An article in the Independent discusses the growing prevalence of product placement amid declining ad sales. In the US, McDonald's has bought the right to have two cups of their branded frappuccino appear on the desk in front of the anchors on Fox 5 News. Product placements have become common in movies, with multiple mentions of Starbucks in The Devil Wears Prada and use of Vaio laptops throughout Casino Royale. The article concludes by noting that perhaps product placements are a normal part of life...
But what's the powder-blue sports car that Andrew Marr is seen driving over Westminster Bridge at the start of his Sunday show? A Nissan Figaro. Did Nissan pay the BBC for the plug? Once you start looking for product placement (no matter how innocent, as here), you see it everywhere. Almost as much as the viewers of Fox 5 News.
