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These days, product placement (especially when it comes to food) is a fact of life. We all know that when one of our favorite television characters is holding a Coke or Pepsi product in an episode of their show, the company paid big bucks to get it there. Same goes for any mention of Kraft cheese, Cheerios cereal or Tropicana orange juice. We've come to expect this from scripted and reality TV shows (think about all the products on Big Brother or even Jon and Kate Plus Eight).
You'd like to think that the news is incorruptible, miles away from the allure of food companies offering pay for placement. Apparently, journalistic standards are a little looser in Las Vegas, where at Fox affiliate, KVVU, morning anchors now display plastic cups of McDonald's iced coffee on the podium, where a station-branded coffee mug used to sit. They hardly ever touch these cups, and the printed-on labels are angled for best viewing. The station readily admits that it's a sponsored promotion and defends the practice by saying that they cups don't come out until they start airing the lighter morning news at 7 a.m.
What do you think? Is it appropriate for food companies to get product placement on the news?
[via New York Times]
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7-22-2008 @6:14PM Bear Silber said... Although I'm terribly against product placement I find this move extremely smart based purely on a marketing stand point. For those of us that get offended by this, we (I'm sure) are already offended by the fast food companies other tactics. It's definitely a good way to get their brand out there.
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7-22-2008 @6:54PM heather said... Though this is a slippery slope, in theory I have no problem with the anchors getting free ice coffee to drink on air. In practice the news media already has bias from sponsors and parent companies. Either way we are not getting a fair news show. -shrug-
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7-22-2008 @10:49PM Big John said... Local news across the nation has been a joke for years. Sensational headlines and poor journalism have marred the local newscaster. This isn't that much lower than they already were.
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7-23-2008 @9:48AM Baron said... I'm not sure if local news is as much of a joke as the 24 hour news channels (everything from Fox to CNN). Remember the days when news was real news and not hours and hours of debates about what punishment a celebrity should get for being arrested (when it is a slow news week and you have to have 24 hours of "news" coverage, anything is fodder)?
Anyway, that aside, as long as they are disclosing it, more power to them. I, for one, love McDonald's Iced Coffee. I would sport one all day long, winter included, if they were given to me for free.
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7-23-2008 @9:55AM Astin said... Big John took the words out of my mouth. Considering the state of just about ANY news broadcast these days, at least they're being up front about this one. It still strikes a chord as very wrong, but you'd have to wonder if it holds any more influence than a McD's ad running in the usual commercial spots.
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7-24-2008 @3:23AM Silver_Potato said... Mainstream media lost any credibility years ago, they've just become another corporate tool to push products and propaganda.
Not surprising the news station is a FOX affiliate.
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7-31-2008 @4:35PM Jim Jamesson said... lol I wonder if the company changes out their drinks during commercial breaks or whatever, or, if they get the same watered down drink normal people end up with leaving a drink sitting on your desk?
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8-14-2008 @4:55PM Kevin said... I think that it is a fantastic idea, especially with the Ice-Coffee which is such a trendy product and it would be interesting to see if they end up getting this stuff on a syndicated show such as Regis and Kelly or on E!
Great marketing idea!
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