This week we discussed product placement and how it has become an integral aspect of advertising since the onset of Tivo, which have the ability to skip commercials, and other forms of technology. Since I am obsessed with anything to do with fashion, I will literally watch some shows just to see the different outfits the actresses wear. Some shows such as Gossip Girl, The Hills and The City are packed with 50 wardrobe changes and I am not the only one who notices. These shows have used fashion to capture the consumer by placing links on websites in order to buy the clothing seen in the shows.
One of the smartest things MTV has developed, is a whole section on their website entitled Shop The … Look. This means you can actually click on Whitney Ports face and find out what she was wearing in each episode of The City. Not only does MTV get money from their trashy, low budget yet popular shows, they also make millions on the merchandise they sell online. It isn’t a blatant advertisement, but it is a form of product placement in order for MTV to continue to advertise their products. The average viewer may not realize they are taking part in an advertising strategy when they go onto MTV’s site to order something, but that is exactly what smart product placement allows.
The show Gossip Girl has become known for the fashions seen each week. Gossip Girl has its own website and a whole section dedicated to the fashion seen in each episode. Viewers can click on something they want to purchase and they are directed to e-commerce sites in order to purchase it. The network is in turn making money off the fees they charge websites if they want to be placed on the Gossip Girl site. They are also making money from designers who wish to place their clothing in the show. Both of these networks use product tie ins in order to make more money and to continue to advertise their shows. In a recent New York Times article it discusses Gossip Girl’s effect on retail stores. Young women will walk into stores with photos from the show and ask if they have a certain item. Many items sell out, because they appeared on the Gossip Girl show. The show has become very influential in terms of shaping consumer buying especially among young women. It has become a sort of virtual fashion magazine, forming fashion trends and affecting designers and store owners. The fact that I have only seen this show once and yet I know this much about the fashion on the show, demonstrates the power this show has developed through advertising. Not only does the show continue to make profits from product tie ins but the name “Gossip Girl” continues to appear everywhere especially in relation to fashion.
New York Times Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/fashion/08gossip.html?pagewanted=all
MTV Get the look Webstie
http://www.seenonmtv.com/index.php?v=mtvcit
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