Product Placement so OBVIOUS in music videos
July 7, 2010
We were just talking about how advertisers hit you any which way, now, it’s popping up everywhere in music videos. Check out this article in the Media section of The New York Times called “Product Placement Grows in Music Videos” (duh).
Is entertainment media becoming too over saturated with product placement and advertisements? Or does it add authenticity to medium?
Discuss. (Read the article first, it helps).
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31 Comments
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Anyone remember the Josie and the Pussycats movie? You know, when the “evil” record company would pitch products to its listeners over the actual music? Well, the same idea is being portrayed in music videos. I do agree with the article and its view of a way to generate easy revenue. These says, magazine and television ideas are dying, the pitches they make in commercials are dull and boring- except the Super Bowl ones. I don’t see any reason to fuss over marketing in music videos, but only if it is done in a low-key way. We associate numerous artists with certain products, and seeing them in their videos help fuel a consumers desire to buy them.
I have realized lately that many music videos and movies are becoming filled with advertisements. (For example transformers was filmed like a car commercial at certain parts). I feel like sometimes it is no longer about the art but rather the sponsors and the money. I believe artists should start focusing more on their fan base and who they are rather than companies like coca-cola and Proactive.
I feel like constant product placement in a music video takes away from what the artist is trying to do, provide their music. The media finds any possible way to put their product out there and it gets a little excessive at times. I think it’s fine if advertisers want to get a famous musician to endorse their product, but maybe not in the actual music video.
This product placement crap is out of control. This just proves that Americans have no shame and can sell out easily for a price. It is not about the music anymore it is about advertising. What happened to the days when companies we just happy to be mentioned in a song? Now they pay millions for a popular artist to sing about their product and the artist does not care because that is more money in their pocket. Now comes the other part teens and young adults hear the song and say,”wow, this is my song.” Now they want to be assoicated with everything that is in this song, so they will go out and buy and rebuy products so that they can be identified with and own this song. These are also the same people that act and claim that they are unique and orginial. As an example let us use my favorite product alcohol. Rappers and certain artists promote Jack Daniels, Hennessy, Courvoisier, Patron, and Vodkas like Ciroc and Smirnoff in their songs like they are the best liquors ever. People hear them used in a song and think wow, so and so who is famous drinks this stuff so it is the best and I want to buy it and I want everyone to think I am the best so I will only drink these brands. This is when I get pissed and just want to scream, you are an idiot. These artists obviously do not know crap about alcohol and you do not either. If you knew about the way it is made, the taste it is suppose to have, the age at which it is the best, the alcohol content by volume, and how fast it can fuck you up, then you would not drink have of that crap. So to me companies need to keep greedy hands out of orginial art and just feel lucky to be mentioned in a song. And to the sell out artist go out and try other alcohol before singing about it cause you really have no idea what your talking or singing about and it makes you that much more stupid to people how are in the know.
I agree that product placement in movies, and music videos is blatantly obvious, but it’s an easier, cheaper way to advertise than paying for commercial time, filming the commercial, and paying the professional actors and film crew. More and more music videos are containing this type of advertisement, and I say it is a smart move on the company’s part. They are getting cheaper advertising, and while it may not always be appealing to the viewer, people will watch it. Music videos aren’t like TV shows where commercials come on and you can change the channel while the commercials are on, and then when your show comes back on, flip it back. Music videos are uninterrupted by commercials except for the 15 second clip at the beginning. Although I dislike obvious product placement in music videos, I give props to whoever thought of this type of advertising.
Although advertisements and product placement have become more regular when we relate them to media, I do not think it has come to the point of “over saturation.” Really, the companies of the products being advertised are being smart, and realistic. Music artists have fans and when there is a popular song out, companies know there will be people viewing the music videos. This is the time when brands need to be advertised. It has not progressed to the point of over advertising yet. In fact, I think it’s at just the right amount. Advertisement is made in the middle of the music video, but in subtle and small ways. Not enough to actually take away from the video or the song. There are no pauses, like in television. They are just meshed in as part of the video, where people will see them, but not be too distracted by them. It’s a smart way to get people to see your product and advertise for your company, and I do not think that it has gone overboard, yet.
It may seem now that product placement is going “out of control,” but its been going on for years! Product placement is a very good form of advertising and I don’t see why people get upset when companies put their products in the background of our movies. Would you rather have commercial breaks when we go to the movies? That would infuriate the public.
We use most of the products that we see spotlighted in the media and I think it helps to add realism to what we are watching. I use a MacBook Pro, just like the contestants use on the reality show “The Apprentice” to complete their weekly tasks, along with Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex in the City” to complete her column every episode.
I do admit, lately it has become even more noticeable, like in Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” music video, but we still all watched it and the video, as usual, created huge buzz. Her message and music was still put out and I don’t see how products in the video take away from the experience. Product Placement is smart and seamless rather than getting interrupted by a commercial break every few minutes. Many people even forget what they are watching during a commercial break because it’s such a distraction.
