Product placement not just infiltrating movies anymore
By Kendis Gibson
CNN Headline News
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There has been a proliferation of cell phone placements in recent films such as "Charlie's Angels."
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(CNN) -- In the world of the movies, its long been assumed that every time you see a car, hear a beer call or see a computer, it was likely a specifically placed product for a price. But there are some new trends in the ever-growing product placement business.
Cell phone manufacturers have apparently declared all out war using the big screen. Just look at the proliferation of cell phone placements in some recent films.
From "Agent Cody Banks' " T-Mobile Sidekick, to the "Matrix'" Samsung phones tie-ins, to the grand pooh-bah of big-screen phone tie-ins, "Charlie's Angels."
On the small screen, advertisers feeling the crunch from devices that skip commercials are increasingly relying on product placement. And the trend is also hitting your CD player. Thanks to decreasing record sales, artists are looking for new revenue streams.
"It has created this atmosphere where these records labels are looking for a partner. They can't afford to spend the kind of money they were spending in the past. It's actually a great time," says Jameel Spencer of Bad Boy Records.
Bad Boy even has its own company set up to broker deals between companies and musicians for everything from a mention in lyrics in songs such as "Pass the Courvoisier" to placement in music videos. Spencer says it could be something as small as $20,000 to $100,000 to go toward a video or "could go as large as a joint venture."
Motorola has one of the most active divisions to get its products placed inside of songs and videos. They are leaders in a trend that will no doubt soon become an all-out battle of the brands.
