We were talking in the Bunheads thread about some lamps that may or may not be intentionally featured.


Typically, producers of shows have to pay a licensing fee if they show a product logo on screen. This is why you will see generic brands ie "Chips" or "Beer"  when a character uses a product. Some times a recognizable image may be used but the name changed so it's not the actual brand name of the item.  Some times tape is just placed over the item or the item is turned so that everyone knows what the product is but the label/name is not visible so there's no violation.


More recently more and more product placement has been creeping into tv shows. In the 80s and 90s the act was more subtle. There was a vending machine/poster/full view product display in the background.....today they hit you over the head with it....actors are delivering dull blown commercials in the middle of their scripted dialogue


I will find examples tomorrow and post them here.. 

I just recalled that in the 50s the characters of shows, like I love Lucy would do commercials from their sets..in character... These were separate ads that aired during the broadcast of said show...but they were very clearly tv commercials, separate from the actual episode you were watching....now, in the middle of a stakeout two actors will discuss various features of the car they're sitting in..




I remember a couple years ago a tie in with the GMC terrain.... Both CBS shows, Medium and Ghost Whisperer were feautring the SUV.... I don't recall the GW ep clearly but remember JLH driving the vehicle....the Medium ep tho....that whole thing was a car commercial...  Alison had to get a car so they got this super cheap deal on a vrand new car but it was possessed with the memory/soul of the owner...all, the car's fancy features helped Ali solve the crime.... ::)






I loved Medium but that ep always bugged me.... Some lucky viewer won a Gmc terrain...it was not me....and I never can look at a gmc terrain with thinking of Alison Dubois.

Subway's big on promotion.... They were featured heavily on Chuck and even helped launch a support achick/save chuck campaign... Monday nights before rushing home to see chuck you were to run to subway and get a sub then eat it while chick was on...in the meantime they were helping flood NBC with save chuck requests...it worked... Chuck was supposed to e cancelled twice but the fans/ and subway brought it back from the brink until season 5 :\'(




Wanna see brilliant use and commentary on product placement, while simultaneously promoting subway as well? Watch the Community ep Digital Exploration of Interior Design  :D

In the movie 'Happy Gilmore', Happy was a BIG fan of Subway.  As a result, Subway gave Adam Sandler a card that gives him free Subway for life.  I was so jealous when he said that on David Letterman one night lol

Oh, so the thing that got me thinking of this right now, is watching an ep of Common Law...it was shot sometime last summer or fall but aired for the first time tonight.  In an establishing shot a bus passes by and on the side of the bus is a promo for Homeland(the showtime series) it's promoting the season one debut in October.  I don't know about elsewhere in the world but in la 95% of the bus adds feature upcoming network shows and movies being released so this was definately a shot taken on location... The fact that bus has been sped up as much as it was, causing the ad to blur makes me think they didn't intentionally include the Homeland promo (NBC owns USA & CBS owns Showtime) so there's no logical or oBvious reason to include it.....unless nope.... Not the same director for the Homeland pilot nor the "Joint Custody" ep of common law...no Easter eggs that I can see so I guess it was an unintentional promo