So product placement is obvious in music videos? BIG WOOP. Two birds, one stone. An advertisement is being made via product placement in these music videos… and it works! I personally prefer the blatant use of product placement rather than the subtle. Why? .More attention is being drawn to the product and thus the product is being advertised to a larger audience. It’s smart advertising.
Some may say that these advertisements stray away from what the music videos are trying to portray (whatever that is), but regardless as to whether the watcher wants to see these products or not, it’s going to happen. Face it: your media, your life, your world – it is all controlled by money, so if an advertisement is going to be made, you might as well go big or go home.
You know how , let’s say, it’s time to buy a new car and you find one you absolutely love? “It’s the perfect car, daddy!” Now every time you run to the store you seem to see about 50 of them pass you. It’s because you’re thinking about that car more and every time you see one, it stands out more. Instead of just being another “car,” it’s now something that is totally irresistible, or whatever that person feels it is. Same with product placement. Until it was brought up in class the other week, I really didn’t notice it. I just thought it was part of the background. But now that people are bringing it up and pointing it out, my mind is beginning to notice it more. Now, I’m already looking for products placed perfectly in the background or where ever they show up instead of just ignoring them.
I personally don’t think it should be this big of a problem. If it doesn’t get pointed out, I don’t think many people would even catch the drift. But once the media begins to warp peoples’ minds into automatically registering product placement, it might begin to be a bit of an annoyance.
Product placement and advertisement is a great way for entertainment media to generate revenue. When entertainment media companies sign with a brand they are gaining money and partnership for their business. In fact, both parties are gaining. If entertainment media didn’t use product placement and advertising, the masses would still see Coca Cola commercials on TV and ads in the grocery store. Product placement and advertising is literally everywhere. The entertainment media simply got smart and started utlizing what has been around for years.
Product placement and advertisement adds authenticity to the medium. Lets be honest, no one is fooled by the pear on the laptops that Nickelodean uses. Audiences will no longer feel duped and Nickelodean may gain a positive partnership with Apple.
I don’t think audiences are truly being manipulated by product placement and advertisement in entertainment media. We already see products and advertisements on billboards and on commericals and we hear about them on the radio. It just might be time for the entertainment media to start profiting again, after all, a large enough portion of the population steals music instead of buying it.
Why is it bad for there to be an abundance of product placement? Business is business and advertisers need you to see the product. With the debate of newspapers dying and the ever evolving technological world, advertisers are facing a challenging time and are trying to keep their heads above water. How do you reach your target audience when they are ALL OVER the HUMONGOUS web? If music videos are where they can find them, it is where they are going to go.
The sad news for advertisers, though, is much of their money is probably being wasted. Before reading the article I knew Lady Gaga was a product placement queen, but in quizzing myself, I realized I could not specifically name what those products were, and trust me I have seen her videos a billion times; I go gaga for Gaga. The only product placements that came to my mind were Snapple in “30 Rock” and the Apple computer in “Sex and the City”. So, as much advertising as there is in videos, are they really doing a good job of informing or influencing people to buy their product? In a way it is almost better to advertise against yourself. What I mean by this is: anyone who has seen iCarly has noticed the pear logo on the computer and know it is supposed to be a Mac. This brings more attention to the product being impersonated than the actual product probably would. But in “anti-advertising” you would have to secure that your product had a strong enough brand personality to be identified with the impersonator. Authenticity makes people over-look the product placement.
Entertainment media is fine where it is on product placement. I’d much rather that than commercials.
I would like to say first that I think that the change to more product placement in entertainment media is a good thing. Whether its movies, music videos, or Tv shows, I feel that everything is more realistic if the products are actually real. For example, I just watched the newest episode of Entourage. In the episode there was very noticeable product placement. Most apparent to me was the new Porsche that they were seen driving in. I know if I were to have the money for that car, I would say ,”wow they look cool driving around in that. I want one.” The use of product placement in entertainment is a very easy way to make a product look attractive. Also, if the products are not real, the movie, or whatever it may be, seems phony. From the additional revenue that the companies make, I feel that we also see an improvement in the quality of entertainment. Although I don’t know if this is the case, my hope is that the additional revenue would possibly go towards the movie or music video budget. Product placement is a great new way to advertise and makes entertainment media much more realistic and enjoyable.
It is all about the MONEY! In the world we live in today, everyone is money crazy. Music is a form of art and expression though words and emotions and now a days I feel as though it is used solely to make a profit. It is obvious that most music today is not as well written as it used to be when our parents were growing up. The fact that musicians sing songs for pure profit due to product placement is appalling. It is like there is little effort in today’s society to make a truly beautiful piece of art. I feel as though it is just an easy money maker for those artists that use product placement. Product placement is spiraling out of control and is bringing the music industry along with it. It is advertising gone sour in this scenario.
