This post is also available in: Spanish
Image from telenovela Mi Corazon Insiste
As savvy TV viewers find ways to avoid watching commercials (fast forwarding through them on DVR or watching programs online), marketers are continuing to search for ways to place their products front and center. What used to be called product placement is now called branded entertainment: placing brands prominently in TV shows and movies, sometimes even involving them in the plot. The New York Times recently discussed this marketing technique on Telemundo, particularly its telenovela Mi Corazon Insiste.
Mi Corazon Insiste has partnered with Chase, so that characters are shown using Chase debit cards or withdrawing from Chase ATMs. I applaud Chase for finding a way to make the unsexy world of financial services appealing, and for finding a creative way to put the name before Hispanic viewers. The New York Times article also notes that Telemundo’s competitor, Univision, not to be outdone, will be featuring General Motors in the upcoming novela Talisman. Univision will work on product placement in content produced by its partner Televisa, the Mexican entertainment giant.
The next time you see a character order a Domino’s pizza in a TV show or use a Dell computer in a movie, remember that advertisers paid for those products to be used in those situations by those characters.
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