Advertising is a fact of the media life we live in. Its everywhere, from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep the majority of us are barraged by advertisers trying to push their products on us.
In recent years, with the increase of the Internets and decrease of effectiveness of traditional advertising the big players are continually trying to move the visibility of their products into more places in our lives. The most visible is a simple Google search for any possibly branded product, but it goes much further than that.
Recently, (and partially against my will I might add) I watched “The Holiday” with Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and oddly enough Jack Black. Whoever thought he’d make a good semi-leading man/love interest is strangely disconnected with the world at large - especially considering the other film he’s in thats also out at the moment is about him finding the Pick of Destiny which is in fact the Devils Tooth. Hmm… Regardless of odd casting choices the case in point remains.
Product placement.
Its been done before, is being done now and will continue to be done for the foreseeable future, and this film broke new ground here. I know of many films where product placement is done, and done well. Where it fits seamlessly into the film, its unnoticeable and can even add to the realism of the situation. This is not one of those films.
Right from the get go you are barraged with Sony related products. The first scene is a pull back from two Sony monitors, to the rather large 42″ monitor Kate’s character is using to write an article on. It looks totally out of place. The moderately sized desk with a massive monitor on that she’s using to just write something out in notepad.
Every possible place has where a Sony product could of gone, it gets put in. The computer Cameron’s character has, to the GIANT television in her house, to the laptop Kate has, to the random sprinkling of Sony LCD televisions and Hi-Fi’s placed oddly around Kate’s house.
I swear there’s even a Sony LCD tv place atop of a cupboard downstairs in Kate’s house. Its never used, never even motioned to. There are no cables coming from the back of it, its not plugged in, and in one scene it even appears to be in the way of actually using the cupboard.
None of it made sense until the very end when I noticed that this film was in fact by, who else, but Sony Pictures. Now that makes sense. Its a shame really that they feel the need to put their wares so much on display, its actually put me even further off Sony products. If such a thing is even possible.
Currently the Fantastic Four holds the record for most product placement on screen at the same time. Quite a record to have.