Everywhere you look it seems some kind of product is being thrown in your face by advertising. The TV screen is one of the most common places for this now. When it comes to the music video business I really dont see a problem with it ( I cant believe they still make music videos). Advertisers pay big money for entertainers to show there product in what could be the new hit music video out there. A video can be paid for by the advertising fee’s alone.
Also, having brand names gives the videos more of a realistic feel. Its allows the viewer to feel conected to the artist by having something in common. For example, the view might use the product they see in the video and have a positive feed back from it.
Product placement in music videos is a great way for a company to show off their products, while adding authenticity to the video. I rarely notice when a music video uses product placement and when I do, I am usually impressed with the product. As we talked about in class, music can help shape the way we live our lives, so using the products that our favorite artists uses does not see m like a bad thing. There are plenty more annoying advertisements out there. For example, I cannot stand watching a thirty second advertisement before I can watch a video on YouTube.
When it is controlled and does not “oversaturate” a video, I believe product placement is not a problem and is a huge benefit to companies. However, recently we have seen a trend to increased product placement in music videos. Too much of this placement, I feel, takes away from the artist’s main message. All videos have some theme or story that the artist is going through during the song. However, with so much product placement, it seems as if all the advertisements dictate how the artist can act and what they must portray in the video. For this reason, the artist is losing their freedom and creativity in the video, and are too heavily influenced by the money they make for the product placement. Music videos and other videos where advertising is heavy are all losing their originality, and are conforming to this new trend.
Product placement in videos doesn’t over saturate a video with advertisements. As long as it is not overdone and shows items that would be necessary in order for the video to make sense to begin with, would I be in favor of advertisements in videos. It beats having to wait 30 seconds or so watching a commercial before the video on you tube for instance. By having in-video advertisements, it adds to its authenticity as long as it not overdone. I’d much rather see for instance a laptop showing an apple logo rather than looking at a laptop that shows a pear. Though not advertising, something like this looks rather silly and I’d rather just see the obvious product that was intended.
Product Placement in music videos give it a more authentic feel. Its more obvious for me when they use a certain product but change the logo, especially when they use a pear instead of an apple for a mac laptop. Who cares what products they use its mostly about money anyways.As long as the product has a purpose and is not just randomly put in a video it shouldn’t matter. Having certain products in videos just shows you what companies are working together, and allows then to have another outlet for advertising.
I believe the product placement has been showing up everywhere. Everything is about money these days and now that they found a new way to get money they have been using it way too much. Any way our world can get money they use it, and now we are making it way to obvious to the point where it is just annoying to see it so much. They either need to find another way to make money or hide it somewhat so it doesn’t seem like all they want is money.
I feel that Product Placement has gotten out of control. It seems that this advertising strategy has become a common everyday occurence. You never hear a song or music video without some time of advertisment in it. This frequent occurence is becomng overdone and advertisers should think of a new way to advertise there product rather than product placement.
In the movie industry, I feel that product placement adds to the authenticity of the medium. When I watch a film I want to be bombarded with the norms. For example, when someone in a movie runs to a gas station I don’t want it be “Kwik E Mart”, I want it to be Chevron or whatever. Realistic movies attract me. Or at least movies that I can say, “eh, I could see that happening in real life every now and then.” Unless I’m watching Harry Potter or something, I’m normally interested in factual or believable films where product placement adds to them. And hey, it also gets the movie producers money and the companies themselves advertisement. Win Win? I think so.
In reference to the Lady Gaga music video, I think she has gone a little overboard. Music videos have always carried a “mystique” with them; an almost fictional, puffed up version of what the song is trying to communicate. The music videos “Thriller” by Michael Jackson and “Forever” by Chris Brown come to mind. Obviously very dreamy videos not intending to be authentic in association with realism. So in my opinion, product placement is rarely needed in those mediums. Its just too much to handle.
As some others have stated, I don’t have a big problem with product placement. I don’t blame the people that produce music videos for using product placement because it is an easy way to get more money. After all, that is the driving force for most businesses these days. Plus, as Caleb stated, I would rather them just do it this way than the annoying advertisements youtube has started using. However, that is assuming it isn’t overwhelming and detract from the video. In the Lady Gaga, while it was noticeable, it doesn’t ruin the video or make it overwhelming. Plus, I would rather them use normal, authentic products than having them use fake products, when it is obvious what they’re imitating.
While I agree with everyone that has posted above me that product placement in music videos isn’t a big deal, what has gotten out of control is the materialistic nature of the music industry. Even if companies aren’t paying to have their products in music videos, a lot of artists voluntarily promote their favorite products. An example that comes to mind right away is Nelly’s single “Air Force Ones.” Here is a link to the video:
The entire song is Nelly and the other artists in the video talking about how much they love Air Force Ones, the iconic Nike shoe. Nike did not pay them to write this song; they did it completely on their own accord. Therefore, product placement is simply a byproduct of what the music industry has become: in the words of Madonna, a “material world.”
