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Why hide the Apple logo?

T

TrashCanDan

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 1, 2005
83
0
Phoenix, AZ
Ok, I decided to honor my first thread with something that has been puzzling me for a while now. I know Hollywood loves placing Macs in thier movies but why is that I sometimes see the Apple logo covered up with a round white sticker? For instance; in the "Drew Carey Show" his office is covered with imac G4s but everyone of them has a sticker over the logo. In a TBS commercial theres a whole room full of imac G4s and again theres that notorious sticker over the Apple logo. I also saw an ibook on some house renovation show and they put some ugly sticker over the Apple logo as well. Why would they go through the trouble of covering up the Apple logo? I wouldn't think Apple would press charges if a T.V. show, commercial, or whatever used an Apple product or displayed their logo without Apple's consent. It would be like free advertising for Apple. So If someone could enlighten me about this it would be great and stop all these sleepless nights :D

::Thanks::
 
I have no idea so sorry if i'm wrong

Pherhaps Apple only allows certain show or even channels to display the apple logo.And the others just simply don't have permission. :confused:
 
They have to pay Apple to be able to use the Apple brand in film or TV. If the logo is not shown, it's because the producers of the show didn't want to pay apple. Considering the unique design of some mac (iMac G4 especially) I can't blame them for not wanting to pay....what's the point when everyone knows what the product is anyway?
 
Simple. Product placement isn't free, unless the show wants it to be. And you're right, it IS free advertising... so, if a product maker such as Apple isn't willing to fork over the money, the producers of the show may not allow their logo to be shown. Some shows will let the logo show even without money because they choose to (e.g., The OC). But shows that are all about product placement (e.g., Extreme Makeover) aren't in the business of giving it away.

Apple has very little to do with this, although they COULD sue if their product was shown being used in an unsavory way (e.g., whacking someone over the head with a Powerbook, or inserting an iPod somewhere it shouldn't be inserted).
 
Peyote said:
They have to pay Apple to be able to use the Apple brand in film or TV. If the logo is not shown, it's because the producers of the show didn't want to pay apple. Considering the unique design of some mac (iMac G4 especially) I can't blame them for not wanting to pay....what's the point when everyone knows what the product is anyway?
Click to expand...
You've got it all backwards... Apple would have to pay for the product placement. Shows can use whatever props they like, without having to pay anyone. Only if the product was used in a demeaning or unsavory way would the show be in any sort of peril.
 
ericssonboi said:
They don't cover it up on CSI... see it all the time.. its great
Click to expand...

sometimes they do, with a seal of some kind. Probably the crime lab seal. And if you look at the earlier seasons, you'll clearly see a powerbook that runs on windows. Don't ask why.
 
Can you imagine Alias agents using Windows and PCs for their espionage work? They might as well hire scabs. He he. :D
 
clayjohanson said:
You've got it all backwards... Apple would have to pay for the product placement. Shows can use whatever props they like, without having to pay anyone. Only if the product was used in a demeaning or unsavory way would the show be in any sort of peril.
Click to expand...

He's right - it's Apple that have to pay the producers of the show. Producers don't like giving free advertising, which I guess is understandable.

There is a thread about this somewhere around here, but sure :)

andy.
 
clayjohanson said:
Shows can use whatever props they like, without having to pay anyone. Only if the product was used in a demeaning or unsavory way would the show be in any sort of peril.
Click to expand...
A example of this is Sex And The City* – the Apple logo on Carrie's PowerBook was normally left visible – but in one episode when it broke, the logo was covered. I guess Apple wouldn't want their products portrayed as being unreliable, hence the sticker.

*There was nothing else on. Honest. :eek:
 
Jaffa Cake said:
A example of this is Sex And The City* – the Apple logo on Carrie's PowerBook was normally left visible – but in one episode when it broke, the logo was covered. I guess Apple wouldn't want their products portrayed as being unreliable, hence the sticker.

*There was nothing else on. Honest. :eek:
Click to expand...

Being a huge sex and teh city fan i did notice this, and wondered when I chaged to mac, why her Mac laptop got a virus ??? i thought there were none??? i blame bad script writer :)
 
Jaffa Cake said:
A example of this is Sex And The City* – the Apple logo on Carrie's PowerBook was normally left visible – but in one episode when it broke, the logo was covered. I guess Apple wouldn't want their products portrayed as being unreliable, hence the sticker.

*There was nothing else on. Honest. :eek:
Click to expand...

Well, let us see...

1. ...was normally left visible... ...but in one episode when...

