Apple Product Placement Reaches New Heights in Netflix Show 'House of Cards'

[jason221]

Product placement is necessary for a show being produced by Netflix. They just don't have the amount of money that big networks and cable channels have.

[somethingelsefl]

As much as I love 30 Rock, the show was very obviously product placed by Apple (it even says they receive products from Apple in the credits). At one point they all had iPhones and iMacs with a few people on iPads...it was crazy.

But don't mix my words...it didn't make that show any less awesome than it was...and it was AWESOME.

[SurferPup]

Between my partner and I that is typical of what our house looks like and when other Apple lovers come over even more so. Not only do they have a purpose but Apple products are visually appealing - thanks Jony Ive.

[ksgant]

Have you guys ever thought that there's really no product placement at all? That they're just using devices and services in the show like normal people would?

Wouldn't it be easier to just use a computer or phone that a lot of people are using? Or just using a normal rent-a-car company instead of having to make a new fake one and mock-up the graphics for it etc etc.

You guys are reading wayyyyy too much into this. It's almost like someone walks down Times Square in NY and they see a sign for Coke in the background and then yell "PRODUCT PLACEMENT, OMFG!!!!"

People in the show using different devices from different manufacturers. Not EVERYONE uses an Apple product. Lighten up.

[tann]

The funniest was when Kevin Spacey goes "Is that a PSVita?" ... "I oughta get one of these for the car"

Laughed so hard.

[peterh988]

Originally Posted by peterh988

NCIS:LA (shown here in the UK on Sunday) must have had the most blatant product placements this week,

This is the blatant surface advert I was talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFypTNsyEHY

[ksgant]

Interesting that the last product shown in the entire first season was a Blackberry.

OMG!!!!! Product placements!!!

But seriously, what do you all want? Want just generic phones with made up interfaces that just show texts? People in the real world use texting. They use iPhones and Macs and Dells and Blackberries. Why do you all assume because you saw them in this series that they were all placed there?

How much time and effort would it have taken to make made-up phones with made-up interfaces to show the content of texts when it was so much easier to just show the actual phone and what it says. Are you all that distracted that you can't concentrate on the story and what was ON the phones instead of thinking "OMG, Product placement!!!"

[costabunny]

I personally have no issue with product placement as long as its shown in natural use. I get annoyed when you see a product being 'demoed' rather than used (like the NCIS:LA bit) - otherwise its fine.

real people using real stuff is good for authenticity.

[applesith]

Originally Posted by iGrip

Yeah. I thought that 3 iPhones per person was fairly normal too. I guess that we're not within the potential customer base for this particular campaign.

yeah

Originally Posted by applesith

You are more likely to see someone have Apple brand devices across all their needs than Samsung or some other brand. I'm not saying many have that many devices on their desk, but they are gonna be Apple themed.

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by jessica.

Try again, it is the second. You really need to learn to check facts.

Edit: I see JGIGS also noted the error in the "reporting."

No the article is correct. It says House of Cards is the first show to be shown exclusively on Netflix.

Lillehammer aired on Norweign broadcast TV before it was on Netflix.

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Originally Posted by peterh988

all the items so labels could not be seen, I noticed this only at the weekend when a show from 1975 had every can in the shop rotated so the labels couldn't be read.

There used to be a market here for fake brands that were used just for props. Like that bit in Lost where all the supplies were 'dharma brand'. Funny thing is that Oceanic Air supposedly started as a commonly used fake airline since they couldn't mention the real ones, particularly for international flights

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Originally Posted by ksgant

Have you guys ever thought that there's really no product placement at all? That they're just using devices and services in the show like normal people would?

Nope, it's product placement. Particularly when you can clearly see logos etc.

But that's not the evil. The evil is when they call out the product. That's what is annoying to most folks. Because it is almost always a jarring thing. Calling out a game title when it's two game freaks not so much but dropping the name otherwise typically feels planted.

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Originally Posted by peterh988

This is the blatant surface advert I was talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFypTNsyEHY

That's pretty obvious. Only thing they needed was for him to say 'let me show you on my Microsoft Surface' to really cap it.

It would be like if a show made a point of saying iPhone rather than cell phone or just phone. Annoying.

But in a scene that was say a police officer asking a mugging victim what she lost saying 'my iPhone' isn't so weird.

[lildimsum7]

Originally Posted by ksgant

Have you guys ever thought that there's really no product placement at all? That they're just using devices and services in the show like normal people would?

Wouldn't it be easier to just use a computer or phone that a lot of people are using? Or just using a normal rent-a-car company instead of having to make a new fake one and mock-up the graphics for it etc etc.

You guys are reading wayyyyy too much into this. It's almost like someone walks down Times Square in NY and they see a sign for Coke in the background and then yell "PRODUCT PLACEMENT, OMFG!!!!"

