Advertisment or Content?

A recent article in Adbusters, by Douglas Haddow, argues that, "the membrane separating advertising and content has been torn." The article begins by talking about the recent movie to hit theatres, Zombieland and how much of the movie is a whirlwind of product placements, such as Ghostbusters and Twinkies. The recent economy scare has led ad agencies to prove their importance to corporations, and print publishers, and TV producers to take up their offer due to their dire need for advertisement revenue. Newspapers and magazine covers were the first to crumble to this "consum-o-tainment", and then came TV news, such as FOX. US Television has always contained a lot of product placement, but this recent shift has caused even the most savvy and slick companies to succumb. The article goes on to say that, "The recession has proven ethics to be an expendable luxury." Viewers and audiences of these media products seem to not be affected by this dramatic shift. In the near future, the article predicts that products will no longer be simply placed amongst entertainment but become the focal point of entire movies, articles and TV shows.

Am I the only one who is annoyed by this conclusion and reality? Advertisement is not a new thing to us Americans and neither is the idea of consumerism, but have we really come to this? America truly is a country focused on consumerism and this is not a surprise when one can find advertisements everywhere and anywhere. I do not know about you but when I go to see a movie or sit down to watch a television show I plan on relaxing and escaping from reality for just a bit. We are constantly bombarded with ads wherever we go, and our "escape" time is no longer different. We are not only faced with multiple ideologies in films that we are expected to accept and take as our own, but we are also presented with multiple products that we are encouraged to buy. These product placements are sometimes put in so slyly that we no longer even recognize them but subconsciously acknowledge their presence and "importance." From the Coca Cola cups placed in front of the judges of American Idol (or this season Vitamin Water) to the various products placed in movies like in this clip, advertisement and the importance of being a consumer in today's world is seen everywhere.

Do you agree with this? Do you think we should have to be in consumer mode 24/7? We pay sometimes $10 to $13 to see a movie, are persuaded to buy overly priced refreshments upon walking in, and then are continued to be encouraged to buy various products during the previews, and now during the movie itself. One can't help but wonder what will come next. After advertisement has taken control of movies, TV news, magazine, and other media sources where will they turn? I once heard the absurd idea a corporation advertising agency had to project ads from space creating a logo in the night sky. I now wonder if that really is as absurd/impossible as I once thought. Keep your eyes open and your wallets closed; they want our money and they want their logo tattooed in our memory. What do you think?

Kali