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Moms hold the power when it comes to family purchases. Women are responsible for buying about 80 percent of all household goods and companies vie for their attention because of this power. But, does seeing her favorite television characters using those items cause a lady to loosen the purse strings? The subtle product placement that once seemed to be reserved for cable channels has become Read more
Each morning news anchors on Fox's Las Vegas affiliate sit in front of very visible McDonald's iced coffee cups, part of a product-placement deal. The fast-food chain sponsors the two-hour morning news-and-lifestyle segment, but instead of commercial breaks, the advertisement happens during the news. Since advertisement dollars already influence networks, I think the product-placement deal Read more
The Writers Guild of America is sick of having to write storylines in TV shows solely to feature a product or brand, so much so that the group is bringing the issue to the FCC. The WGA is hoping to make it so that any kind of advertisement is blatantly disclosed, and writers don't have to sneakily work products into a plotline where they maybe don't make sense. geeksugar has questioned the Read more
One of my favorite things about 30 Rock is the sly way the show savages corporate culture — from Jack Donaghy's title (Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming) to the hilarious Greenzo episode that poked fun at NBC's Green is Universal initiative. But I'm conflicted about the show's increasingly blatant product placement. I initially thought the gags were Read more
David Lynch's films may be long and inscrutable (Inland Empire was over three hours long) but his answers to obvious questions are short and sweet. (Well, not so sweet here.) Read more
If you're not too mesmerized by how Britney Spears looks in her new music video, "Hold It Against Me," you'll notice a number of product placements. In efforts to generate revenue, the music industry has seen brands popping up in music videos and even in song lyrics. Do you think Britney went a little too far in this video or do you think it's savvy marketing? Read more
Shawn Johnson never officially retired from gymnastics. Although she toyed with the idea after the 2008 games, she's once again set her sights on the Olympics. But the decision to step back into competition wasn't simple. It took a a self-described "garage sale" wipeout on the ski slopes to end her indecision. Ironically, skiing, the only activity Shawn's long-time coach Liang Chow (they've Read more
Buzz readers were a chatty bunch this week, especially when it came to a new Fall show people are falling for, a music video that's more creepy than Christmas-y, and your picks for the most anticipated movies of December. Check out some of the best comments of the week below. Readers have found lots of reasons to love Once Upon a Time "I love how it spins something familiar into a new story. We Read more
In an effort to boost paper sales, Staples will start selling Dunder Mifflin-branded paper that's priced at $35, which is about $5 more than the regular store-brand paper. The packages will have quirky mottos such as "Our motto is, 'Quabity First'" and "Get Your Scrant on," printed on the packages. The Wall Street Journal highlights this new marketing trend: The Dunder Mifflin deal is an example Read more
We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar! Have a healthy (and cheap) trip to the grocery store By Bari Nan Cohen, Prevention You walk into a grocery store expecting to buy only the items on your list, yet you leave with a cart full of extras you may not really need — and a considerably lighter wallet. An accident — or lapse in judgment? Actually, the Read more
