Product Placement

The Power of Integrating Advertainment with Product Placement

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on August 28, 2006 - 7:30am.

Product placement is hot in Hollywood and television right now. Fueled largely by advertiser's fear of consumers fast forwarding through their ads, product placement deals are popping up everywhere. Related to this trend is the rise of "Advertainment," in which advertisers focus on creating entertaining branded content. This is not about simply placing your brand in the context of preexisting programming. Advertainment is about creating entertaining content and weaving a brand message into it. One pioneer in this space was BMW, who released a DVD of BMW Films several years ago. Since then, many others have tried this idea in different ways - including American Express with the Directors Series ads and Ford with their branded ads during American Idol featuring contestants performing songs while riding around in Ford cars. The power of this type of advertainment represents a trend in the television advertising: creating advertising that is so entertaining, people want to watch.

Nintendo DS to Play Featured Role in Upcoming Film, "Stormbreaker"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 28, 2006 - 7:53pm.

Redmond, Wash. - Nintendo of America announced on Wednesday that its Nintendo DS handheld will be featured in the upcoming film adaptation of author Anthony Horowitz's "Alex Rider" teen spy series, which have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

StarStyle TV Product Placement Site Signs Universal Music Group

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 20, 2006 - 11:50am.

New York - StarStyle, a site that lets users identify and purchase the clothing, furnishings, gadgets and music from their favorite TV shows, on Tuesday announced the launch of a music section, featuring videos from Universal Music Group.

Product Placement E-commerce Firm Delivery Agent Raises $11 Million

Authored by dmw on May 17, 2006 - 4:39pm.

San Francisco - Delivery Agent, a provider of e-commerce services for products seen on TV shows and in movies, sports and music videos, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $11 million in its second round of venture capital financing. Bessemer Venture Partners led the investment round; previous investors Worldview Technology Partners and Cardinal Venture Capital also participated. The funds will be used to expand San Francisco-based Delivery Agent's technology, which facilitates the sale of products seen within entertainment content via wireless, Internet TV and interactive television platforms. The company's customers include NBC Universal, ABC Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Sony Pictures, The Weinstein Company and several NBA franchises.

ThoughtWorthy Media Launches Product Placement Search Tool

Authored by dmw on April 18, 2006 - 6:54pm.

Fairfax, Va. - Interactive TV developer ThoughtWorthy Media on Tuesday launched a new online search engine for products, music and commercials that appear on TV. The company said that visitors to its site can identify the music, clothes and accessories that either appeared in or were inspired by TV episodes, music videos, movies or commercials. They can then write reviews praising those product placements that worked and criticizing those that didn't, and then buy the products from one of the company's retail partners.

EU Proposal Would Allow Product Placement in TV Shows

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 14, 2005 - 10:39am.

Strasbourg, France - The European Commission has proposed new rules to govern the distribution of "moving images" in the European Union, which for the first time may allow the practice -- common in America -- of including product placement in TV shows, Reuters reported. The use of product placement is growing in the U.S., alongside the growing popularity of digital video recorders that let viewers skip past TV commercials. But the practice has been banned in many EU nations, where current rules also limit the amount of TV advertising to 12 minutes per hour. The new rules would also bring video delivered over the Internet under the auspices of the Commission. "It would be a distortion of competition if we were to just regulate one and not all," EU Information Commissioner Viviane Reding told reporters. The new "television without frontiers" proposals still must gain approval of the European Parliament and EU member states.

tags: Product Placement | TV Shows | EU | Proposal |