Twelve videos that illustrate the insidiousness of product placement in our world today. Does Barak Obama really love Abercrombie & Fitch? Doubtful. But A&F certainly loves any opportunity to strategically position 3 students for the cameras wearing branded T-shirts as free advertising.
Yes, the shock is over, even with KFC. We are accustomed to cross-branding on everything, everywhere - especially our bodies.... our sexy bodies. Of course, in a mediated world, advertisements are not only ubiquitous, they are becoming us. We can sell our own body space for profit. Nothing can escape its inherent marketing potential. But this is nothing new.
What is different is our rush to acknowledge and accept this advertising into every facet of our lives. This is more than symbiosis; it is a cultural embrace of insidious monetization. Every thing is for sale – particularly the human body. The image of the future is the image of product. Our bodies are being bought and sold into corporate slavery.
UPDATE: 24 April: Coincidence?
UPDATE: 6 May: Fixing the product?
UPDATE: 6 May: Visual polysemy?
Consider visual literacy and grow better media communication.
22/04/08