I think product placement essentially does add authenticity to medium and helps out tremendously for both sides who are putting it out there. If a company is willing to pay to have their products shown in a music video or even a movie..let them do it. Is it really that harmful to see somebody drinking a coke in a music video? Its better than seeing made up products that seem so ridiculous and pointless..just use the real thing. If people find it overwhelming, either get over it because its happening a lot more now or don’t watch it. I’d like to see them have a product and not have it put in a music video or any other media outlet if given the chance. Its all about selling the product you have.
Product placement is obviously out of hand and taking away from the artist’s purpose in his music video. Many hip hop artist like Kanye West and T.I. are very common users of advertisements in their videos. Kanye West is sponsored by Louis Vuitton so obviously he’s going to rap about it and wear it in a video but when it all comes down to it all its all about the money in the music industry. T.I. on the other is always in a Chevy in his videos. He has a contract with Chevy so he has to try to sell the product the best way he can and advertising it through his platinum selling music is probably the best way he do it. It doesn’t take away from the authenticity just shows the business sides of these artists.
The increasingly popular trend of product placement was brought to my attention with in the last year when I was watching a movie with my brother. In this particular scene, a teenage girl was going through her closet, tossing a box that said “UGG”, a Coach purse, several board games as well as her iPod speaker box until she could access what she wanted from her closet. I’m surprised that the Times hasn’t caught on to this trend until now. Perhaps my idea of product placement is skewed, but when rappers use high dollar cars in their music videos (Bentley, Rolls Royce etc.), I consider that to be product placement. Perhaps those items are considered as “status symbols” and do not fall under the “product placement” category. Product placement has now taken over film, television and music videos. I’m waiting for professional athletes to partake in the blatant advertising during their sporting events. I don’t think we’re too far away from it.
As long as no-name musicians arent using product placement as a way to boost their play time, then I believe product placement in music videos is not such a bad thing. Many artists these days are inclined to promote products on their own without any payment from the companies. Rap videos often feature different brand names all over the video, whether it be clothing, alcohol, or business establishments. I believe that until every music video is featuring multiple ads, occasional product placement in videos will be acceptable.
I am kind of on the fence about this issue. I can see ways in which product placement is negative and positive. First of all, you cannot blame the artist for allowing plugs to be included in their video, considering it helps financially to pay for the video, so why not? With artists continually losing money through illegal free downloading of music, generating revenue helps. However, the negative side to this is the authenticity of the video. Music videos merge visuals and sound together, which is an art. So, going out of the way to include product placement takes away from the art of the music video. On the other hand, Lady Gaga’s music videos are well-known for their extravagance and how creatively artistic they are. Therefore, one cannot really criticize product placement in her videos, because regardless, she still provides her fans with successful music videos that quickly catch attention. She is a prime example on how product placement doesn’t exactly take away from the artist providing their fan base with satisfying videos. I, myself, have watched Lady Gaga videos, and have not taken notice to the product placement. However, im sure now, I will become more away of obvious plugs in videos. Maybe then my view will change on this issue.
I feel that product placement is being overused, by hitting potential costumers in places such as music videos now. Not enough that we see it in movies, tv shows and the commercials that we see within these, now they are in music videos. The reason they use about product placement is to pay off the cost of the video shoot, but it is just overdoing by putting in products such as miracle whip in a Lady Gaga music video. This obviously is going to a certain demographic that won’t seem to care about a food product such as that one. In our modern society, money controls everything, so when artists see a way to make easy money, they don’t look at ethics or the way a product is portrayed.
I fully agree with Tiffany Sanders’ statement that the general placement of a product in a music video takes away from the appreciation of an artist. When they make this decision to rather sell a product instead of showcasing their talents it turns the audience off completely. One example that I have from a recent program that I was watching was the Hooters International Swimsuit competition where the president of Hooters gave an interview while holding a perfectly shown bottle of Bud Light Lime in his hand. I immediately lost interest in whatever he was saying and laughed at how pathetic companies have come when trying to garner attention to the sponsors that support them.
I read the article, then watched the video. WHOA. I’m okay with product placement in music videos, but that’s just a little bit ridiculous. I understand that companies are trying to use every possible opportunity to get the name of their product out there, but by overloading me with all of those brands, I almost want to refrain from buying any of those product ever again! It’s a music video, not an advertising video. Seems like the only thing in mind are the products, not the music. It’s like taking 12 products and making a music video around them, not putting in products where it seems fit in the video. I realize that her videos are supposed to be “artistic” but that’s not art, that’s advertising.