Product Placement
Anyone who has watched TV for more than a few years has witnessed the merging of advertising and programming. In the “old days”, the distinction between the program itself and an advertisement was very clear. Then advertisers got clever… adding their own little version of programming within their advertisement, where the commercial became a mini-entertainment segment. Eventually, advertisers started deliberately placing their products within the program content.
Now, the FCC is thinking about changing rules about product placement.
OK, let’s start by saying that TV commercials are, for the most part, annoying. But, they pay for the production of the program, meaning I don’t have to pay for it, so I consider that a decent trade. I’ll watch a few commercials (or maybe go to the bathroom!) in return for the program being created free of charge. If they decide to air too many commercials during the program, I’ll probably just bail out… so they have an incentive to keep it to a bearable minimum.
And, if they decide to put their products within the content of the program, I’m OK with that, too… so long as it doesn’t become distracting… in which case, I turn the channel (or go read a book). What do I care if a character within the TV show, as a part of the story being presented, is drinking a Coke or getting a hamburger at McDonald’s? Sure, it is a subtle advertisement… but does it matter? An ad is an ad.
Here is my real question: why should the GOVERNMENT be involved in this? As a tax paying citizen, I would be presumably be paying for someone to “approve” such activity… or, at the very least, enforce any infractions that might come out of any such rules. AND, worse, WHO makes the decision as to what activity is acceptable or not?
This is ridiculous. We don’t need any MORE government… we need less government. And we certainly don’t need THIS kind of nanny-ist government! This kind of protectionist attitude is, in my opinion, a BAD thing… it just promotes the whole idea that we are not self-reliant and need the government to watch over us. I should be the one making such decisions… by watching the program or not… by complaining to the network or producer of the program IF I have a problem with it. Enough people objecting to something will motivate them to change. I don’t want the government making up MY mind for me!
As a consumer, I don’t want someone else telling me what is acceptable to view or not. As a business person, I don’t want the government saying I cannot put my product within the content of a program but it’s OK to put it in a “regular” advertisement.
