Friday, December 9, 2005

And now, a word from our sponsors... Advertising torques me off. (Even though I've been known to dig the soundtracks for commercials, the commercials themselves still bug me.) It torques me off even more when it's embedded into a show, so you can't avoid it even if you know it's coming. Once upon a time, there were commercials and there were tv shows. Occasionally, they blended into each other. Back in the early days, shows were primarily sponsored by one company (Phillip Morris used to sponsor "I Love Lucy!") And of course, Johnny Carson had those Alpo commercials. But you could tell they were commercials, and they were noticeably different from the content of the show. But now entire shows seem to be embedded with advertising. Extreme Makeover is a perfect example. Sure, it's a heartwarming show, and it makes some interesting points about our attitudes toward charity and family in this country. But ye gods! The advertising for Sears alone is exhausting, and inextricable from the rest of the show. The show would literally not exist if not for the largesse of Sears and other companies. (Not to mention all the Disney products, movies,videos, stuffed Nemos, and trips to Disneyland.) It makes you wonder if the show actually existed first as a concept for a show (making people feel all warm and fuzzy about helping those in need) or as an advertising concept (rebranding Sears, realtors, and construction companies as community helpers.) Other shows are doing this, too. Why do you think Oprah had all those cars to give away? Anyone remember the way that car was "sold" in that episode of Oprah - complete with a walk down the assembly line? Why are all of the daytime tv shows suddenly giving away home furnishings, computers, even musical instruments? And Queer Eye has so much product placement that they must need scorecards to remember whether they're selling Dolce and Gabbana kitchen equipment and Williams Sonoma clothes or vice versa. The biggest disappointment to me is Ellen Degeneres' show. I still appreciate the show, and she's still funnier than Leno on a good night. But her advertisers are starting to take over the show. Recently she started a "new segment" of the show where she gave someone in the audience an American Express card in a faux-"Let's Make a Deal" setup. Later, she spent an entire week in New York, with American Express as the apparent primary sponsor - their name was all over the shows, people were being given Amex cards at random. It was horrifying. Now she's doing a giveaway of her own - the 12 Days of Giveaways - which is basically an excuse to plug three or four products in the middle of the show, with audience members screaming and jumping up and down like maniacs. I don't want much, people. I want advertising-free shows. I want to be able to find the commercials in between show segments, not during. If I wanted constant product placement, I'd watch Queer Eye. Or the Price is Right. Enough is enough. I'm starting to get paranoid now - was the iPod gift on "The Office" part of a genuine plotline, or was it a stealth advertisement from Apple? (What about the vodka?) 8:53:07 AM     Speak up!  []