Product Placement
Just this morning American Public Media's Marketplace had a report on product placement in TV programs. I've written about it, too. If you think back to the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), you'll recall that this isn't a new idea. The M&M/Mars was out bid by Hershey so their colorful, kid-friendly confection M&Ms weren't in the movie despite prominent placement in the novel. That's how the critter's favorite candy turned out to be Reeses's Pieces.
Movies have always had some sort of deal like that. But TV's legacy is in sponsorship deals. With the increasing use of digital video recorders more people have the ability to skip traditional adverts and advert execs are looking to the motion picture model.
So in comes product placement. Companies pay TV show producers to write scripts that sometimes not-so-subtly feature their product. 
In a post from February of this year I noted that in an episode of CBS's Joan of Arcadia iPods and some brand of snack chip stood out nicely. On tonight's episode of Medium (NBC) they, too, did a nice job of sneaking in a product placement for the up-coming movie Memiors of a Geisha and then had an advert for the movie first in line during the very next break. And the show's Web site is running a contest to go see the movie's premiere.
I guess that's how money is going to be made from now on. Especially now that TV shows are being sold by the episode on iTunes and through other sources. And unless it becomes extraordinarily annoying (or extraordinarily poorly done) I won't mind. It adds a hint of reality to the programs. After all, when my coworkers and I chat during down time we don't avoid brand names. And who turns product packaging around so the labels don't show when they put things away at home?
