Self-centered much?

It's no mystery that artists often give shout-outs to other artists in their music. For example, in Diddy's new song "Coming Home," he mentions songs by Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, and McFadden & Whitehead. Pretty average stuff, but some artists take shout-outs to the next level by giving themselves a shout-out. These artists encode themselves (the product) into their own products or embed themselves in other artist’s songs.

Lil Wayne and Jesse McCartney come to mind as two artists who self-promote in their music. In “3 Peat,” Lil Wayne drops the name of his album “Tha Carter 3,” and just in case you forgot it by the end of the song, he repeats “C3” multiple times. Jesse McCartney is a tad more subtle with his self-promotion. In his track “Body Language” he says, “That thing you got behind you is amazing.” Sexual harassment? Just another “flattering” lyric? Nope. This lyric was directly pulled from his earlier song “Leavin’.” This technique is truly effective because it makes consumers remember and desire the artist’s album or their previous work.

More effective still is for artists to promote themselves when featured in another artist’s work. My favorite example of this is Nelly’s rap in T.I’s “Get Loose” (yeah, I really like that song). In it, Nelly blatantly mentions upcoming single, “Flap Your Wings” by saying,” Let me see you drop it down and get that eagle on girl," lyrics directly taken from his upcoming song, right as he begins his rap.

The Product

The Advertisement

Like Nelly, Jesse, and Lil Wayne, many artists use these self-promotion techniques. By placing these references in songs that are bound to blow up, they are essentially doing the same thing Glee does for their products: they are creating advertising the consumer cannot avoid.

I wanna be a rock star!

The Met currently has on display a shining beacon of product placement: Ringo Starr’s legendary golden snare drum. The drum manufacturer Ludwig gave the gold-plated drum to Starr in 1964. Why? The drummer was known for his trademark drum set, which prominently featured the Ludwig logo. In the drum industry, where the products are similar, a celebrity endorsement like Starr’s use of Ludwig drums is significant.

“On behalf of the employees and management of the Ludwig Drum Company, I would like to thank you for choosing our instruments and for the major role you are playing in the music world today,” Ludwig Company President William F. Ludwig, Jr. said at the presentation.

I like Ludwig's choice of the phrase, "choosing our instruments." While Ringo may have originally chosen the Ludwig brand, this gift ensured his continued use of Ludwig drums. The gift itself, which attracted media coverage at the time, did more to boost Ludwig’s standings than thank the Beatles’ drummer. Photographs with the golden instrument (although the images were in black and white), Ringo Starr and company executives heightened the company’s allure and probably boosted sales significantly. And prospective drummers and Beatles fans were more likely to buy a Ludwig product in hopes of becoming the next Ringo Starr.

I Drink Beer Thus I Am Manly

If there's a manly movie in the making, beers want in. Nothing screams manly like action-packed, crude-joke laden films and beers want their manly audiences to know that they support them and their fantasy lifestyles (because no man actually walks around in a Spiderman suit).

One of my favorite movies, Dumb and Dumber, boasts Coors Light every chance it gets.

In a subtler (PG!) movie, Tron appeals to the men that used to be nerdy boys.

Spiderman has a fast-paced scene highlighting Carlsberg like no other.


It's a reminder to men everywhere: "Hey! Our beer is in this manly movie! I must be drinking the right brand!"

Beer men of the world ... unite?

Go-Go-Gadgets

When thinking of clever product placement instances my mind is always drawn to the show Chuck. The fact that the main characters work at a Best Buy-esque store leads to countless opportunities to stick gadgets into the storyline. This plot is most obvious in the fact that all of the characters have iPhones. Not only do they have iPhones, but the phones are prominently displayed whenever the characters get a call. Rather than thinking, "Oh, Chuck's phone is ringing", I think, "Man it's cool that you see a picture of the person who is calling you when you get a call". They've got me hooked.

Basically what the companies who advertise through Chuck have done is connected their products with the high-tech lifestyle. Not only are they marketing to a demographic of people who are interested in technology (based on the show's premise), but they are also assuming that those people have the disposable income to spend on new phones, X-boxes and the like. The product transcends a product once it gets put in the show because of the implications of the show's content and audience.

For the Gleeks in the House, This One’s for You

Before I begin, I must apologize to Gene for intruding on his territory. Sorry, boo!

Though I hardly watch TV, even I can tell you that the show Glee is a giant hit and cultural staple. Glee is everywhere—from the red carpet to the viewing parties my friends host weekly. The show revolves around a high school glee club, which is another name for an a cappella club. Each week, audiences tune in to watch your average teenage programming with a little a cappella singing thrown in. And what do they sing? Today’s hottest hits of course! The Glee cast has covered everyone from Justin Bieber to Katy Perry—showing flawless product placement at work. Top Forty hits are brilliantly incorporated into story lines; some episodes are even dedicated to entire artists such as the Britney Spears homage titled “Britney/Brittany,” “Journey to regionals” featuring songs by Journey, and “The Power of Madonna.” Other episodes are titled after and feature specific hits songs, such as “Born This Way” after Lady Gaga’s new hit and “Blame it one the Alcohol” after Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It.”

Sidenote: The Tufts Beelzebubs sang the background vocals!

Glee is every band’s product placement dream—every song is brilliantly incorporated into the plot, creating advertisement that you can’t and don’t want to skip. Glee has even been responsible for launching the comeback of Britney Spears and “legitimizing” the singing of actress Gweneth Paltrow through guest appearances. Though it may seem obvious as to why every performer would want to be a part of Glee, not everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon. The Foo Fighters, Slash, and Kings of Leon have all refused to allow their music on the show. Their refusal proves that Glee is a mainstream vehicle--one that not everyone wants to ride.

The glass slipper

I have to admit, I enjoy perusing photos on The Sartorialist’s blog. Although I am not a fashionista by any standards, the thousands of photos of elegantly garbed men and women inspire me. Aside from admiring the couture conscious and daring trendsetters, it is a nice change from reading fashion magazines with pages of advertisements and brands inserted into the text. So I was slightly shocked when I looked at his blog today and found...Prada. The woman featured in the post (apparently a fashion blogger in her own right) wasn’t wearing an awe-inspiring ensemble; she was instead photographed for her fabulous footwear.

And no, she wasn’t wearing glass slippers. The Sartorialist further added to Prada’s allure by commenting on the coveted shoes and their lack of availability. Looks like product placement to me. Perhaps Prada sent a pair to the stylish blogger after his post.

Limitless

If you haven't come across the "How to Hack Screens on the Times Square" video, you're out of the loop. About 7 days in, it has attracted more than 1.5 million viewers. Perhaps not as lucrative as "Friday" but still worthy of a view.

The discussion behind the video, whether it's real or it's fake, is its entire purpose. The video is actually a promotion for the Bradley Cooper film "Limitless."



As you watch the guy tap into each one of the screens on the square, the final (and largest, of course) screen is playing the "Limitless" trailer. The best part is, you're glued to the screen, watching his every move, trying to find any slipup in this performance. And, of course, you're consuming every bit of it, entirely unaware that it's essentially an advertisement.

Well played guys, well played.