This is an exact excerpt from the article by Kedon Willis:
Ad execs are the new producers
Product placement is the big thing in TV advertising, and reality shows are the main vehicle. Leading the way is 'American Idol', whose sponsors spend millions to sew their products into the show -- which is why, for instance, the Coca-Cola brand on the cups at the judges' table faces the camera. "Reality TV is rife with it," says Mark Andrejevic, author of 'Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched.' It's "selling you something without trying, and it works." Advertisers spent $1.5 billion on product placement in 2006, according to PQ Media, a 58% increase from 2005. And double-digit growth is projected over the next five years.
Some advertisers even want to design whole shows around their products. Last fall, for example, MTV premiered 'The Gamekillers,' whose concept was developed by Bartle Bogle Hagarty, the agency that pushes Axe deodorant for Unilever PLC. The basis of the show was to see if male contestants could "keep their cool" under pressure -- while wearing Axe. Don't be surprised if you start seeing more of these ad-minded concepts, says Andrejevic. "This may be the direction marketing starts going."
If it weren't such a suck-ass idea, I probably wouldn't mind.
Regardless, Beware media manipulation... it's more insidious than we know.
And just to clarify, Blog4Reel will never participate in shady practices like what's going on now.. editing disparate clips together to make it seem like something it's not, a technique commonly used in reality tv called "Franken-biting". Nor will we mis-represent ourselves. The scripts we will be writing will be BASED on winning blogs. Obviously just like any movie based on a true story, some things will be changed to protect identities and create the flow of the story. However, I can't promise I won't allow select product placements for personal favorites like Abba Zaba and Sweetleaf Tea. You'll thank me, later! :)
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