Products placed in television plots are here to stay

PRODUCTS PLACED IN TELEVISION PLOTS ARE HERE TO STAY
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: David Bauder]
Product placement -- a can of soda casually placed on a table while the characters are standing around it -- has been a part of TV for decades, usually creating little controversy. But producers John Wells of "ER" and Neil Baer of "Law & Order: SVU" say they're worried about being forced to use products in their stories in ways that make them look silly. The producers, representing the Writers Guild of America, said they recognize ad integration is here to stay. What they want is to negotiate with networks a process that gives creators a say in what can and can't be done, and they said the networks haven't been willing to put that on paper. They'd like to get a cut of these deals too. There's increased pressure toward integrated ads from several directions. Advertisers are worried that digital video recorders are encouraging more and more consumers to fast-forward through commercials. Between dwindling viewership and increased competition from the Internet, networks are eager to keep their sponsors happy. Product integration has been more prevalent on reality shows, where contestants recently won a bottle of mouthwash in a reward challenge and let it swirl around their mouths like fine wine.
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