It's called "branded entertainment" in the media business, and in that business it's currently all the rage.
If you remember the BMW films that were made, and shown on the Web on the BMW website, well that was one of the classic examples that started this trend. These were little action films with big-name directors and stars, and big budgets, in which all the cool car chases featured BMW cars. Innocent enough you might think?
Well now "branded entertainment" is moving into local "news" programming.
The Hollywood Reporter today (Thursday March 16) tells how local television stations are starting to whore themselves out, to "integrate" products into "news" programming. For money.
"There are more local news stations that are incorporating brands into news in innovative, cutting-edge ways," says Aaron Gordon, president of entertainment marketing firm Set Resources Inc. "The line, which has always been black and white in terms of what 's news and what's commercials, is now being blurred".
Great news for America! More after the fold.
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