The Stackpile

Does anyone watch commercials anymore with tivo and dvr readily available? I know I don’t, even though I do love to see the advertising creativity, there are just not enough hours in the day and we’re all in a rush. So this is the same discussion that we all have been having but now I am giving my opinion on the newfound advent of advertainment on TV specifically. I feel as though advertising on TV shows has taken on a life of its own lately and is ruining the integrity of the shows.

The biggest culprit I think is the new “Cavemen” show which features the characters from the Geico commercial on primetime TV. For a full half hour they are a constant reminder of Geico. Brilliant on their part to make it work, but for us viewers, a little annoying. However, the one that takes the cake for a branding show in my opinion is “The Apprentice”. After the first season, the show has been dedicated to promoting brands like Levi’s and Mattel and tons more, As the show continues, companies line up to be featured on the Trump show (not to mention all the advertising Trump does for his own brand through the “Apprentice”). Its as if watching an hour long commercial.

At the more subtle level are the products that appear for a few screen shots or a jingle. “The Office” is a prime example of this with singing the “Chili’s” and “Kit Kat” jingles. They also helped increase sales of “The Desk Apprentice” which was created for Staples by an “Apprentice” team and featured on “The Office”.  It was odd listening to the dialogue trying to get in the product features, but Staples is sold out so I guess it worked.

Then you have the free plugs because the products are now part of the English language like “Ipod” or “Macs” for any music or computer item. My favorite is “just Google it”. Talk about free advertising!

I know this is nothing new but have just realized how much more apparent TV shows are being now about featuring random products. Personally, I think that it is getting a little ridiculous and storylines are being driven by them and don’t make sense so there should be some control. Or maybe I just need to stop myself from thinking about these things and just enjoy mindless television!

Posted by Nirali on November 16th, 2007
Filed under Advertising | No Comments »