The deal with a work of fiction is that I am completely willing -- indeed even eager -- to suspend my disbelief as long as its creators follow the internal logic of the artifice they've devised and tell me an interesting story. Amongst other things, this involves them leaving naked displays of commerce out of the plotline. In return for this, I pay some level of attention to the messages of the people who sponsor the show during the commercial interruptions.
I am actually entertained if someone tries to sell me an idea or a belief if it's done with enough wit, but trying to sell me a car or a movie or anything else that someone has paid you to promote is too much.
I say all this sure in the knowledge that Hollywood will not listen, since there is money to be made and that is the number one principle out there.
In a recent issue, Entertainment Weekly magazine published a list of the Deals That Will Change Everything (Maybe). The first one they mentioned was an agreement between Volkswagen and NBC-Universal, in which the German car maker would pay the American television maker US$200 million to slide its products into more of its TV shows.
This deal and others will undoubtedly cause the number of "product cameos" to rise significantly, and the magazine says there were already100,000 and more of those appearances in prime time in the 2004-2005 TV season.
If this keeps up, my friend and anyone else who takes offense at paid appearances by VWs or Toyotas or any other product or service is probably not going to have anything to watch.
Between the irritation of the people who will continue to watch the show but be irritated at having to watch such spots and the number of people who will boycott such moments, how do the car companies and other firms think they'll benefit?
I am actually entertained if someone tries to sell me an idea or a belief if it's done with enough wit, but trying to sell me a car or a movie or anything else that someone has paid you to promote is too much.
I say all this sure in the knowledge that Hollywood will not listen, since there is money to be made and that is the number one principle out there.
In a recent issue, Entertainment Weekly magazine published a list of the Deals That Will Change Everything (Maybe). The first one they mentioned was an agreement between Volkswagen and NBC-Universal, in which the German car maker would pay the American television maker US$200 million to slide its products into more of its TV shows.
This deal and others will undoubtedly cause the number of "product cameos" to rise significantly, and the magazine says there were already100,000 and more of those appearances in prime time in the 2004-2005 TV season.
If this keeps up, my friend and anyone else who takes offense at paid appearances by VWs or Toyotas or any other product or service is probably not going to have anything to watch.
Between the irritation of the people who will continue to watch the show but be irritated at having to watch such spots and the number of people who will boycott such moments, how do the car companies and other firms think they'll benefit?