The Virtuous Circle of Product Placement in Apple's TV+ Shows

[JBGoode]

How is this even news?

1. Apple funded and produced all these shows so a few placements are normal and to be expected
2. Especially for Morning Show, those characters are already considered successful. So owning a bunch of Apple products and accessories, and throwing it away like garbage are perfectly normal.
Why would Alex, or Chip uses a Xiaomi phone if their annual salary is in the scale of millions? Nothing out of place here.
3. Fortunately we don’t see Apple placement in “See” episodes. Despite the fact it could probably show a rusty iMac or iPhone floating on a river flow. Or maybe Jerla put a brand new, shiny iPad Pro and AirPods inside the kids’ box because WHY NOT?

So again, everything is still in context. No need to panic!

How dare you speak common sense here??!!

This is nothing new. Advertising within shows has been going on forever. Why wouldn't Apply promote their own stuff? An entire scene in The Blacklist was an advertisement for a Microsoft Surface device, complete with demonstration on some of it's functionality. That Keifer Sutherland show 'Touch' must have been entirely financed by Hyundai. They used to cut to a closeup of the car's badge at least once per episode for literally no reason. It was comical.

 

[Khedron]

How dare you speak common sense here??!!

This is nothing new. Advertising within shows has been going on forever. Why wouldn't Apply promote their own stuff? An entire scene in The Blacklist was an advertisement for a Microsoft Surface device, complete with demonstration on some of it's functionality. That Keifer Sutherland show 'Touch' must have been entirely financed by Hyundai. They used to cut to a closeup of the car's badge at least once per episode for literally no reason. It was comical.

Once per episode. Not 31 times.

 

[JBGoode]

Once per episode. Not 31 times.

Who cares? Does it shock you that a cell phone/laptop was shown 31 times in a TV show? Especially given the topic?

Why would they be anything else but Apple devices? Do you think Apple would promote Samsung or Microsoft? How realistic would it be if the characters were using generic devices? Do you think that was a better option?

You people are creating drama where there is none.

 

[Khedron]

Who cares? Does it shock you that a cell phone/laptop was shown 31 times in a TV show?

Why would they be anything else but Apple devices? Do you think Apple would promote Samsung or Microsoft? How realistic would it be if the characters were using generic devices?

You people are creating drama where there is none.

Maybe because over 50% of phones are Android so perhaps one appearing at some point would be realistic?

Or maybe the focus shouldn't be on the phone anyway

 

[JBGoode]

Maybe because over 50% of phones are Android so perhaps one appearing at some point would be realistic?

Or maybe the focus shouldn't be on the phone anyway

I was watching The Today Show when the iPhone 6 'bendgate' issue came to light. There were about 6 of them sitting around a table discussing this and ALL of them pulled out their iPhone 6 to check for bending. I would say this show is very realistic.

You people are the ones who seem obsessed with the phones, but whatever....

 

[andywaynebrooks]

It’s kinda uncool for rock band members to wear their own t-shirt. If you want to be cool apple, don’t do that.

 

[macfacts]

What’s anticompetitive about promoting your own products?

And 13 likes for this comment as this time of quoting.

Seriously, what is it about criticism surrounding Apple that cause people to suddenly lose all semblance of common sense and critical thinking?

Apple has a reputation of doing anti competitive actions. So what is wrong with investigating?

 

[Kram Sacul]

The Apple produced show has Apple products. Shocking.

 

[I7guy]

Maybe because over 50% of phones are Android so perhaps one appearing at some point would be realistic?

Or maybe the focus shouldn't be on the phone anyway

That’s up to the directors, writers and producers. This is TV land anyway.

Apple has a reputation of doing anti competitive actions. So what is wrong with investigating?

Plenty is wrong with wasting taxpayer money over product placement in a TV show. Anti-competitive behavior is not the same as illegal.

 

[Gasu E.]

Since we also have trouble with sarcasm and facetiousness... allow me to point out that if we're taking my comment seriously, it also provides the solution. Get rid of it. Use the alarm on your phone... the screen is off unless you touch it.

Oh, I realized it was intended '"n jest". Or what passes for humor today, in which you bash someone else. I miss self-deprecating humor, which was actually funny, and didn't insult others, even in jest. But I'm old school.

 

[lparsons21]

Of all the things I might care about while watching a show, product placements isn’t even on the list. To make a big deal out of it is just being nit picky and possibly trollish IMO.

 

[Abazigal]

Apple has a reputation of doing anti competitive actions. So what is wrong with investigating?

That’s not how investigating works.

And you didn’t answer my question. What’s anticompetitive about showcasing your own products on your own television programmes? You can’t say, well, I don’t know, but let’s have the authorities investigate anyways and see if they can find anything amiss.

You call on the authorities to investigate only if you suspect / are certain that Apple has done something wrong.

And so far, you still haven’t answered the question of just what exactly Apple is doing here that has violated the law.

I don’t know which is worse. That you clearly have an axe to grind with Apple and don’t hesitate to toss out blatant lies about Apple, or that there are people who actually agree with you hers.

 

[Alan Wynn]

No, actually it is done by various studios / production houses to ensure no vendor who isn’t paying for placement receives free advertising.

That is one reason. As I have mentioned, there are others including not having copyright/trademark clearance.

