I may change my prediction of product placement.

Maybe we’ll be subscribing to the different advertiser pay channels and we’ll get 20 minutes an hour of some form of bonus programming!

Except me…

Anyway, they ARE definitely keeping track of your buying habits, it makes it so they don’t buy too much of unpopular products and too little of popular products. They can also adjust their price points based on what sells and what doesn’t. It is what drives our economy, it is to optimize their profits.

Some people see this as helping the “rich get richer” but that’s exactly how it works, people who can efficiently make use of the resources available to them will be successful, while those who don’t, won’t. Might not seem like it benefits consumers, but in the long run, it maintains competition and innovation, without it, there will be no motivation for people to improve or come up with new things. We would be stuck in the 1800s in terms of technology, lol.

Either that or we need a perpetual cold war to keep innovations coming, hahaha.

Product placement in TV and movies is as old as the Silent era, when everybody wanted the Clara Bow marcel wave, kiss curl, and Max Factor lipstick!

I think that advertisers have merely changed tactics, ‘Wayne’s World’ parodied product placement in TV years ago, and even on Radio, before the flickering image of film first appeared in black and white, on movie or TV screens, Radio ’soap operas’ promoted, you guessed it, ’soap’!

The ‘Euphemism’/metaphor of ’soap opera’ is still with us today, and is applied to dramas on TV that rely heavilly on Advertisers for their existence.

The internet is not immune. Look at this webpage! It is surrounded by advertising, both subliminal and overt.

All we can do as consumers against this constant barrage is remain ever vigilant. Until an advertiser manages to insert a microchip into every newborn, (don’t laugh, how many ‘rewards cards’ have you signed up for? Even your SUPERMARKET is tracking your buying habits on behalf of advertisers!) We can still exercise some personal autonomy.

Big Brother has been watching you for a VERY long time!

Hey man, everyone has bills to pay, if the movie theaters want to make more money by showing ads before the previews start, I don’t care. I show up early to get good seats, but spend the time talking to friends, I don’t even notice the ads, and when I do, it might actually be for something good, like a nice mom&pop restaurant that put up the $$ to advertise there, and hey, why not, it’s not like I pay more for the food because I saw them on an advertisement…

Commercials on tv are more annoying since it breaks up the show, but the ones in theaters are not so bad, once the movie starts you don’t have to worry about it.

I guess it’s either this or we live in a Soc###### government and we see propaganda instead of commercials… And if you haven’t experienced it yet, give it a few years, we’re getting there, lol.

I guess it’s either this or we live in a socialist government… And if you haven’t experienced it yet, give it a few years, we’re getting there, lol.

Keep in mind, if it didn’t work, it wouldn’t be there… and you’re surrounded by those it works on … they’re everywhere…

In traffic with you, in the stores buying things they were told to buy… shudder!

I got into it with a co-worker… if it weren’t for the advertisers paying the bills to have networks and cable channels make shows, what the heck would we have left?

24/7 of PBS concerts and membership drives? I don’t know… it’s a weird balance we live with, but advertisers are everywhere. Every street, every building, every bit of public transit… when you think you’re safe, they think they’ve got you!

OK, it’s late… I call it an evening.

I watch tv shows and movies on dvds now.
I no longer subject myself to the all incompassing advertisment sucubus that is broadcast commerical tv.

[...] do become part of the script: I had predicted in an earlier Screen Rant article that we would see product placement become integrated into television programs. (Be warned: It’s a novel of an article) My off the handle example was: Clark Kent busts a [...]

I’m not fond of paying to see something and getting spammed with ads at the same time. I’ve paid my dues with $$.

But now when you go to a movie, advertisers are probably pitching top dollar to get their product in front of movies like Batman and Cloverfield and Iron Man, just to name a few.

It’s a nutty, advertising world. I just hope when aliens finally do land, they’re not here thinking Coke is the leader of the world or something!!

Yeah, well remember back in the day when all they had prior to movie trailers at the theater was a blank screen? You’d think the masses would have risen up when they started showing commercials before a movie starts after dropping $7-9 on a movie ticket – but no… the sheeple did nothing.

There won’t be any outrage or backlash once it begins on TV, either.

Vic

What’s the lesser evil: The public flailing or the monies generated.

And don’t worry Maverick… Buying the DVD is part of the income stream so you made some bean counter a happy report.

Vic

Things do indeed need to change with the advent and increasing popularity of DVRs. Advertisers will find ever more creative ways to intrude on our TV watching/Movie going experience.

You’d think paying $80/month for cable and $9 to go see a movie would be plenty to finance what we watch on the small and big screen.

Vic