2. ...*There was nothing else on. Honest...

huh? :D
 
Jaffa Cake said:
A example of this is Sex And The City* – the Apple logo on Carrie's PowerBook was normally left visible – but in one episode when it broke, the logo was covered. I guess Apple wouldn't want their products portrayed as being unreliable, hence the sticker.

*There was nothing else on. Honest. :eek:
Click to expand...

It may be because of what the other user mentioned. The may not have wanted to risk negative action from apple because of the script editor's decision to have computer troubles on a Macintosh in front of thousands of tv viewers.
 
It costs money to advertise like that. The people making the show would have to pay Apple to use their products on tv. So they cover the logo so they don't have to pay for it.
 
clayjohanson said:
You've got it all backwards... Apple would have to pay for the product placement. Shows can use whatever props they like, without having to pay anyone. Only if the product was used in a demeaning or unsavory way would the show be in any sort of peril.
Click to expand...

Actually, that's not entirely true. Shows must get permission to include copyrighted material -- they have huge staffs to do this. I recall a lawsuit when a chair was used in a Batman movie without permission from the manufacturer. The manufacturer won, and Batman had to pay them.

However, generally big companies LIKE to have their products in movies/TV: it's free publicity. So then the filmmakers realized that they could CHARGE companies to include their products. But it's still the manufacturer that has copyright, and they must give permission for filmmakers to include the product in the film.

My understanding is that it's Apple's policy to give permission, but not to pay for product placement. So the filmmakers sometimes retaliate by covering the apple logo and not bothering to get permission.
 
Apple is probably the company that does the most product placement.

But the gist of the above people is correct, Apple will generally give permission to show their products, and will pay for it if it's high profile enough (Mission Impossible, You Got Mail, etc.).

Of course sometimes they get really good stuff for free, i.e. Forrest Gump when he finds out that what he thought was a fruit company was actually Apple Computers and they flash the Apple logo on screen.

Alias does use a lot of Windows laptops, just not so much in Season 4.

There are entire legal teams dedicated to checking over scripts and the daily's and getting permission for every single product and cultural reference in there.
 
Product placemente is payed by the company advertised, not by the movie or show that runs it. For example, the Drew Carey Show is popular (has always used macs also) but they mabe contacted apple to advertise or pay for showing their products, when apple declined, they put a sticker to hide the logo. It isnt much trouble to put that sticker.

If you see a logo on other shows, it means the company whose logo was shown payed the producers for the advertising, or that the producers didn't mind giving away free advertising to the companys whose logo was shown.
 
Hmm

If I'm not mistaken, Apple stuff was seen quite prominently in the first season of 24. Now, Apple is nowhere to be seen but HP LCD monitors are everywhere.

Also, you may notice that all the good guys drive Fords. Bad guys drive Chevy's. Coincidence? Um no.
 
Apple NEVER pays for product placement - it's company policy. Producers and the networks decide on whether or not they want to or can show the logo. Since product placement is becoming such a huge portion of many show's operating budgets the networks are starting to quash unpaid placements. You'll notice on some shows - usually reality shows - that they blur out the logos of cars, stereos, TVs, etc. that are brands that have not paid for placement.

I love seeing Apple gear in shows and am actually very glad that Apple is good/hip enough not to have to pay for it.
 
clayjohanson said:
You've got it all backwards... Apple would have to pay for the product placement. Shows can use whatever props they like, without having to pay anyone. Only if the product was used in a demeaning or unsavory way would the show be in any sort of peril.
Click to expand...




double post
 
different theory

There is something that I don't believe anyone is mentioning here.

While you were watching your show, how many Dell ads came during the commercial breaks? How about HP?

I believe in a lot of cases, if a program is being sponsered with advertising dollars from Company X or Company Y, they are sensitive about overly-glorifying Company Z by putting their products front and center and in your face (and let's face it, there are few logos that are more bold and in my face than a glowing white Apple logo).

I'm sure Dell would not be very happy to pay good money to advertise their Dimension desktop for 15 or 30 seconds, and then have a gleaming beautiful Powerbook shown on the program in actual use by a character. The viewer might say to himself, "hmmm wonder why I should get a dumpy old Dell, when I could use a sexy little Mac like that svelte hipster Drew Carey..."

In movies, or in shows that aren't sponsored by advertising dollars (i.e. Sex and the City), you don't generally see this sort of logo hiding. In shows that rely on their commercial advertisers to pay the bills, you see it quite frequently.
 
It really irks me when they cover over the Apple Logo. It makes the producers of the show look tight and it also wrecks the credibility of the fictional characters...because who in their right mind would want to disguise their mac?
 
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