N. E. Marsden: Embedded TV Ads: Here Comes the Spin

Product placement is finally on the FCC's radar, and pro-industry magpies are out in force trilling a consistent message: "Back off, Big Brother." We should not be surprised. Nor is it any wonder that a press release urging the FCC to take action, issued by 23 watchdog groups, including Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, Commercial Alert, Free Press, Public Citizen, Common Sense Media, and the Parents' Television Council, barely broke the sound barrier. Ditto a plea for regulation by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Industry is right: we know product placement when we see it. Those branded props are a growing irritation. However, product integration is a very different story. Dialogue, scenes and whole plotlines are being scripted, not just to promote products, but to inculcate attitudes, values and behaviors. The... [read full story]