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TV Product Placement

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12449502

The rules about product placement on UK television are changing, with commercial channels now allowed to feature placed products in programmes in exchange for sponsorship. Companies selling gambling services, baby food, alcohol and high salt/fat foods won't be allowed to place their products in programmes, and they won't be allowed to place any products in current affairs, news or religious programmes or programmes targeted at children.

What do people think about it all?

Personally I don't really care about it. I don't think it is much different to advertising breaks on commercial television and I don't think it will really make much difference to the quality of programmes. If they want to have Lewis using an iPhone or the characters in Corrie using Nescafe and Kelloggs, what difference does it really make? It already happens in US programmes and in most films and generally it's just embarassing, as James Bond always seems to prove.

I don't like adverts very much at all (especially adverts by the BBC for the BBC...) but it always seemed a false distinction between having Corrie being sponsored by Cadbury's and not allowing the Kabin to be seen to sell Dairy Milk.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I assumed it was around already - neighbours and apple products being the over whelming one that springs to mind.

    For some reason had always thought that it was just the bbc that didn't do it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Neighbours is a foreign import and the product placement isn't edited out.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I see.

    So on those grounds, I don't see the problem with anyone else doing it either. Other than possibly the bbc.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Personally, I'd always prefer to pay for TV than have it paid by any sort of advertising whatsoever. Particularly when it's as obvious as it is in James Bond, for example. The infamous watch scene on the train in Casino Royale is just terrible. The only way they could've made it more obvious would be to change the name of the film to Casio Royale.

    However, I also don't like it when they refuse to say any brand, even when it would obviously be natural within the plot. The drinks orders in soap pubs are just terrible. I don't have a problem with it as a response to falling advertising revenues, although personally, I always choose a subscription over advertising.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Anyone seen Repo Man?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The idea is that most people won't conciously notice it. All the advertisers will be allowed to do is pay to have their products used on the telly, so when someone drinks a coffee, you MIGHT see a nescafe jar in the background.

    The items aren't allowed to be mentioned, or even singled out for any sort of attention.
    As long as they keep to the rules, I don't see a problem with it. Otherwise you get stupid situations where they either make products up or the pixellate the logos, like the cans of coke on american idol that are blatantly cans of coke........
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whowhere wrote: »
    The idea is that most people won't conciously notice it.

    I wouldn't count on it. I bet there'll be at least some programmes where you'll end up with,

    "Do you want a Nescafe?"
    "Is it Fair Trade?"
    "Yeah."
    "Okay then."

    "Mmm, that's good coffee."

    And the one to really look out for will be drinks manufacturers trying to get their latest slang term or mixer suggestion into the public consciousness. Wait for 3 people all to walk into a bar, all order the same spirit, but all with a different mixer, just to highlight the diversity of it.

    Nah, American shows don't seem too bad actually, so maybe it will be more subtle.

    Films seem much worse, actually. I watched Yes Man tonight, and the Red Bull promotion was ridiculous (who has a night out and drinks exclusively Red Bull). I also noticed that they deliberately panned past a computer monitor to reveal a huge Dell logo on the back.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If it's just applied in the same sense that you would in real life - like using Nescafe to make coffee - then I don't have a problem. So long as I don't feel like I'm watching an hour long advert.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hollyoaks - sponsored by Durex :d
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I just won't watch as much TV, as little as I watch now. As long as most good shows are kept reasonable, and not IN YOUR FACE all the time. I find it annoying when it's done in music videos, so TV would take the biscuit. As Scary said it's done loads already, same in movies, Apple products being the big one. It's the future, sad but true. YouTuber's are getting in on free products for placements, even if they say "Oh I'm doing it because I like the product" - that may be so, but you still took it for free provided you do a video. Twitter too.

    Also what is the deal with PlentyOfFish being in literally every music video lately?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm With Stupid :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm not happy with today's announcement from Ofcom that the length of adverts is going to increase. Thank the lord for Sky plus...>!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whowhere wrote: »
    I'm not happy with today's announcement from Ofcom that the length of adverts is going to increase. Thank the lord for Sky plus...>!

    Equally not happy with this! :eek2: Did they say something like 12mins of adverts in an hour long programme? That's what the BBC was talking about this morning anyway. I despise advert breaks, and I despise the uniformity of advert breaks due to the uniformity of programme start and finish times. Nothing more frustrating than flicking through 20 channels to find adverts on each and every one!

    One of the joys of watching Sky Movies or watching football is the extended period without an interruption. I think that the standard of most of today's adverts is pretty dire anyway, there is no fun anymore, just pure annoyance. Adverts in the 80's were so much better IMHO.
  • plugitinplugitin Posts: 2,197 Boards Champion
    In Germany it's at least 15 mins per hour, but only one ad break. This is not the way for TV to go.
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