Edoc Laundry Scores Product Placement Coup on 'CSI:NY'

edoc_csi.jpg

Seattle startup Edoc Laundry, maker of coded t-shirts that give clues to episodic stories, will be the major storyline in tonight's episode of CSI:NY. The "placement" was not paid for. The producers found the Edoc Laundry concept so intriguing and appropriate for CSI, they just organically worked it in to the episode.

Launched in March, Edock Laundry uses coded messages hidden in its line of shirts to tell a covert story which is told on the Internet on the website and through forum postings. The premise for the CSI: NY show, titled "Hung Out to Dry," concerns a serial killer who uses trendy t-shirts to hide clues to his identity and motives for his killings. Edoc apparel is named and featured throughout the show, and designed four specially coded shirts that the episode's victims wear. Check out a clip of the show here which concisely explains how the whole Edoc Laundry thing works.

by Steve Hall    Oct-11-06    
Topic: Good, Online, Product Placement



Product Placement Likened to Lego-Sized Pixels

house_dell.jpg

Perhaps in disgust over being forced to incorporate ever more sizable product placement within network television shows, the writers of House gave House these choice words to say while he stared into a gigantic Dell monitor, "Why don't I have a high-def in my office? I'm a department head. Tissue characterization is impossible when the pixels are the size of Legos." Yes, and soon product placements will be the size of the TV screen negating the need for actors at all. Oh wait, without actors, there's no shows. Without shows, there's no place to put product placements. Hmm, we better keep our product placements smaller than legos. (Oh, and for you Lego freaks, notice how he said LegoS and not Lego?)

by Steve Hall    Sep-25-06    
Topic: Product Placement, Television



Because No One Else Would, Golden Palace Places in K-Fed Video

federline_golden_palace.jpg

We're just guessing that Britney's K-Fed couldn't find any brands to product place in his newly released 'Lose Control' music video. That's the only explanation we can come up with for the sudden close up shot midway through the video of a dancer wearing a GoldenPalace.com t-shirt. It's perfect. Everyone's going to check this video out of morbid curiosity and there GoldenPalace will be for all to see in the middle of this...um...less that great music video. Much appreciation to Adrants reader Dario Meli for tipping us to this.

by Steve Hall    Sep- 5-06    
Topic: Celebrity, Product Placement, Video



GM Snubs 'Survivor,' Creatives Take Over Agency, PR Surveyed

hyundai2_mall.jpg

- GM has ended its sponsorship of Survivor which, of course, has nothing to do with the show's recent announcement this year's team would be split by race.

- Over at Dallas agency Dieste Harmel & Partners, Creative Director Mack Simpson tells us ECD Aldo Quevedo has moved up to President and Chief Creative Officer turning the agency into, as he says, an asylum run by the patients.

- Strumpette, the proverbial thorn in the side of the PR industry, has launched a survey to determine "if the profession has the political will to make the necessary changes to move forward."

- When you shop, there's no reason a couple of Hyundais shouldn't follow you up the escalator as they do in this Istanbul mall.

by Steve Hall    Sep- 1-06    
Topic: Product Placement, Television



Jessica Simpson Video Slathered With HP Product Placements

simpson_hp_dick.jpg

Not that featuring a product in a music video is anything new but HP reportedly paid $200,000 to place products in Jessica Simpson's candy-coated, new video A Public Affair as part of its "The Computer Is Personal" campaign. In the video, Simpson raps with Christina Applegate, Christina Milian and Eva Longoria about how cool it is to be famous then the girls hit the roller skating rink and offer up more bubble-headed tripe. Towards the end of the video, comedian Andy Dick reaches into his pants as if he's misplaced his last name and pulls out an HP Ipaq emblazoned with the campaign's hand imagery. A laptop and a TV/monitor make an appearance as well.

UPDATE: HP's PR agency, Porter Novelli contacted us to correct a couple of facts we and the New York Post had incorrect.

