Filed under: Products and services, Coca-Cola (KO), Marketing and advertising
In the first six months of this year, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) was mentioned on network TV 3,054 times in product placements, according to Nielsen data cited by the New York Times.
Consider it: each time Paula Abdul gulps down a Coke — at least that’s what it says on the can — on American Idol, that’s put on the tab of the Atlanta-based company. Neither is it coincidental when a brand is mentioned on shows like Large Love, American Father or Scrubs.
Welcome to the post-commercial world. The theory is that the 30-second spot is so 2001 and that people — particularly the young ones advertisers want to attract — are savvy enough to avoid most advertising. That’s why product placements are soaring.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, for one, is concerned that the public may not always be aware that someone is trying to sell them something. That concern is justified when it comes to kids who are bombarded with show after show that are just excuses to sell them crap.
Unfortunately, though, the era of product placements has only begun.
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