Originally published June 16 2005
Latest movies and TV shows are a popular venue for high-tech product placements
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Although product placement in movies and television is nothing new, using it for the latest high-tech electronic gadgets is, and as a recent article on Wired News states, it is quickly increasing in popularity.
Movies like Sony Pictures' Hitch, starring Will Smith, gave prominent placement to several Sony products, as well as the popular BlackBerry e-mail device.
The first season of 24, in fact, made novel use of competing computer platforms to denote the goodies and the villains.
RSA Security has woven its SecurID security-authentication system into several movie and TV plots, starting with the 2001 Ryan Philippe film Antitrust.
"The trend in the last five years is to integrate brands in a more organic way," said Mark Owens, managing director of Ketchum Entertainment Marketing, a branch of the Ketchum PR agency specializing in branded entertainment.
Soon, product placement could merge with e-commerce itself.
New object-tracking technology allows viewers to click an item in the shot of a TV show -- say, the cool cell phone at the lead character's ear -- and find more information about the product or even buy it with the remote control.
"The key is making it something the consumer really wants," said Scott Newnam, CEO of GoldPocket Interactive, which has been pitching its object-tracking technology to cable operators, who are keen to put their digital set-top boxes to interactive uses.
"It's about not making it intrusive," he said.
"So far, the focus groups are terrific."
Newnam predicts that object tracking will be widely available to TV viewers by the end of 2006.
The technology sector, whose products are often more difficult to explain in 30 seconds, may be especially suited to product placements that are integrated into story lines.
After all, a lead character using a tech product can be an onscreen demo for an attentive audience.
"There's a big difference between having something on the table and having somebody talk about it in the scene," said Rizzuto.
"You're almost getting an endorsement from that character."
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