Case in Point: Product Placement Makes Shows Real, but Is It Ethical?

The Case in Point that I chose to look at in the Media Ethics was “Product Placement Makes Shows Real, but Is It Ethical?” I chose to explore this ethical issue because while studying as a communications major I began to notice product placement more than ever before and it was something that I became very interested in. Brands are seen to create authenticity for movies and television shows. I remember when I was little I used to watch a show called Zoe 101 and in this show all the characters had Apple laptops, but instead of an apple for the icon they all had different fruits that covered up the apple. I thought this was interesting because I had Apple products in my household growing up and it was obvious to me what products they were using; why not just have the logo? Brands that are used in the media help create an authentic environment and a sense of credibility to the audience, and can help the audience make an emotional connection to the program they are watching, but does that mean it is ethical?

Up until now I did not think that there were ethical issues tied to product placement but after reading this Case in Point article it is making me think twice. One example of questionable product placement in this article was the movie “Flight” with Denzel Washington. The problem isn’t so much to do with the consumer but more the artistic integrity of the production (Plaisance, 2014). When Denzel was landing the plane there was a Budweiser label present throughout the scene. Having the audience distracted by this label opposed to watching the hard work and artistic content that went into the directors creation of this movie could be considered unethical. Another reason why this specific case can be considered unethical is because in the movie Denzel is considered an alcoholic and is drinking a Budweiser while operating a commercial aircraft, although he is not only drinking Budweiser in the film, this specific product is most noticeable when he is in the act of flying a plane. This creates an opposite effect for the brand Budweiser creating the audience to think of this brand in a negative way.

This issue relates to this course in many ways. This issue can be related to transparency in the media, which is something I did not know existed before taking this class. Transparency is prevalent in product placement because these brands are being used as a way to drive the audience away from the film and focus their attention to the product. Overall after looking into the pros and cons of product placement I have found that there are some unethical aspects to this form of advertising. However product placement is most of the time in lieu of traditional advertising which is a whole other ethical issue. I would prefer to see product placement than an advertisement.

References:

Plaisance, P.L. (2014). Media ethics: Key principles for responsible practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.