Offending Our English Sensibilities
Just over 70 years ago, in February 1928 Scotsman John L Baird – demonstrated the first transmission of human faces and other moving images by radio across the Atlantic.
He had succeeded in sending the "sound of a face" some three thousand miles from London to New York. I love that expression don’t you? It’s the kind of thing a trendy, skinny creative in a shiny Soho agency would say “Shall we have a ‘Sound of Face’ skype call at 5?”
Amazing isn’t when you think of it. We (us Brits or Scots) created ‘The Televisor’ (as it was called then) but have been one of the slowest nations to grasp the commercial benefits that it might bring to us whether that is via sponsorship or product placement.
However, recently there have been rumblings and grumblings in the press over here that Culture Secretary, Ben Bradshaw, is currently looking into formalizing the practice of product placement within TV shows.
This as some of you might know is a complete U turn from his predecessor Andy Burnham. He felt that product placement could harm editorial independence and that nasty brands might hurt or contaminate the audiences in some way – thereby insulting the intelligence of directors, programme-makers and audiences.
Burnham’s prudish Victorian approach had the dangerous possibility of forcing us into a world where every product on television has to look ‘Vanilla’ so as not to offend or influence the viewers delicate sensibilities.
Oh I feel I am going all Charlotte Bronte now!
Mr Burnham was quoted as saying ‘As a viewer, I don’t want to feel the script has been written by the commercial marketing director”– Yikes! What strange world does Mr Burnham inhabit – a world where commercial directors can actually write scripts?
A couple of things that Mr Burnham failed to take into consideration is that brands are part of everyday life, therefore audiences expect to see them in television shows.
I am sure that Mr Burnham would probably turn red with rage, have a nosebleed and immediately fall over if he knew that product placement has been teasing viewers with its ‘petticoat’ within UK television for a very long time.
During the late 90’s I ran a product placement agency so I should know.
We used to target key shows and provide the products free of charge and were not able to formalize any of our actions but it was effectively a happy marriage with the production companies and broadcasters. And guess what? Nobody got hurt and no one was contaminated!
Now it seems that Ben Bradshaw finally wants to formalize Product Placement and I say that about time too. This is a potential revenue stream for broadcasters and an interesting creative outlet for brands.
I’m sure that John L Baird would see it as a natural extension of ‘The Televisor’ that he made all those years ago.
But wait Mr Bradshaw there is a Mr Dave Turtle (yes, his real name) in the wings. Mr Turtle is a spokesperson for Mediawatch UK.
I personally am always very wary of organisations with the word ’Watch’ in their titles. I think in Mr Turtle’s case I have every reason to be because he argues ‘We shouldn’t be using television programmes to push a product, and broadcasters need to be responsible about which audiences they’re selling to’.
He goes on to claim that “self regulation isn’t working – do we want to go down the American road where you’re bombarded constantly?”
Well Mr Turtle, the changes are likely to come as early as next year and you may need a tough shell - to shield you from potential bombardments. But fear not Mr Turtle because just like other forms of marketing when Product Placement is implemented as part of an overall strategy and in keeping with a story-lines integrity then it can work wonders.
I personally don’t mind a trip down the American Road, it would do us all some good. So now I am off to keep an eye on The Televisor and try to make time for some ‘Sound of Face’ with my colleagues.
