Anyone annoyed with product placements in films? (1 Viewer)

[Stefan A]

Product placement in movies don't bother me at all. What does bother me are the advertisements in theaters right before the trailers. I am not talking about the slide show before the actual movie time. I am talking about the adds directly on film.

The thing is, that wouldn't be so bad if adverstising and charity work wasn't so blantently in your face. In the past few years I have seem so many more people standing at traffic lights begging for you to give to their charity. I was even asked at a Chili's one night by the waitress to give to a charity.

I know this is a bit off topic, but the whole thing is starting to really get to me.

 

[JimC_A]

What about Castaway? Would that be considered shameless advertising?

 

[Dan Hitchman]

Castaway became a real stinker in my book because of the oh so obvious FedEX and Wilson sporting goods advertisments.
I have never seen ads so big in a movie than like the one where Tom Hanks walks out of a jet for his home coming celebration and it has a larger than life FEDEX logo plastered on the jet that stays prominantly in the background in the shots of Tom Hanks for a long time-- so long that you just have to wonder if it wasn't intentional, and Hanks naming his Wilson vollyball "Wilson."
They're basically screaming "ad placement" thoughout the entire film and it drew me completely out of the story.
I do not like overly obvious advertising in movies at all. If a product happens to be out of focus way in the background or is not a significant and blatent part of the shot, I have no problem with it.
Dan

 

[JimC_A]

From what I have read, Tom Hanks had the idea a few years ago with FedEx in mind. I'm wondering if this type of script development constitutes blatant placement. I'm sure that the jets are painted that way in real life and they were very lucky that his idea was for a FedEx guy and not a Wendy's grill person.

 

[Stacey]

I agree with Cast Away being a big offender of blatent product placement, especilly as he's heading home in the FedEx jet and every item in the jet has it's logo turned oh-so-obviously towards the camera.

I don't mind product placement per say, and agree in our daily lives we see lots of product signs every where we go but there not always readable and turned exactly so everyone can see them clearly all the time.

 

[Zach K]

The 2001 product placement metioned is an interesting story. Kubrick wanted to make the film as true to what technology was predicted to be in 2001. He requested all types of technical documents and research from companies like IBM. Now this stuff was pretty secure information, and a deal was made for product placements in exhange for it.

 

[Zack Scott]

The only time that product placement really irked me wsz when MAcy Gray was in Spiderman. yuck!!!! Just a way to sell records.

 

[Zach K]

The 2001 product placement metioned is an interesting story. Kubrick wanted to make the film as true to what technology was predicted to be in 2001. He requested all types of technical documents and research from companies like IBM. Now this stuff was pretty secure information, and a deal was made for product placements in exhange for it.

 

[Calvin Cullen]

(It would have been cool if she were crushed by the falling debris.)

The product placement in Spider-Man was very blatant. The movie seemed like one long commercial for Dr. Pepper, Cingular and Oscorp.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

And hey, don't forget Miracle on 34th Street! They used Macy's for goodness sake!