Friday, December 16, 2016

Will you buy the shirt off of someone else's back?



Product placement has come a long way.  The combination of DVR's and reality television has led to a new Truman Show reality.  It's my opinion that eventually all advertising will be embedded.  You will see something you like, pause whatever you are watching, buy the item, and then go back to the show.  Sure beats trying to track down the agency account person to ask where they got that lamp. (True story.)

This week Adam Buckman from mediapost.com wrote a column admiring the moxie of Project Runway.  Their core sponsors are showcased in the Brother sewing room (sewing machines), Mary Kay makeup room (cosmetics) and Sally Beauty hair salon (hair products).

But recent sponsors also included Best Western Hotels which was featured through an inspirational trip to a branch in Austin, Texas, and AARP who sponsored a dress your mom challenge. (Buckman, 2016)

Clearly the possibilities are endless.

So what do you think?  Have you bought any items that you have seen in tv shows?  Or are you more likely to buy from Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook?  Does it matter if a friend bought it or liked it?  How about a celebrity?


Buckman, A . (2016, December 9)  'Project Runway': TV's Relentless Engine of Commerce.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved December 16, 2016, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/290728/project-runway-tvs-relentless-engine-of-commer.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=mostread&utm_campaign=98847

1 comment:

Alexandra Schayes said...

Personally, I don't watch many TV shows on actual television. I'm totally a Netflix person - a main reason for this is because I don't like commercials. Because of this shift to online streaming, I don't find myself purchasing things from TV shows, even if it is a product placement. It has almost become hard to tell what is placed there to advertise as everything seems to have a brand logo on it. I am more likely to buy from Instagram than any other social platform. I don't use Pinterest, and the re-targetting ads on Facebook I find to be really annoying! However, maybe this is just because I am a Marketing student aware of what is going on. If I was a "typical user" i might feel differently! It depends which friend and which celebrity bought the product. I find i am more inclined to NOT buy something because of someone I don't like having it rather than the other way around.