Apple is notorious for being absolutely unwilling to pay for product placement or advertising to third parties. Though those things may have softened / increased under Tim Cook.

Still seems to be the case from discussions with a few studio people this week.

 

[garylapointe]

The fact that this is called AppleTV+ seems like it would negate the placement of Apple products in the show. Plus, every show begins with the AppleTV+ banner. This is after launching a TV app with an Apple logo.

I'm guessing the app is called AppleTV on the Fire and Roku and sports the logo?

That said, it seems idiotic that they should go out and buy Android.

Now, when we get an episode of SEE where they dig up some old Apple stuff, I'll definitely agree.

 

[macfacts]

Right? Lol I think that whole Apple Pay NFC thing is a joke. I bet there are companies that think it’s unfair for Apple to promote their products in their shows.

It isn't unfair but it is tacky.

 

[Abazigal]

It isn't unfair but it is tacky.

And that merits an investigation because....?

I am still not following you here.

 

[Umuliuz]

I recall all the TV shows where they used to tape over the laptop logos. They still do that? Thats a weird behavior.

 

[Alan Wynn]

Maybe because over 50% of phones are Android so perhaps one appearing at some point would be realistic

Not in Media and Entertainment. More like 90% iOS, even true for crew, but for sure with the cast and execs.

Or maybe the focus shouldn't be on the phone anyway

The show does not focus on the phone, except where it is a natural part of the show. People look at their phones in real life and often in shows as a way of moving the story forward. People like you look for things like this on which you can focus to complain. Others notices and are amused. Most people do not even see it.

 

[falainber]

It's getting a little bit creepy. Apple fans buy Apple products, then they watch the shows produced by Apple which are trying to sell them even more Apple products. It may be unhealthy.

 

[ignatius345]

That’s actually what happened in one TV drama in Japan. The good guys and police all use iMacs and Mac Pros, while the bad guys use Windows laptops. The show did redeem itself, since the main protagonist always used Linux bootable flash drive even on his Mac.

Mr. Robot had a great little sequence this season where they break into someone's apartment trying to get the secure work laptop of someone who works at a bank. They find a MacBook at first and they're like "that's her personal machine" and move on to look for the Windows machine. Also from what I've read the hacking sequences in that show are pretty realistic as far as the code shown.

 

[LizKat]

It's getting a little bit creepy. Apple fans buy Apple products, then they watch the shows produced by Apple which are trying to sell them even more Apple products. It may be unhealthy.

Hah! I laughed! Watching TV isn't the healthiest thing to begin with really.

But we're talking about beauty in the eye of beholder here, no? Can frequent Apple product placements in Apple TV shows be worse for one's health than having one's TV practically hardwired to just one so-called news channel?

(Not to politicize the thread, I won't mention the one that came to my mind just now when I thought about tight feedback loops involving selling of "products" and the mirroring of those "products" in news reports... and there are several others with similar focus but on the opposite side of the aisles in US politics).​

At least with Apple TV, as with other channels where entertainment is billed as such, the experience can offer up some guilt-free time, i.e., during which it's entirely optional to wonder whether what's on tap is meant as news, fake news, deep fake news, subliminal or captain-obvious style product pitches... or just, you know, fun to watch while zoning out after work or on a weekend.

Not to say one can't get mired by choice in questions about whether product placement spoils the experience of watching any movie or TV show. But, LOL if one's home is already filled with Apple gear, as mine is, I must say the product placement in Apple's shows tends to escape me entirely. It's not like I notice my laptop when I walk into my living room. I might notice if it weren't there...

So is that unhealthy? Beats me. At least I can still tell fake news from the real thing, although I don't credit either my Apple gear or anyone's TV shows for that ability.

 

[I7guy]

It's getting a little bit creepy. Apple fans buy Apple products, then they watch the shows produced by Apple which are trying to sell them even more Apple products. It may be unhealthy.

To show how ludicrous this statement is, let's deconstruct with another analogy:

GE fans buy GE products, then they watch the shows produced by networks owned by GE, which are trying to sell them even more GE products. It may be unhealthy.

 

[falainber]

To show how ludicrous this statement is, let's deconstruct with another analogy:

GE fans buy GE products, then they watch the shows produced by networks owned by GE, which are trying to sell them even more GE products. It may be unhealthy.

GE does not even make consumers products anymore (not for a while). Besides, owning media companies is one thing, producing your own content is a totally different thing.

 

[Eliabra005]

When Sony Pictures - Tristar - Columbia were placing their VAIO Sony in their movies, nobody made a fuss about it.

 

[realtuner]

Not in Media and Entertainment. More like 90% iOS, even true for crew, but for sure with the cast and execs.

Maybe because over 50% of phones are Android so perhaps one appearing at some point would be realistic?

Not among celebrities or those with higher incomes. iPhones are dominant because they ONLY sell flagships.

It's getting a little bit creepy. Apple fans buy Apple products, then they watch the shows produced by Apple which are trying to sell them even more Apple products. It may be unhealthy.

You can always spot those who haven’t watched the shows and then lie about what they contain.

I’ve never seen Apple trying to sell anyone anything in their shows. Oh wait, I just spotted a new iPhone in See. Oops, I see iMacs in the control center for NASA in For All Mankind. Emily forgot to hide her Apple Watch in Dickinson.