Product Placement: Is It Ethical

Slide 1: Product Placement an ethical question Katy Zebrowski Jeff MacDonald

Slide 2: The Ethical Question Is it ethical to allow product placement in feature films and television?

Slide 3: To Define Product Placement Placement of branded goods or services inside content usually devoid of advertisements A promotional tactic Brand awareness

Slide 4: Coke paid $26 Million for American Idol Panel to Display Coke Cups

Slide 5: It’s Significance In the US and most of the world there are no regulations the UK bans product placement in television Is there a boundary that should remain between content and advertisements?

Slide 6: Sides of the Issue - Pros Pays for content eliminates need for commercials introduces new products in an entertaining way Reintroduces older products, i.e. Mr. Potato Head

Slide 7: Sides of the Issue - Cons Invades the content space Removes creativity, and adds more editorial review Sheds a false light on products, i.e. “Our product can do this, watch it happen”

Slide 8: History & Development Old New I Love Lucy Sanka Coffee Star Bucks Product Placement Bumper You’ve Got Mail

Slide 9: I Love Lucy

Slide 10: Rocky and Bullwinkle

Slide 11: The Beginnings Window Shopping Mentions of products in early radio/ sponsorship Early 1950’s - First noted in a movie, Gordon's Gin in “The African Queen”

Slide 12: Evolution Television begins to incorporate ads into there content First with sponsorships, like the “Texaco Star Theater”, and then starts posing as content Market sees the bigger picture in 1982’s “ET” Reese’s Pieces sales increase by 80%

Slide 13: Wayne's World

Slide 14: Today Product Placement is a major industry with it’s own trade publications and organizations PVR’s, or “Tivo”, have required the industry to change the way they advertise What was old is new, shows like 24 have full sponsorships from companies so they don’t have to break for ads

Slide 15: 24 sponsored by Ford

Slide 16: Related Issues Industry Events/ Celebrity Events Economics Effectiveness Forms of modern Product Placement Product Placement vs. Product Integration The Future

Slide 17: Industry Events/ Celebrity Events

Slide 18: Economics of PPL Market soared to 3.6 Billion in 2004 From 1999 t0 2004 PPL grew in TV/Film at an annual rate of 16.4% As viewers choose to skip past commercials and get their content online, advertisers will be forced to invest in PPL, In the next 5 years PPL will grow exponentially

Slide 19: Effectiveness Industry believes that product placement IS effective 61% of film fans said that they noticed brands advertised 30% of viewers say they were persuaded to at least try a product after having seen it in a movie Growing to 40% in the age bracket 15-25

Slide 20: Forms of Product Placement Product Placement VS. Product Integration

Slide 21: The Future Interactive advertisements tailored to the viewing audience, including all your senses Products replaced digitally in films and TV The ability to buy what the stars use The end of the 30 second spot, and the birth of the product laden program

Slide 22: The Future...

Slide 23: Products Used in 1:00 of The Office All Products that could be sold interactively The Microwave The Cereal on Top of the Fridge Varsity Blues DVD Entourage on HBO Anything the Cast is Wearing

Slide 24: Class Discussion Do you think that product placement can go to far? How does product placement make you feel about your favorite programs? Is it ethical? Unethical? Why? Why not?

Slide 25: Aristotle Avoiding the absolutes or extremes, and finding a middle ground for which to find your answer It IS ethical if the products being placed are appropriate in the context of the program It is NOT ethical if the product is being forced upon the viewer without regard for context

Slide 26: Deontological Taking one value as your universal rule and not deviating from that position, which in turn chooses your decision The Number One Value is Honesty It IS ethical because the products are real, and the programs take place in “reality” It is NOT ethical because it sheds a false light on products

Slide 27: Teleological Believing that we should work for the greatest good for the greatest amount of people That amount of people being YOU! It IS ethical because the viewers benefit from the products they learn about, and the content that gets paid for It is NOT ethical because no one ever asked you for your permission

Slide 28: Choice - Logical Positivism That our observation of of the world around us is indispensable to our knowledge, and that we are also more than just these observations It IS ethical because advertisers are teaching us things all the time, even when we were children It is NOT ethical because we may learn incorrect information that skews our ideas

Slide 29: Team Decision Teleological theory says that it is ethical because the masses benefit from entertaining content and learn about new products

Slide 30: Summary and Conclusion We believe that product placement can be a negative force and can go to far, but in the majority of cases it benefits everyone Content gets paid for, Viewers get info We would much rather have products in our content then break away from that content for 30 second spots

Slide 31: Thank You! Candle