People in the show using different devices from different manufacturers. Not EVERYONE uses an Apple product. Lighten up.

nope, no one is reading "too much" because it's a FACT that it's product placement. marketing 101

[GenesisST]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

Well, also, since we're on an Apple site, it's probably safe to say we are owners and fans of Apple devices, so we're going to notice whenever other people use the same devices.

I'm sure there are Samsung device owners who go "Ooh, Samsung!" whenever they see those products on TV.

I drive a Subaru, and I notice every time another one drives by me on the road. Whereas if you don't drive a Subaru, you are probably far less likely than I to notice them, and probably more likely to notice whatever brand of car you drive.

Stop it with your objectivity! ;-)

[jessica.]

Originally Posted by charlituna

No the article is correct. It says House of Cards is the first show to be shown exclusively on Netflix.

Lillehammer aired on Norweign broadcast TV before it was on Netflix.

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There used to be a market here for fake brands that were used just for props. Like that bit in Lost where all the supplies were 'dharma brand'. Funny thing is that Oceanic Air supposedly started as a commonly used fake airline since they couldn't mention the real ones, particularly for international flights

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Nope, it's product placement. Particularly when you can clearly see logos etc.

But that's not the evil. The evil is when they call out the product. That's what is annoying to most folks. Because it is almost always a jarring thing. Calling out a game title when it's two game freaks not so much but dropping the name otherwise typically feels planted.

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That's pretty obvious. Only thing they needed was for him to say 'let me show you on my Microsoft Surface' to really cap it.

It would be like if a show made a point of saying iPhone rather than cell phone or just phone. Annoying.

But in a scene that was say a police officer asking a mugging victim what she lost saying 'my iPhone' isn't so weird.

It was piss poor marketing by Netflix then when they advertised it as their original series.

[Ugg]

Originally Posted by gmanist1000

And the iPhone in the glass of water. Don't forget that placement.

I kept thinking that it must have been a fake one. What a waste!

Originally Posted by likeavaliant

It seems to me that being an independent show on Netflix without any commercials, that the product placement for multiple brands and products is probably paid for, thus it's quite heavy. Off the top of my head here are some examples:

+Obviously the Apple placement (iphones, ipads, macs)
+Sony Vita (quite an obvious placement, "OH is that a PSP Vita? I have one of these, it's great, etc.)
+Call of Duty (or whatever video game it is that he is playing on his nice, big flatscreen, which I didn't even think to look at who made it)
+Blackberry (As mentioned, I'm not that far into the show yet, or I just haven't noticed.)
+Enterprise (He rents a really slick looking car from Enterprise. Once again, it could have been obvious, but I'm not actually studying the show; it's just another placement I had noticed.)

Subliminal advertising is pretty strong in this show. And because it's an internet based show, it doesn't have to follow the same regulations as one on cable.

You didn't read? Apple doesn't pay for placement, but then, they don't really need to. Their asthetic alone is enough to want directors to put Apple products in their shows.


The show is brilliant. Lillyhammer was somewhat of a disappointment so it's great to see that Netflix backed a winner this time.

[somethingelsefl]

Originally Posted by ksgant

Have you guys ever thought that there's really no product placement at all? That they're just using devices and services in the show like normal people would?

Oh, how naive you are. Just check the end of the credits of any movie or TV show if it says "Promotional material provided by..." then it's not just a coincidence. It's literally called product placement. 30 Rock's producers (and many NBC , CBS, FOX, and ABC affiliates) are very candid about how Apple picks and chooses what shows to display its Apple logo and what shows to place a piece of tape over it or conceal it.

It's all in the fine print.

[irnchriz]

I love Elementary, during the series they use iMacs etc and you can clearly see the Apple logos except for the episodes when they are using Surface RT. they also draw attention to its use and it is incredibly cheesy. Next episode back to everyone using iPhones and macs but without pointing out their usage as it were. Not sure if Apple pays for this or just specifies that the products be seen and used but discreetly.

They also seem to use generic phone sounds in post production instead of the actual device sounds.

[ksgant]

Originally Posted by somethingelsefl

Oh, how naive you are. Just check the end of the credits of any movie or TV show if it says "Promotional material provided by..." then it's not just a coincidence. It's literally called product placement. 30 Rock's producers (and many NBC , CBS, FOX, and ABC affiliates) are very candid about how Apple picks and chooses what shows to display its Apple logo and what shows to place a piece of tape over it or conceal it.

It's all in the fine print.

Yes, I know, and no, not being naive here. I'm referring to THIS particular show, House of Cards on Netflix. Since this is what the entire thread is about, I assumed people knew what I was referring to, but obviously not.

Look at the end of the show credits and there are no "Promotional material provided by" things at the end. There's a few "Special Thanks" I saw for Sony for using the Playstation logo, but that's it. Also, considering they use Apple, Dell, HP, Sony and Blackberry devices all through the show, they're pretty equal in what they use.

But hey, only focus on the things you want...