Product Placement in Unforeseen Places: Ellen DeGeneres and The Truman Show

On Tuesday I sat down to watch on of my favorite talk shows, Ellen. Before her first guest she began what seemed like an informal anecdote in which she told the audience that she had recently started a sugar cleanse in an attempt to be healthier. She commented that many people may be wondering what she can eat, she said her diet is not much different, just cutting out anything with added sugars. Then she made a remark about people questioning what she can drink. What followed was not an answer, but an obvious product placement for Vitamin Water Zero. Below is the clip:

With rising popularity in DVR and TIVO, and the easier than ever ability to avoid commercials from television altogether by simply pressing a button, it stands to reason that many television shows have turned to subtle techniques of product placement; a sip from an Evian water bottle, a flash of a Motorola phone, a Toyota in the driveway, a morning breakfast of Eggo Waffles and Pop Tarts. It has been even more apparent in reality TV shows which have sponsors. Perhaps the most famous is American Idol which any viewer could tell you is sponsored by Ford, Coca Cola, and AT&T. In Practices of Looking, Sturken and Cartwright comment that advertising has come to mean more than just the ad itself (198). They state, “advertising is only one part of a broader commercial environment, that includes direct marketing, different product placement and display, and complex distribution networks (198).

But somehow it just didn’t seem right for such an obvious scripted moment to appear on a talk show. It took things a step too far. She wasn’t casually drinking from a Vitamin Water Zero bottle, but she provided a full testimonial that severely distracted from her show time. And then she gave a year’s supply to everyone in her audience. I felt like Ellen was selling out, conforming to the advertisers. Maybe it’s just my opinion, but she seemed less than thrilled to go through with her assignment, playfully arguing with producers if she had to actually say everything on the cue card, or if she had to actually take a sip of the drink.

The whole incident seemed fairly reminiscent of a scene from The Truman Show, which pokes fun at the commercialism of the reality TV genre. The basic plot of The Truman Show is a man whose life, from birth has been broadcast nationwide, 24/7, his whole life is scripted, and he’s the only one who’s unaware. In a hysterically satirical scene Truman is trying to have a serious conversation with his wife, only to be interrupted by her constant attempts at product placement, the only way the sponsor’s products can get air time, as the show runs without commercial breaks. Below is the clip.

Except this wasn’t a satirical comment on commercialism. Or a spoof of product placement taken too far, it was serious. It was a break from the natural unscripted flow of a talk show to sell a product. Is this the future of television? Will Regis and Kelly begin to swap product plugs, instead of family stories every morning? If so viewers may decline to watch, rendering the product placements meaningless in the end. I guess we’ll just have to tune in and see.