Fight Club managed to put every product placement right next to sad or violent imagery.
- phil248 9y ago
  Some animated shows, like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Frisky Dingo, did great jobs of using product placement as a comedic part of the show.
- chomp 9y ago
  That's because those are the product. Pokemon is the best example of this. I will concede that shows like Game of Thrones are very good at avoiding this, but I'm tempted to propose that shows like that exist to sell HBO subscriptions.
  - krallja 9y ago
    They also have a whole lot of merchandise available.
- sigstoat 9y ago
  > That is simply not true, firstly most cartoons and anime... https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/4257/have-there-been-any-anime-with-actual-product-placement https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/4257/have-there-be... Those are just the most obvious product placements, recognizable to folks who can't read all the little japanese labels on things that appear in the background. There are also shows which are nothing but vehicles for products.
- scott_karana 9y ago
  Didn't Hasbro and Tomy create Transformers explicitly as a marketing/ sales vehicle?
  - zerocrates 9y ago
    Transformers, G.I. Joe, Strawberry Shortcake, He-Man, My Little Pony... all either toys first or simultaneously created as toys. Usuaslly a good giveaway is when Hasbro or Mattel is mysteriously the creator of the show. Of course this isn't just a Western phenomenon, the video game/anime/movie/card game/merchandise extravaganza that is and always was Pokemon being probably the best single example.
scrollaway 9y ago
Product placement in series and movies really break my heart, because it plain and simply taints the piece forever. When it's released, sure, okay, so you do your product placement and get some extra cash to finance the series. Fine. But now, your series which hopefully is good enough to still be watched 20 years, 30 years from now has characters randomly bringing up how they drive an Audi and did you see that builtin navigation system or some bullshit like that. Some TV series are works of art. Thankfully, those tend to not have product placements because they have a high budget to begin with. But sometimes, PP works itself into "classics" and that's when it's really upsetting.
- chris_va 9y ago
  Heh, it gets better: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/22/new-technology-could-add-product-placement-to-old-tv-programmes https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/22/new-technology... ... for some definition of better.
- otakucode 9y ago
  Nothing disappoints me more than product placement in music videos of all places. I can understand the use of products in rap music, absolute obedience to brands and slavish desire for status symbols is very much a core of what rap is about, but just in general music it is often insulting to both the audience and the performer. I remember when that kid Greyson Chance had a YouTube video that made him famous because he is an amazing singer. He got a record deal and I was curious to see if he'd end up like the next generations Bob Dylan or a crooner or something with the voice he had. But of course, no, they turned him into a knockoff of Justin Bieber and filled his first music video with blatant product placements. I just hope he got enough money so that when he's older he doesn't regret selling his artistic integrity down the toilet before he was even an adult.
  - jfaat 9y ago
    the way you talk about ‘rap’ (by which i assume you mean a superset of hip-hop) makes it sound like you really don’t know anything about it. blind brand obedience is absolutely not ‘a core’ of rap. Some very mainstream music featuring rap verses are that way, but your statement was far too broad.
manmal 9y ago
Just finished Lala Land, didn’t notice any.
svantana 9y ago
...unless you live in basically any western country (except the US) that have high quality Public Service TV, where commercials and product placement is not allowed.

The FX show Baskets has its product placement front and center the entire time. It's hilarious and I don't mind one bit though.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

coding123 9y ago

There are a few shows like Chuck that were basically saved by blatant product placement. It's funny to watch - breaks the illusion for a moment - but knowing the story behind how it basically saved the show makes it worth it for the fans.

nofilter 9y ago
Oh man, Chuck was awesome! I'm adding it to the list of shows to re-watch.

herbst 9y ago

That is simply not true, firstly most cartoons and anime, but also other shows that come with a higher budget seem to be able to avoid product placements.

lloeki 9y ago
Interestingly enough, Fight Club managed to put every product placement right next to sad or violent imagery.
phil248 9y ago
Some animated shows, like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Frisky Dingo, did great jobs of using product placement as a comedic part of the show.
chomp 9y ago
That's because those are the product. Pokemon is the best example of this. I will concede that shows like Game of Thrones are very good at avoiding this, but I'm tempted to propose that shows like that exist to sell HBO subscriptions.
- krallja 9y ago
  They also have a whole lot of merchandise available.
sigstoat 9y ago
> That is simply not true, firstly most cartoons and anime... https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/4257/have-there-been-any-anime-with-actual-product-placement https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/4257/have-there-be... Those are just the most obvious product placements, recognizable to folks who can't read all the little japanese labels on things that appear in the background. There are also shows which are nothing but vehicles for products.
scott_karana 9y ago
Didn't Hasbro and Tomy create Transformers explicitly as a marketing/ sales vehicle?
- zerocrates 9y ago
  Transformers, G.I. Joe, Strawberry Shortcake, He-Man, My Little Pony... all either toys first or simultaneously created as toys. Usuaslly a good giveaway is when Hasbro or Mattel is mysteriously the creator of the show. Of course this isn't just a Western phenomenon, the video game/anime/movie/card game/merchandise extravaganza that is and always was Pokemon being probably the best single example.

scrollaway 9y ago

Product placement in series and movies really break my heart, because it plain and simply taints the piece forever. When it's released, sure, okay, so you do your product placement and get some extra cash to finance the series. Fine. But now, your series which hopefully is good enough to still be watched 20 years, 30 years from now has characters randomly bringing up how they drive an Audi and did you see that builtin navigation system or some bullshit like that. Some TV series are works of art. Thankfully, those tend to not have product placements because they have a high budget to begin with. But sometimes, PP works itself into "classics" and that's when it's really upsetting.

chris_va 9y ago
Heh, it gets better: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/22/new-technology-could-add-product-placement-to-old-tv-programmes https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/22/new-technology... ... for some definition of better.
otakucode 9y ago
Nothing disappoints me more than product placement in music videos of all places. I can understand the use of products in rap music, absolute obedience to brands and slavish desire for status symbols is very much a core of what rap is about, but just in general music it is often insulting to both the audience and the performer. I remember when that kid Greyson Chance had a YouTube video that made him famous because he is an amazing singer. He got a record deal and I was curious to see if he'd end up like the next generations Bob Dylan or a crooner or something with the voice he had. But of course, no, they turned him into a knockoff of Justin Bieber and filled his first music video with blatant product placements. I just hope he got enough money so that when he's older he doesn't regret selling his artistic integrity down the toilet before he was even an adult.
- jfaat 9y ago
  the way you talk about ‘rap’ (by which i assume you mean a superset of hip-hop) makes it sound like you really don’t know anything about it. blind brand obedience is absolutely not ‘a core’ of rap. Some very mainstream music featuring rap verses are that way, but your statement was far too broad.

manmal 9y ago

Just finished Lala Land, didn’t notice any.

svantana 9y ago

...unless you live in basically any western country (except the US) that have high quality Public Service TV, where commercials and product placement is not allowed.