BuzzSugar

Mom's Purchasing Power: Companies Vie For Her Attention

LilSugar — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:00:50 PDT

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 incredibly obvious on major television networks.

An entire Modern Family show centered around Phil getting an iPad. On a recent episode of Brothers and Sisters, Trader Joe's cereal and lasagna noodles were front and center in two scenes. And on this week's The Good Wife, the Buick logo was zoomed in on. Corporate giants P&G and Walmart have partnered to make family friendly movies that air on NBC, which enables them to incorporate their goods in the films. The first Friday night flick aired in April and got good ratings. Do you notice product placement and are you influenced by it?

Morning News Anchors Drink McDonald's Coffee (For Cash)

LibertySugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:15:00 PDT

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 raises some old conflict of interest concerns. The producers say they would pull the cups if they had to report a negative story about McDonald's, just as they would pull a regular commercial. Still, the covertness of the promotion could deceive some viewers not aware that McDonald's paid for the cups' placement.

To find out how political parties are incorporating product placement, and how the industry sees it,

read more. Product integration happens a ton in scripted television, so much so that the Writers Guild of America wants it blatantly disclosed. The WGA says: "the hope is that consumers, not expecting to find a commercial within their program, will fail to realize they are actually being advertised to. This practice exploits the emotional connection viewers have with shows." Perhaps this expectation of neutrality increases significantly when dealing with news, as opposed to entertainment. Going the overt-sponsorship road, the Democrats will be handing out AT&T logo-plastered bags at the Democratic National Convention. It's almost impossible not to see a conflict of interest here (telecom cough cough immunity) but, the Democrats assure that sponsorship does not equal access to politicians. How should news stations and political parties reconcile high costs with integrity?

Do You Think Product Integration Should Stop Trying to Be So Sneaky?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:30:16 PDT

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 product integration on Gossip Girl, noting that the show is clearly required to use Verizon products, but the gadgets used by the characters don't make sense for their characters.

WGA West president Patric Verrone explains that with product integration, "the hope is that consumers, not expecting to find a commercial within their program, will fail to realize they are actually being advertised to. This practice exploits the emotional connection viewers have with shows and their characters in order to sell a product." He goes on to claim that audiences are alienated by these sneaky tactics, though "an industry source" counters that "product placement has not been an issue for viewers."

What do you think? Should shows stop trying to work in products, sometimes at the expense of consistency within the story? Or does it not bother you?

Photo courtesy of the CW

30 Rock's Product Placement: Brilliant or Annoying?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:43:17 PST

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 hilarious - remember the scene in the "Jack-Tor" episode where the writers complained about having to do product placement, all the while plugging Snapple? - but recently, they've been grating on me.

Unsurprisingly, NBC is getting paid for those placements, even when 30 Rock makes them into over-the-top jokes. The show has had 142 product placements this season - which, interestingly, isn't nearly as many as The Office, which has had 381 product placements so far. But I don't notice the advertising as much on The Office, probably because the show doesn't intentionally draw attention to the products it's plugging as much as 30 Rock does (the episode where Dwight quits to work at Staples notwithstanding).

With more and more people skipping commercials these days, product placement is probably here to stay. But would you rather have it done in a subtle way or in a direct and over-the-top style like 30 Rock's? As annoying as it can be, I do respect the way 30 Rock makes it obvious that we're being advertised to, and it fits the tone of the show - up to a point, anyway. Where would you draw the line? To watch a clip of the most obvious recent placement, just

David Lynch On Product Placement In Films

GiggleSugar — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 04:00:00 PDT

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.)

Smart or Sellout: 4 Product Placements in Britney's Music Video

Emily Co — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:56:59 PST

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?

Buzz Blabber: Once Upon a Time Casts a Spell on TV Viewers

Shannon Vestal — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:30:00 PST

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 all know the fairy tales and characters, but they are in this situation where they don't remember who they are, and that makes the show and the characters fresh for me. It's like we know them, but we really don't! And Prince Charming and the Sheriff are pretty easy on the eyes." - dreamalittledream
"I like the mix of reality vs. fairy tale. It's the draw of the 'how would the characters fare in our time' that gets me." - HoneyBrown1976
"My 9-year-old daughter and I watch it together on Sunday nights. It is our new favorite thing to do! The acting is fantastic, the plot is interesting and we've been hooked since the beginning. In my opinion, there is nothing else like it on TV these days and we just can't get enough! Love, love, love this show!" - nicole121482

Read some more opinions from Buzz readers after the jump.

Brilliant or Baffling: Dunder-Mifflin Paper

Emily Co — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:01:38 PST

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 of "reverse product placement." For decades, marketers have worked to embed their brands in the plots of TV shows and movies as a way to stand out in a crowded ad market. Nowadays, they are seeing value in bringing to life fictional brands that are already part of pop culture. That can be far cheaper than building brands from scratch.

I think what drives customers to buy isn't gimmicks but cost. At least, I know that's the case with my purchasing patterns. What do you think - is selling Dunder Mifflin paper a good idea?

5 Sneaky Supermarket Tricks That Make You Eat More

Prevention — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:21:07 PST

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 store setup is likely to blame. "You want to get in and out quickly, but the folks in charge want you to linger as long as possible, spend as much as possible, and ideally spend it on the highest-profit items," explains Ali Benjamin, co-author of The Cleaner Plate Club: Raising Healthy Eaters, One Meal at a Time (Storey Publishing, 2011). How, exactly, do they make you stick around and load up on items you never meant to buy? Here are eight ways to guarantee a healthier (and cheaper) grocery shopping experience every time.

Bring A C-Note - And Leave Your Credit Cards Behind
Cash is king when it comes to avoiding impulse buys. "I know that I spend way less when I use cash rather than credit," says Benjamin. And the research proves her right - Lindstrom advises shoppers to use a 100-dollar note for grocery purchases. "We find it emotionally harder to break a larger bill, so we spend less," says Lindstrom. "We don't have an emotional connection with numbers on a credit card statement."

20 Ways to Feed Your Family on $100 a Week

Watch Out For "Health-Washing"
You may not read labels with as critical an eye in a store like Whole Foods as in, say, Super Target says Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg, president of Monetized Intellect Consulting, Inc, in Brooklyn, NY. "The atmosphere in Whole Foods Market makes you feel like everything in the store must be healthy," he notes. "In Target you'll look at the calorie count on the same package of granola you buy without thinking in a 'healthy' grocery store."

Learn three more sneaky tricks when you read more.

Jack and Jill: A Comedy That Heads Downhill

Rose Curiel — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:05:06 PST

We all have that obnoxious relative we dread having to spend time with over the holidays. For ad executive Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) in Jack and Jill, that relative is twin sister Jill (again, Adam Sandler), who visits her brother every Thanksgiving. Jill looks forward to spending time with Jack and his wife Erin (played by Katie Holmes in a sweet but bland role), as well as their two children every year. But Jill is harder to get along with, as she is loud (and she travels with an even louder pet cockatiel), incredibly needy, and she takes the time to point out others' flaws. It's no wonder Jack hates spending time with her, but it begs the question: If he doesn't want to, why should we? The answer, of course, is we shouldn't.

The fact that the film's humor rests on the novelty of seeing Sandler dressed as a woman should serve as a clue to the type of lazy humor you are going to get with this movie. Throwing a wig on Sandler and hearing him speak in a high-pitched voice isn't that funny, and neither are a lot of the jokes. To find out why else I found watching Sandler in drag to be a total drag, just keep reading