As the advertising industry in television reacts to our increased use of downloading tools and a reticence to submit to ad-breaks on network television, skipping over them with Tivo-like video recording devices, the use of product placement in popular shows has exploded. Reality style shows are labelled as employing the guerilla style of promotion more than other forms of show, but the whole sphere of television is at risk, not just American Idol and the Amazing Race… Writers are up in arms because they have to do extra dog-work to incorporate shoddy ads for products into their storylines, regulators are alarmed because of the blurring between content and advertising, while viewers are peeved because they have to submit to tedious and (normally) very obvious advertising in the middle of shows.
BBC: Union Call Over Product Placement US writers and actors are calling for a code of conduct to govern product placement in TV shows and films.
BBC: Could You Feel Sorry For an Ad Man? As Hollywood writers and actors call for a crackdown on “stealth advertising” in shows, the practice could soon be taking off in Britain. But with traditional ad revenues in decline, what is the poor advertising executive to do?
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