Stephanie Savage, producer and screensaver of “Gossip Girl”, answering to a question by a Los Angeles Time’s journalist (Adam Tschorn) about the big problem of zapping, made an interesting comparison.
The big networks and the studios are trying to compensate the loss caused by the minor presence of the ads spots with product placement. Introducing the products directly within the show, you can avoid “flippering”, that provokes damages not only to the advertisers but even to the channel and the producers themselves thus lessening the fidelity of the public to the programme. It’s almost what’s happening in the music world. The selling out of records is diminishing, thus the managers of the groups and the singers have been thinking about a solution. Many have thought about product placement.
Gwen Stefani e Justin Timberlake for example, have a fashion collection on their own and wear it any time and this is an exceptional promotional way, maybe profitable as much as the records selling out. But Stephanie Savage tells something more and reveals a few techniques and interesting applications. A musician can sign a contract with a fashion Company in order to wear its own clothes and maybe exploit his/her image for ads (this is called Tie in), or can wear them only sometimes and be shooted by the press (Cameo) or once more make a fashion collection with his/her name (partnership).
All these examples should be divided into two big categories, “Inside the Show or Outside the Show”, that is during the concerts or the private life (that most of the time is public). The choices of the different kind of placement are planned by marketing strategies, depending on the budget, on the wish to monopolize more or less the same star or to the desire to be a little bit underground, something that the stylists still like.
In 10 days “UP” will get out in 30 American theatres. The new Disney cartoon realised by Pixar in 3D relates the funny story of an old man and a boy scout on a travel towards South America in a house driven by thousands of balloon . The use of the old man’s image and the cartoon logo have been acquired even by Pet&Co (a California base Company that sells healthy pet food) to put them on its main product : the GRRR-NOLA, food integrated with vitamins, amino-acid and free gluten. Even if the reasons for such Tie In have not been revealed, they can be guessed by a second operation done by the Company. It is a competition with a million dollar prize called “Does your dog looks like you ?”. The web site is bowwowmillion.com and it’s sufficient to send one’s own picture with the dog to show the resemblance. Most of the pictures are from children (the target of the Disney cartoon) and from a few researches done to the Pet&Co mangers, there is a clear connection between families with children and families with dogs (or even between old people and pets). Such a simple info has provoked a new strategy: exploitation of the cartoon’s image that, before getting out, has already become famous (it’s the first one with an old man as main character), proposing such a particular and rich competition, particular as the products of the Company.
In the USA Martha Stewart is more than a phenomenon. For years unique diva of the domestic TV (receipts, gardening, healthcare, etc.), her image and media power has not been touched either by the period spent in prison, 5 years ago, when she was charged of insider trading. In similar cases, the American public has always been very unmerciful, while this incredible and creative woman of Show Business has got out brilliantly with new ideas and projects. The more recent intuition has been to realise a series of products for dogs and domestic pets in general. 
