Close Encounters of the Product Kind

Earlier this evening, we were playing catchup on some of our favorite shows that had piled up in the DVR.

While enjoying this week’s installment of Damages, there was a scene when one of the peripheral characters was purchasing a Cadillac SUV. While at the dealership, he and the salesman exchange a few lines, which amounted to little more than a quick run-through of the major selling features.

Ultimately, the character makes the purchase, after which the camera zooms in on the emblem on the front grill. And this is the point where I sit straight up on the sofa and proclaim…

“Product placement!”

My husband rolls his eyes. I normally drive him nuts with my obsession for pointing out characters in shows, and telling him what else they had been in.

Now I have a new trivia (read: annoying) obsession.

Instead of rattling off character references (which I suppose I am still doing, just to a lesser degree), I am pointing out every shameless product placement that advertisers are cramming into my favorite shows. And, for the record, there are lots of them.

This goes way beyond zooming in on every cell phone that rings in prime time. We’re talking about laptops and desktops, automobiles, shoes, and even “It’s the Big Apple” t-shirts on a murder victim on CSI:NY.

I suspect it won’t be long until we solve the dilemma of Jack Bauer — when he is out saving the day (again), which does he prefer — boxers or briefs? And, will Michael Jordan be there to hawk the answer?

So, What Does it All Mean?

We’re all saturated with ad messages. For those of us who are fast-forwarding through the commercials, advertisers were missing out on grabbing our attention. So, they found another way in.

Guess what? It works.

As a small business owner, this should grab YOUR attention.

Do you have a product that is well suited for a product placement? If so, you may want to consider investigating which shows have set dressers or prop assistants that are looking for new items to use.

If you decide to pursue this, do me one favor. Drop me a quick note with a head’s up, so I can keep an eye out for you.