Product Placement

  Watching television nowadays is equivalent to sitting down and reading a coupon book. No matter what, without fail, there will probably be ten minutes of actual programming followed by a bevy of advertisements. This is to be expected though, because television ads are the best way to reach the most amount of viewers. Not only can you reach a vast amount of viewers you can target who you want based on the program. For example, every Sunday during the NFL season there will be beer commercials, truck commercials, and insurance commercials. This is because the main viewers of these games are American males that like trucks, beers, and money. On the other hand, you watch an episode of Gossip Girl (not that I know from experience), you will probably see make-up or other commercials that target females.
   Marketers are incredibly clever for doing this approach because it is so efficient. There are no wasted commercial slots on television because all the advertisements are uniquely tailored for their targets. As I sit here and watch NFL games I have counted a beer commercial every break in action, as well as a commercial for Fantasy football. I have previously blogged about the NFL being a cash cow, but it is absolutely ridiculous now. Next Sunday the NFL will be hosting a game in London, an untapped market for the American game. I am interested to see how the locals will react to our sport, as there have been previous attempts to create a franchise there. My prediction is that the two teams will play a mediocre game and the NFL's attempt to expand their product will ultimately fail again.
   Some advertisements make me depressed when I realize what kind of audience is being marketed to. While watching daytime television during what would usually be a work day, it is easy to see that companies are marketing to the unemployed. For instance, there are always commercials for technical schools and places that give patents. Also, late night commercials make me feel guilty because they are targeting the depraved adult market. Comedy Central is notorious for advertising raunchy videos that are only available to be bought by adults. Long story short, I plead with viewers to analyze what commercials they see when watching their program and to whom the commercials are intended.