Eureka...You REEK-ah!

[TanisFrey]

Back to the Future was the first time product placement was paid for. By pespi among others despite the TAB joke.

 

[DonTadow]

I'm an MBA (among other things), so I realize that most commercial broadcast TV survives on the strength of advertising dollars, and that the advent of things like DVRs means its harder and harder to get the viewing public to see your commercials.

The little crawls and icons that appear at the bottom of shows you're watching seemed to me to be an acceptable solution, even if some do go a bit far- too much animation at the bottom of the screen is distracting.

Product placement is another time-honored trick, and I can get behind that as well. It was even used well in mockery in the brilliant but short lived Arrested Development.

But when you have a TV show that is actively using not just product placement but some of the actual product slogans as part of a show's dialog? AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!

The latest season of Eureka used Degree deodorant product placement and marketing lingo in its show several times. There is a lab where they're using the stuff for research, and the extras have "Degree" jumpers on.

This, I find sickening.

Has anyone else seen anything like this elsewhere?

So in a bit of irony, I was reading this thread the other day thinking that I have never seen it done like Eureka either... right up until last night when I was watching my name is earl.

The female lead in the tv show sees a commercial advertising a science contest with the prize being some jewelry from Kay's jewler. The add starts Jane seymour. Well low and behold during the next break there's a real commercial with jane seymour pitching the same diamonds. Maybe this kind of thing is catching on. Sell out your weekly script for the product of the week.