Should viewers be told about product integration in shows?
Interesting piece over at Nikki Finke’s site. While everyone is concentrating on a possible actors strike (the deadline is Monday for SAG to make an agreement), there’s another little controversy going on. The Writers Guild of America West has asked the FCC to look into the ever-increasing habit of product integration in network shows. Not only does the WGA want to see the use of products on television eased up, which the FCC is already looking into, they also want to go one step further and make viewers fully aware that they are seeing an ad.
And how would the networks do that?
The WGA wants “real-time” disclosure, which basically means they want to see a crawl at the bottom of the screen when product placement is happening in a scene, similar to crawls for sports scores, weather, other news, and ads for other shows. They want to see this during the show because they don’t feel a disclosure at the start or end of a show would be as noticeable or as effective.
Part of me fully understands why viewers should know it’s a paid ad they’re seeing (though I would hope viewers would know that already), however, a crawl in the middle of a TV show seems like a weird idea.
What do you think of this idea? Do you already assume that it’s an ad when you see someone talking about Snapple or a cool car on a TV show? What should the networks do to tell viewers, if anything?
Movie Reviews: Get Smart vs. The Love Guru
This was supposed to be a big weekend for comedy, with both Mike Myers and Steve Carell cranking it up to 11 for your pleasurewith a little Timberlake thrown in. But we’ve seen the results, and your choice is between bad and really bad. Or The Incredible Hulk.
Get Smart: A mediocre spoof, with two bickering spies (Carell vs. Anne Hathaway) trying to thwart a plan to nuke L.A. But the gags fall flat, and those two have no chemistry, maknig this another big summer movie that should have heeded its title’s advice. Grade: C
The Love Guru: Myers does the same character he always does, just with a new accent. So you’re in for frozen grins, urination scenes, midget jokes, blatant product placement and that annoying “promised myself I wouldn’t cry!” thing he does. Grade: D
Jimmy Kimmel is bringing back live commercial spots
Remember that song, “Everything Old Is New Again”? Well, it’s true. In the old days of broadcasting, it was typical for the host of a show to appear during the hour or half-hour doing a live commercial endorsing the sponsor of the program. That old idea is being re-invented and ABC will soon announce that Jimmy Kimmel will be doing live spots on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Call it the ultimate in product integration, if you will, but it’s just one more way for advertisers to guard against DVR watchers zapping through the commercials or live viewers clicking to another channel. And if they’re smart, they’ll make the commercials clever enough to be worth watching. The live ads will launch in May.
The live ads were fairly commonplace on TV up until the 1970s. I recently watched an old episode of The Garry Moore Show — 1962 — which included live ads where Garry lit up a cigarette and espoused the merits of smoking that brand. Johnny Carson used to do them, and they are still popular on radio. For many advertisers, having the host read the copy for a commercial — basically endorsing the product — is a valuable plus. On New York’s WFAN radio, for example, on the Mike and the Mad Dog Show, you can hear the hosts Mike Francesca and Chris Russo doing spots. And advertisers pay more than they would for a taped spot.
However, there are few examples of live spots of late. A year ago, Garmin showed off their car navigation system in a live commercial on The Tonight Show. It was the first such ad in 14 years. And the research showed that people were “engaged” (that’s industry talk for making their point) by the commercial.
The bottom line is that product placement, integration and sponsorship is creeping into every aspect of television viewing. Perhaps we should be glad that the Jimmy Kimmel Live set doesn’t have a Campbell Soup sign over his head, or product logos plastered on his suit, a la NASCAR drivers. I’m willing to see what Kimmel does with the live spots. If he can come up with “I’m fu*king Ben Affleck,” I put nothing past him (and his writers).
Smallville: Hero
(S07E13) With regard to Smallville, and at the risk of sounding slightly racist, the token African-American from the first few seasons is back (which is more P.C. to write than “the token black is back”). Since then, he’s become a meteor freak and a walking commercial for Stride gum at the same time.
Let’s hear it for the token band One Republic. They must have gotten a good minute of air time. I bet money they’re a Warner Brothers label (part of the same empire as the CW and Smallville).
Kara’s amnesia remains a plotline that will undoubtedly resolve itself right in the nick of time before the season’s end. At least having amnesia gives her an excuse of having poor musical taste.
This episode was very retro to the first season. We had the return of Pete Ross and the return of a Kryptonite monster of the week. In this case, they happened to be the same person.
In more ways than one, the Kryptonite gave Pete a swelled head. In effect, between the stretching and the promotion, Pete turned into a stick of gum. Stride Gum must be so proud. Also, could Chloe’s line about the flavor lasting so long have been more of a product placement? I think not.
Why didn’t Pete notice that his gum was glowing green? For that matter, why didn’t Clark feel the Kryptonite every time Pete had a stick of gum in his mouth? It was also pretty obvious that Pete’s powers would quit once he stopped chewing, something Lex used to his advantage later in the episode.
The series continues to wink at the comic book incarnation of Superman. In the comics, it was Jimmy Olsen who became Elastic Lad. In the case of Smallville, it was Pete Ross. At least Jimmy took the photo.
I did like Pete’s take on the paranoia of knowing Clark’s secret. In virtually every incarnation of Superman, SOMEONE has been tortured to learn his secret identity. In this case, a little paranoia never hurt.
As a corporate lackey by day myself, I’m well-aware that company e-mails are company property and Lex was well within his rights to take the image from Chloe’s e-mail. Chloe was just being whiny. I guess the show had to make up for the lack of Lana.
I am glad that Pete got to say a goodbye this time. If I recall, they let the actor go between seasons and he never really got a “farewell” episode.
On a final note, if Kara had asked me to stay at my place, I would have smiled and shut the door too. Lex is a lucky bastard. I’m sure Kara will know what she’s gotten herself into soon enough.