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So you think you can plug?

Why are such blatant sponsorship moments in reality television not identified as advertorials?

timomaticl“Before we danced today we downloaded the song from the Optus Zoo website,” said two contestants on last night’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance Australia.

Is this kind of blatant advertising really so necessary in our television programmes?

And why is this not identified as an advertorial?

Last year Football Superstar on FOX8 kept up the plugs for Kelloggs brands. Australian Idol has had plenty of “talent meets sponsor product” moments too.

It’s bad enough Dance has shown contestants ringing family members on Optus phones to tell them they’ve passed an audition, or placed those oh-so-unsubtle hi-tech brands on the desk in front of judges.

But last night’s plug for a Kelly Clarkson song download was so poorly written as to be insulting to the audience.

Did anyone bother to get any footage of the contestants saying “We really hafta read this shit?”

Natalie Bassingthwaighte also proceeded to tell us about the extra features we could access via Optus phones. Bonus.

Maybe Media Watch or The Gruen Transfer should be getting onto this growing problem, invariably always pitched at younger viewers.

This sorta stuff really lets down an otherwise enjoyable show.

39 Responses

  1. I t sucks. I totally agree. This is not advertising in a break, it is in the show and almost in a subliminal way. To some people they will watch it as if it was not a scripted plug. The result is a subliminal peice of advertising. The same sh** with Sunrise, Today, ACA and TT. The difference is this was a primetime entertainment show. Good point and worth raising as comercial TV continues in many ways to go down the toilet.

  2. If it means we can cut down on ad breaks, or get better programming, where’s the harm. Stations have to get there revenue some how! C’mon freeview, allow ad-skipping PVR’s & get more in-show advertising, just don’t get too blatant with it.

  3. I agree with David. Sorry I think SYTYCDA has gone too far. I kind of turned a blind eye to the Optus phone that Nacho Pop keeps waving around, but telling us about where to download Kelly Clarkson’s new song from was too much. Fair enough have something in the credits plugging the online site.

    Also the Ribena esky/fridge likes to make an appearance at the dance auditions.

  4. how about watching the biggest loser and counting the amount of times they say burgen (as in the bread that seems to be sponsoring- in case u cant work that out )

  5. I think this sort of advertising reminds me of the silent drink promotion. You know where a guy asks a girl about buying a drink and the girl will tell him to buy a specialised drink. One of those hush hush type campaigns.

    I understand television and other media organisations rely on advertising to get their product across but there has to be some line. If Optus wants to advertise their logo when the number for how to vote is one thing. When contestants are becoming walking talking billboards that’s when I think it crosses the line. Simply as you put David, I disagree with being advertised at a subliminal level because I am not making a choice about it but almost taking the back door to my sub conscious.

    This is not quite the image placement they had in the Aria awards, but it is still trying to sneak in the back what should be shown to you at the front.

  6. Product placement is fine, its the constant references, plugs and advertising done by the contestants and hosts that is the problem. Its aimed at impressionable teenagers and is just wrong.

    Optus should stick to ads duriing the commercial breaks.

    (I dont watch the show, but this type of sneaky advertising is crreping in everywhere).

  7. I just call that sponsorship. What’s the difference between this and being hit in the face with advertisements on the street? The difference is, we can turn it off. But, on the street, thats different:

    “People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.”

    Its what product placement is all about. I’d find it offensive if they were “taking a drink of West End Beer before their dance, to keep them energised” or the judges went out to have a smoke of Lareme cigarettes to keep them cool calm and relaxed as they make their decision. But this is really nothing.

  8. “BTW, “Knight Rider” is paid for and one giant commercial for Ford in case you didn’t know!” – Russell

    That’s probably a major reason why there are so few viewers for the show, people are turned off by such blatant product placements.

  9. Something I find far worse and more annoying than any product placement during tv shows is commentary on the cricket, tennis and Olympics including what is supposed to be casual banter about upcoming programs on that network. I find that kind of unnatural advertising awkward and intrusive. Whether it’s a cricket commentator talking about their “favourite” show or an Olympic commentator saying that the audience is “packed to the rafters” tonight…there is no excuse for such blatent, forced and annoying advertising. I might be more forgiving if it was a paid sponsor, but this is just free cross promotion by the network to give their shows even more exposure during high rating sports events as well as the on-air promos that are played over and over again. And I’ve never seen a crawl running across the bottom of my television screen advising me that when the 2 commentators are casually chatting about how much they are looking forward to watching Grey’s Anatomy…I am actually listening to an advertisement…not paid…but an advertisement none the less.
    IMO that is the worst written, worst delivered and worst kind of in-show advertising ever!

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