By: Sugako Kawai-Cozart - 02-08-2010 - (1) Comments - Advertsing

Do you like watching commercials during TV shows? I think I enjoy watching commercials just as much as I do new TV programs. However, I know some of you can’t stand commercials and prefer to change the channel back and forth to watch other shows while commercials are running during your favorite program. Some people may not want to see them just because they are not interested in the advertisings. Some people just generally find them annoying. And some may think commercials interfere with the mood of the current show they are watching and thus perceive them as disturbances.

I wonder how the people who think commercials are disturbing perceive product placement in TV programs and movies. Do they prefer it as an alternative way of advertising? Product placement has been quite a popular, and also controversial, topic over the years. But one thing is for sure, people notice and remember them, like Reese’s Pieces in E.T., Coca-Cola products and logos in American Idol, FedEx in Castwaway and everything from Budweiser to Old Spice in Talladega Nights.  TV commercials are more entertaining to me than product placement but, I do enjoy seeing real products in dramas and movies as long as the products are blended into the scene and are used in a natural way. No one wants to see a shameless product plug during a movie. Unless, of course, it’s supposed to be obvious for reasons such as being part of a joke, like Pizza Hut’s pizza in Wayne’s World. 

In my opinion, it looks more natural to have real products appear in dramas and movies than made-up products. We are surrounded by those products in our daily life. It looks more realistic if characters on film are using the same products that we do. It helps you visually relate to the scene or character. Who can’t empathize with E.T.’s love of Reese’s Pieces? We all can, everybody likes Reese’s! (Actually, not me. I hate peanut butter, unfortunately.)

I do not believe that product placement is disturbing or changes the tone if it is applied in the right way. However, sometimes when people see product placement negative feelings tend to arise, like “That product was placed in the scene on purpose, for money!”. Consciously, this alludes to the business side of movie production which then snaps you back into reality. It can take away from a scene, a mood, or complete mental abandonment to a movie’s plot, “Oh yeah, this is just a movie.” You realize that they’re getting paid to feature those products because they know people are watching and relating, not because the characters themselves happen to like Pepsi or Doritos. In reality, I’m sure E.T. would have been just as happy with M&Ms if they were willing to put up the money.

So, is this a big deal to incorporate products into a film for financial gain? What are the producers supposed to do if they need more money? They have to get it somehow! Sports players and athletes wear their sponsors’ products with the big logos plastered all over. They have sponsors and this is why they are called “pro”. Why can’t the movies share in this financial jackpot? You give my product a shout-out, and I give you money. Sounds like a good deal to me.

We all dream to be in a profession of something we are passionate about, in other words, to make money in the field we love. Some people tend to think business and money take passion away from professionals and creators. However, successful businesses always require passion and effort. Some businesses or professions depend on sponsors to achieve their goals. Sponsorship is just one way to make things possible, and this is how I feel about product placement. I don’t overly support the idea of product placement, but I just think it’s a good solution to off-set costs for movie and TV production…for the production companies at least.

Again, the trick of product placement is to do it in a way that is natural and realistic and doesn’t disturb the movie content. It cannot be made obvious that they are intentionally advertising a product. It should be done seamlessly and in a way that the viewer barely notices…but does notice.