"While we can not share the exact figure, the $200K quoted for HP's product placement in the Jessica Simpson video is incorrect. The Jessica Simpson video product placement is not an extension of 'The Computer is Personal Again' campaign. HP has an on-going product placement program and this deal was part of an existing relationship."

by Steve Hall    Jul-27-06    
Topic: Celebrity, Product Placement, Video



Crispin Porter + Bogusky Scripting Burger King-Themed Movie

It's well known we in the ad business are just a bunch of Hollywood wannabes stuck creating ads when we'd rather be making movies and hangin' with the celebs. One agency got tired of its wannabe status and is making a movie. The agency is Crispin Porter + Bogusky and the movie is being scripted to take place above a Burger King restaurant. Yes, CP+B is scripting a movie which may or may not star the King. What it will do, likely, is prominent feature Burger King and, if the movie is any good, open up a whole Pandora's box of imitators.

Ads promoting movies. Ads before movies. Ads in movies. An entire movie crafted to be an ad. Is anyone else pulling out their hair right now and screaming, "Stop! Stop! I wanna get off! Please! Is there life on Mars? I don't care, I volunteer to be the first!"? OK, we can't help it. We can't wait to see this movie. But CP+B really needs to come up with a Burger Queen (no the gay kind). The King just doesn't have the right eye candy qualities to attract all those 16 year old boys that frequent movie theaters.

by Steve Hall    Jul-10-06    
Topic: Product Placement



Editors Asked Not to Review Book With Product Placements

commercial_alert_logo.gif

Commercial Alert has sent emails to 305 book review editors asking them not to review a teen book called Cathy's Book because it will contain product placement from Procter & Gamble Cover Girl products. There's always a mixed feeling about this. One the one hand, completely eradicating brand names from everything makes it seem as though one is living in an artificially fake world. On the other hand, reading a book is supposed to do just that - whisk one away from the stress of the real world and provide a temporary sanctuary from it all. It's a tough call. What do you think? Commercial Alert's letter is below.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun-13-06    
Topic: Product Placement



PR Firm Exploits Baby Shiloh For Product Placement

shilohtee.jpg

In a PR coup or just another disgusting manipulation of humanity to further a marketer's end, 5W Public Relations sent baby clothing from Belly Maternity all the way to Africa so Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's baby Shiloh Jolie-Pitt could wear it thus allowing the brand to appear in just about every publication known to man. With price wars in play over images of Shiloh and New York Magazine writing, in a stretch, "Not since Jesus has a baby been so eagerly anticipated," it may just be a pretty good PR coup. That is, if anyone takes a microscope to the images and tries to find the brand name on the shirt. Be sure to read the ego-infested, chest thumping press release from 5w, reprinted in full over at Gawker.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 9-06    
Topic: Bad, Celebrity, Good, Product Placement



'Apprentice' Product Placement Collides With VW Crash Ad

apprentice_vw.jpg

Here's a humorous mash up of the over bearing product placement on The Apprentice and the recent crash commercial from VW.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 7-06    
Topic: Product Placement, Television



Branded Entertainment Increases, Measurement Difficult

products-cola-idol.jpg

A recent Association of National Advertisers survey found 66 percent of advertisers involve themselves in some form of branded entertainment. Eighty percent use television as the channel through which to launch branded entertainment initiatives and 76 percent plan to include those initiative in their upfront dealings with broadcasters.

While marketers acknowledge impact on sales is of great importance and are measuring their efforts, 62 percent say it is not easy to do and 87 percent say existing measurement tools can't do the job. Sixty two percent say the money to fund branded entertainment initiatives comes from television budgets, up from 52 percent last year and more (35 percent) are funding initiatives incrementally, up from 18 percent last year. More than half (60 percent) do not rely on their agencies for branded entertainment and initiate projects themselves.

by Steve Hall    Apr-19-06    
Topic: Brands, Product Placement, Research, Television