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Fox 24 Product Placement


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Got caught up on the first two episodes of the new 24 - Lot's of Ford product placement. I remember the original 24 - many years ago that Ford used for product placement, and even a special 24 themed F-series commercial skit, until the competition caught on to the popularity and moved in with what I presume - more $$$! By the end of the series run it was an hour long Hyundai commercial between Jack Bauer saving the world.

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Amazing that none of the main characters have to go to the bathroom for 24 hours. They must be wearing Depends.

 

I can't remember it now but there was something Bauer used to repeat all the time but I can't remember what it was. I just remember it being irritating once I noticed it. And it wasn't "dammit"......

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Fox is by far the worst network when it comes to product placement

It's not (just) Fox, it's the production companies. The absolute worst I saw was the Hawaii Five-O reboot; they were completely unashamed about their whoring, even going so far as to clumsily incorporate product placement into the dialogue. It got so bad that they had a food truck owner sitting at a table next to his truck eating from a stack of Subway sandwiches while extolling their virtues. That was when I changed the channel and never went back.

 

It is interesting, though--when Fringe started, they were all driving Ford products, but it was subtle; they were just driving Fords (along with the "vehicles provided by" line in the credits). When they switched to Nissan, they went through a sudden bout of obvious placements, like Olivia driving up in a Leaf in a shot set up so when she parked you got a full-screen Nissan badge, plus a throw-away scene of her plugging in the power feed to the Leaf. That didn't last too long, though.

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Yeah, but then there's all the classic TV shows, with certain brands of cars, that many look at nostalgically.

Most of the old shows that featured driving had an automotive sponsor, and the good guys drove the sponsor's cars, but you never saw Andy Taylor's Galaxie roll up to the camera so you ended up with a full-screen shot of the hood ornament. Heck, Squad 51 in Emergency had the DODGE on the leading edge of its hood painted the same red as the truck.

 

It's not that there weren't product placements, it's just that they weren't so blatant. When you saw Perry Mason drive up in his Continental 'vert, the shot was about him arriving on the scene and the car was incidental, but in the Five-O reboot, the shots were about the Chebbies arriving and the characters were incidental.

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Most of the old shows that featured driving had an automotive sponsor, and the good guys drove the sponsor's cars, but you never saw Andy Taylor's Galaxie roll up to the camera so you ended up with a full-screen shot of the hood ornament. Heck, Squad 51 in Emergency had the DODGE on the leading edge of its hood painted the same red as the truck.

 

It's not that there weren't product placements, it's just that they weren't so blatant. When you saw Perry Mason drive up in his Continental 'vert, the shot was about him arriving on the scene and the car was incidental, but in the Five-O reboot, the shots were about the Chebbies arriving and the characters were incidental.

 

I stopped watching H50 for awhile - the chevy vehicles and general silliness was bad, but when Catherine left that was the last straw. I just started watching again because there was nothing else on Friday night......

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I stopped watching H50 for awhile - the chevy vehicles and general silliness was bad, but when Catherine left that was the last straw. I just started watching again because there was nothing else on Friday night......

Lately I've been watching more video podcasts and Amazon Prime videos than anything. If I use the tuner at all, it's to watch the old stuff on MeTV; I never bother with the ABC/NBC/CBS/Fox network broadcasts (aside from football and baseball).

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I worked in the entertainment business for 15 years including live entertainment (Ice Capades) and many years in various aspects of the motion picture business (Sound Engineer, Business Agent for International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees - Projectionist Local #273) along with many years as a video producer and director. During the years I worked for Showcase Cinemas, I ran two 1,000 seat theatres in a 5-plex with massive screens, Dolby sound systems and 70MM capability. The Showcase Cinemas location was a premiere theatre that ran a lot of "special" screenings that were attended by a lot of directors and production staff that flew out from Hollywood to see the screenings with a live audience. Over time the competition for screen dominance in local markets forced exhibitors to split theatres for more screens in the markets and the business started to change. After I got out of the business it just wasn't the same experience watching movies on the small screens so I stopped going to the movies.

 

Fast forward a number of years, along with the technology changes in video, and there was even less reason or desire to go to a local movie theatre when you could get the same experience in a home theatre. Along the way, with new advances in production technology the focus for both motion picture and television leaned more heavily on action shots, quick edits and special effects. Somewhere over time the storyline became secondary to the glossy visuals.

 

My current position involves advertising production and a lot of television advertising media placement so I have to keep up with what's happening with current viewership, ratings, etc. which I do via various sources. As for my own recreational TV viewing, I much prefer to watch the old TV shows. My favorites are Hunter, Mannix, Vegas, Cannon, Charlie's Angels, Columbo, Hart to Hart, Kojak, Magnum, PI, McCloud, Rockford Files, T.J. Hooker, etc.

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As for my own recreational TV viewing, I much prefer to watch the old TV shows. My favorites are Hunter, Mannix, Vegas, Cannon, Charlie's Angels, Columbo, Hart to Hart, Kojak, Magnum, PI, McCloud, Rockford Files, T.J. Hooker, etc.

A younger guy at work mentioned another guy who called himself Jim "Rockford" Garner. I LOL'd and then had to explain it.

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The term is "product integration"

 

There is Jack Bauer getting into an F150. Pretty typical move.but then there is Jack Bauer dropping the tailgate and using the integrated step.

 

Or a better example is rwo parents sitting on the porch talking about the kids while eating Oreos. They are doing the "twist, lick and dunk" move in a glass of milk (from 7th Heaven TV series).

 

Or the teenagers making their own Kraft Mac&Cheese, showcasing their own way of customizing it (an insight gained from market research)

 

 

Integration into the story is far more valuable, and tracked, by the advertisers and their agencies.

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It's not (just) Fox, it's the production companies. The absolute worst I saw was the Hawaii Five-O reboot; they were completely unashamed about their whoring, even going so far as to clumsily incorporate product placement into the dialogue. It got so bad that they had a food truck owner sitting at a table next to his truck eating from a stack of Subway sandwiches while extolling their virtues. That was when I changed the channel and never went back.

 

I watched the pilot then when they switched to GM products, I didn't watch it (well regularly) again.

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The term is "product integration"

 

There is Jack Bauer getting into an F150. Pretty typical move.but then there is Jack Bauer dropping the tailgate and using the integrated step.

 

 

 

In the original, it was more like: ...there is Jack Bauer pulling a badd-ass weapon from a case behind the seat of a F-150 when chasing down the bad guys...

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"Look at this cute shirt/shoes I got at target". Things like that. They also did a thanksgiving / Black Friday episode where they went shopping at target.

I think Jane the Virgin clever, I like the whole satire of telenovelas thing they do. Never noticed the Target stuff, though yes they did shop at Target. The Honey Bunches of Oats was a huge product placement - but it was funny and I figure CW or the show needs the money.

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I think Jane the Virgin clever, I like the whole satire of telenovelas thing they do. Never noticed the Target stuff, though yes they did shop at Target. The Honey Bunches of Oats was a huge product placement - but it was funny and I figure CW or the show needs the money.

Yes, I think they were being very upfront with the Bunch of Oats one. They sort of mocked product placement in the episode.

 

Can't imagine shows on CW make much money.

Edited by blazerdude20
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