Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Movie Marketers Turn to Subtle, Sophisticated Tactics
Story at NPR
Subtle? Sophisticated? Product placement in movies and TV is nothing new, subtle, or particularly sophisticated. Now I suppose a brief mention of a movie in the plot of a TV show is sort of subliminal, but I don’t think it’s “inherently deceptive” and I don’t think it needs an on screen warning to consumers.
Now where I do have a problem with this story is the paleontologist that fudged the date on the discovery of a T. Rex. Granted it wasn’t a huge scientific discovery and the false date wasn’t published in a peer reviewed journal, but I think that ethically a scientist's whole philosophy should be the pursuit and dissemination of the TRUTH.
And really what was the point of moving the date just a bit? I mean the average person’s memory for these things is so short that I can’t imagine unless you released it on the same day, people would remember. If what appears in the press is “meaningless” then why bother? This man is making excuses for his lying for money. Granted thanks to his lies I suppose he was able to do more research, but is it worth it? At what point are you a sell out?
Altering the date seems more than “weird”. It is just plain wrong. ¶
9:48 AM
Story at NPR
Subtle? Sophisticated? Product placement in movies and TV is nothing new, subtle, or particularly sophisticated. Now I suppose a brief mention of a movie in the plot of a TV show is sort of subliminal, but I don’t think it’s “inherently deceptive” and I don’t think it needs an on screen warning to consumers.
Now where I do have a problem with this story is the paleontologist that fudged the date on the discovery of a T. Rex. Granted it wasn’t a huge scientific discovery and the false date wasn’t published in a peer reviewed journal, but I think that ethically a scientist's whole philosophy should be the pursuit and dissemination of the TRUTH.
And really what was the point of moving the date just a bit? I mean the average person’s memory for these things is so short that I can’t imagine unless you released it on the same day, people would remember. If what appears in the press is “meaningless” then why bother? This man is making excuses for his lying for money. Granted thanks to his lies I suppose he was able to do more research, but is it worth it? At what point are you a sell out?
Altering the date seems more than “weird”. It is just plain wrong. ¶
9:48 AM
