Product Placement: The Devil's Tool

This week, lecture looked at how there are negatives and positives to product placement in pop culture. We have to be cautious about the message we take away from these advertisements. Product placement can seem harmless at times, and yet at others, it is a very scary technique that producers use to get the consumer to notice or have interest in a product or idea. One particular movie that I always remember when thinking of product placement is the Truman Show, starring Jim Carey. This movie is about Truman (Carey) whose entire life has been video taped without him knowing, making him the star of his own show. Throughout the movie, there are a few scenes in which products are advertised, such as coffee, a kitchen knife, a real estate business and many more. In the clip, the last product placement of the coffee causes Truman to ask his wife with an almost crazy look, who she is talking to as she promotes the product.

This scene just shows how scary product placement can be. At times it might seem harmless and that a company is just trying to get their product’s name out there. But at what cost does this occur? There are so many products that are placed in our visual perspective everyday, with some being viewed consciously and others unconsciously. These examples of product placement are what make us excessively desire things we don’t need. Like Truman, having so many product placement ads placed into our lives causes us to question what is real and unreal. In my opinion, unlike PSAs, which can promote positive announcements, product placement only seems to benefit the elitists and producers of the product and the consumers are only made to think that they are getting something from giving in to the product or idea. Essentially, product placement is a powerful tool used to promote a product that one might really not need, and it only feeds the growing market of American consumerism. 

On a more positive note, here are two other clips of product placement that are just my favourite. Harmless and just funny, but still product placements. Enjoy!

Wayne's World Sponsor Scene

Happy Gilmore Subway Scene