What Tina Fey Would Do for a SoyJoy: Product Placement in Movies and TV

Similar to the 72-Hour Party People article and the White Lobster article, I came across What Tina Fey Would Do for a SoyJoy and simply could not stop reading.

I’m not all that familiar with Tina Fey, nor have I ever watched an episode of 30 Rock. But the article was a very interesting insight into how product placement has really integrated into our shows… moreso than I realized.

A lot of the interesting examples listed in the article center around how the joke of overt product placement still, in many cases, winds up being actual product placement. Even though it’s a blatant ad, the viewer thinks of it as a joke… while at the same time, it still serves as product placement.

Of course, open your eyes and the brands are right in front of you. Jack Bauer drives a Ford Expedition. Desperate Housewives‘ Gabrielle sells the Buick LaCrosse. On Weeds, Nancy praises her Prius and sips from an “It’s a Grind” coffee cup. (Everyone on set drank “It’s a Grind,” so they made a deal with the company to provide fresh-brewed coffee.) In a crisis, 24‘s Chloe shouts that their network can’t be under attack, since “the Cisco system is self-defending”; Cisco showcases the clip on its Website.

It’s a really well-written article – give it a glance, and I’ll bet you’ll get sucked into it too. [via]

Related:
Move Over Jobu, Meet… Shabu: 72-Hour Party People
White Lobster: Found Cocaine and the Economy of Bluefields, Nicaragua