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Move over, comics icon Charlie Brown. Comic genius Stephen Colbert is readying his first-ever holiday special, “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!,” with an exclusive online sponsor you wouldn’t find under Snoopy’s tree — Southern Comfort.Read the rest of this entry »
A can of coke on a kitchen counter? An AT&T logo on a truck going by on a city street? More digital product placement messages and content is on the way for several cable networks. Comcast Networks has made a deal with London-based digital product placement company MirriAd for Comcast’s cable networks: E!, Style, Versus, Golf Channel and G4. The media tech company will insert digital product placement images into existing video content as if they were included in the original shows.
Ben Silverman sat down with Charlie Rose last night and discussed everything from his network’s slate, the rise of DVR (he does a shout out for nbc.com, among other shows), and brand integration. Specifically, he notes how companies take a role in the storyline of the show pertaining to their product and an overall brand identity. Rose also questions Silverman on Hulu, YouTube, mobile video, and the “digital explosion.” As Silverman notes, “Digital delivery has altered how entertainment is produced and delivered.” The exec also goes on about the drawbacks of advertising on YouTube, and how it’ll evolve.
JJ Abrams’ long-awaited “Star Trek” reboot now has an official trailer, and it looks very, well, “Star Wars”-esque if you ask me. The movie looks like an origin story with cool effects and stellar storytelling. It’ll be interesting to see if it’s heavy on product placement. One thing’s for sure: it’ll be heavy on tie-ins and promotions.
The Daily Show last night featured several key product placements - notably YouTube which the host named and (showed a clip of) relating to President-Elect Barack Obama’s radio address which aired on that Internet video site. Further on in the show, Stewart showed a clip of President Bush namedropping “iPod.” Perhaps the biggest placement though was promoting David Frost’s DVD of his entire Richard Nixon tapes. The journalist was a guest on the show. The film of the infamous interview surprisingly wasn’t mentioned once.
The third installment of ESPN.com’s Mayne Street rolls on today with Chris McKendry and Neil Everett appearing for a game of poker with fellow ESPN personality Kenny Mayne. The episode is preceded by Mayne introudcing the series with Nyquil’s logo on the bottom right corner. The intro is followed by a Vicks commercial. The series is ESPN’s first foray into a Web branded series. It can be seen today on the site’s main page.
The Dunkin Donut cup in Hancock. The Rubik’s Cube in WALL-E. The Nokia phone in The Dark Knight. TiVo in Tropic Thunder. Sports Illustrated in Semi-Pro. The aforementioned are just a few standout product placements in film for 2008. As the film years to an end, we want to hear from you on what product placements stood out in films that you’ve seen in the past 10-plus months. Base your answers on which product you felt seamlessly fit in with a scene. Too often, we see placements just thrown in for no reason (ie. see Righteous Kill’s use of Heinz). Comment below and tell us what you think stood out…
Lipstick Jungle has apparently received an eleventh-hour reprieve. After reports appeared that the show, starring Brooke Shields, had been moved to Friday nights and that it had been canceled, the show dramatically showed a 50-percent increase in viewers after delayed viewing from DVRs was taken into account. NBC Entertainment Co-chairman Ben Silverman said Monday that it would remain on the NBC schedule.
Verizon will demonstrate aspects of its wireless service in Walt Disney Parks as part of a multi-year deal to create interactive experiences for visitors and direct them to various attractions. The first blush of the Verizon touch will be Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase in Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. The interactive experience will guide visitors through the park with clues from a Verizon “Kimmunicator” on a virtual quest to save the world from a gang of comic villains. It’s slated to debut during the first quarter of next year. Read the rest of this entry »
The highly-praised new Fox Searchlight film Slumdog Millionaire centers on a young man from Mumbai competing on the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The film is deep and a lot more complex than that but the film’s integration of the game show is seamless. It never feels like a promotion for the show because the story is so well written. Solid product placement nonetheless.
