Product Placement on Reality TV Seems Somehow More Realistic

PRODUCT PLACEMENT ON REALITY TV SEEMS SOMEHOW MORE REALISTIC
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stuart Elliott]
As the writers’ strike keeps the television networks scrambling to fill their schedules, the producers of reality shows are gladly stepping in to fill the vacuum. And with the propensity of those producers to incorporate the products of sponsors into the programs, don't be surprised if the vacuum bears a brand name like Hoover or Dyson. It is typically easier to weave a product into an episode of a reality show than into a scripted series. For one thing, the contestants in reality shows are usually more willing to pitch products than the actors in scripted programs. Actors prefer to worry about their art -- and their long-term value as endorsers of a certain soda if viewers have already watched them cheerfully drinking a different brand. Also, viewers seem more tolerant when products turn up in settings that are deemed realistic rather than fictitious. A result is that the networks are expanding their reality plans, particularly as the ratings for some strike fare are surpassing the viewership for the scripted shows they replaced.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/business/media/23adco.html?ref=todayspaper
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