What did you think of the product placement?

squonk

I've been trying to get back into House this season but it hasn't been really firing me up so far. I'm not sure there's a way back after the Ford Explorer promo in the last episode however.

The scene in question was when Park & Adams were heading out to the POTW's house to do a search. Adam's new car is shown speeding around a bend and she starts to talk about the Curve Control and how it makes the car more stable in curves or some such.

I was beginning to think anyway that everybody was in this season for the money really but this took the biscuit. It was a total sell out. I know they have done passive product placement all along e.g. the Apple computers they all use but they've never broken away from the script to do an advert for something.

I've seen this done before on White Collar where Ford also do product placements and they have broken away from the script at times to highlight features of the car they're driving. The thing is though that White Collar is a high quality show all the way along, plus it's on the USA network which is smaller than Fox. I mean, there should be no reason for Fox to have to do that. Also, White Collar doesn't take itself all that seriously and there's room for that casualness there. House is a completely different tone of series. I thought it was very poor. Its jumped House down to almost the bottom of my watch list at this stage.

Recon

I don't really mind the small bits of product placement in shows, such as the Apple computers in House you mentioned, or something like a can of coke on a table. I think it can had a touch of the show being in the real world, if you know what I mean.

But that what you mentioned in your post about how good the car handles while cornering or something like that is taking the piss. Similar to some of the product placement that was put in parts of The Truman Show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Inscky6EyQ8

squonk

Yeah, I think it's a thing that advertisers resort to in the States now if the show goes along with it. It was done a little bit in Hawaii Five-O ( the new version ) in season 1 where they mentioned features of the Windows phones they were using. I can actually excuse that. H50 doesn't take itself very seriously, and they've also done piss takes for fun as well, like when another guy from Heroes showed up on an episode and the forensics guy (also in heroes) goes 'Hey, don't I know you from somewhere.... I'm sure I do' and that went on for about 30 seconds so, hey, I can forgive them doing a bit of advertising, though they aren't at it this year. As previously, White Collar has done it, but that was a summer show on a smaller network so they're entitiled. yes, it was a total piss take.

The Black Oil

I'd prefer if they covered the Apple logo, even though it wouldn't really make much difference and you'd know what the product is...not going to happen now. I don't remember the car stuff mentioned in the posts above...oh, here it is. Bit much.

squonk

Some shows do cover up the Apple logo. I think the US version of Last Man Standing does. From the cover ups you know they're using Dells or you can see the machines are blatantly Apple devices but it's not advertised as such.

The Black Oil

This week's episode had some sort of giant touchscreen thing in Foreman's office, but I didn't spot a logo. The MRI/scanning equipment in some scenes seems to be GE or Siemens, but it's not shown overtly and you can't really get those off the shelf, so that's fair enough.

squonk

That screen was nice! I bet though that those in the medical profession can probably tell the product. I've noticed the Siemens MRI's myself. It's not overtly done and they have to be made by someone and there aren't a lot of companies making them so it's OK.

Shows have to have cars/computers/food/equipment which is fine and if logos are shown, that's OK. What always bugs me though is the instances where they break away and say something like 'Hey, have you tried that turkey roll on Subways's new Fit Fresh menu? No, is it good? Hell yeah, can't get anough of that good stuff.'. I'm looking at you Chuck and the Nerd Herders.

The Black Oil

They have computers in the little compartment in the MRI room, not sure what they are, possibly more Apple stuff.

Gibbs in NCIS is rather fond of his coffee and the cups do have a green and black logo, but I'm fairly sure it's not Starbucks.

I didn't mind the episode...House trying to undermine Foreman is a little old now, though.