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We haven't even considered cooperative advertising, which can be anything from myriad logos at
bottom of an event poster to
branded music tones and flashing-light Intel trademark that ends every other commercial for someone else's computer products.
But it extends further. Consider: Magazines that sell cover stories; product placement in movies and TV (and yes, live theater); branded clothing; bumper stickers; even fliers stuck on parked cars. There are ad messages on private automobiles (and those anti-humanistic trucks that some insist are called SUVs). Pull up behind a vehicle in traffic and you can read an ad for
car dealership on
license plate frame, plus another piece of public relations for
state on
plate itself. (Come on, you don't think it's hype to put "Land of enchantment" on every vehicle licensed in
state of New Mexico?)
You might think that this plethora of options makes it easier for firms to get their messages across to their targeted demographics, but a good case can be made for
opposite view. TV audiences are turning to Tivo and pay-per-view. Radio audiences are discovering XM and Sirius Satellite Radio. Newspaper readership is becoming an oxymoron. Motion picture audiences can be heard groaning, mocking or booing
pre-feature commercials.
This means there are a lot of people working on new ways to get
product benefits into
brains of
consumers. I do it with humorous radio scripts and subliminally seductive music, but there are going to be some innovations in our industry, and at
risk of appearing foolish, I'm going to make a few predictions. Within
next few years, we'll see:
* Debit card scanners in TV sets, so you can order during a commercial with
flick of your remote. * Barcodes in songs, so you can download from iTunes by swiping your XM or Sirius player with your Visa or MasterCard. * Credit cards built into wristwatches, so your "plastic money" is always close at hand. * Links to product sites in every scene of DVD movies or computer games. Do you want
shoes in
Tony Hawk Pro Skater game? Click-click-click and they're on their way to you via FedEx (note product placement for
big competitor to United Parcel Service). * Broadcasts of infotainment and advertainment will pop up everywhere: in public restrooms, at
Starbucks, at traffic signals, at
gas pump, on your mailbox, in
packages you purchase, in
parcels that arrive at your door, etc. * Captive broadcasts. Just as you can preview
music on packaged CDs (available in EU now, but coming soon to
USA),
product benefits, price points and warranty information will play as soon as you lift up a product in
store. * Digitized logo placement in
rebroadcasts of syndicated TV shows ("Hey, we can sell
product placement another three times!") * Branded ingredient lists on menus. * Corporate artwork that takes you on a virtual tour of
company. * Interactive ads, where you get to play Jerry Seinfeld and/or Superman (or
driver of
BMW) in a five-minute escape from reality (and from reality TV). * Holographic projections of commercials from postage stamps, car and house keys, magazine covers and ad pages, etc.
And these are just
changes we'll be seeing in
next few years. We're not even discussing
opportunities for advertainment once we move beyond traditional broadcast methodology; when microchips are embedded under your skin, YOU will be
receiver for TV, radio, satellite, telephone, and global positioning system signals. And at that point,
possibilities for marketing communication via advertainment are going to become truly mind-boggling.
Are these prospects exciting, frightening, or both? My view is positive. After all, a lot of these new forms of communication are going to need my scripts and my music.
# # #

Scott G is president of G-Man Music & Radical Radio. His music is on commercials for Verizon Wireless, Goodrich, and more. A creative director of the National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP) and a member of The Recording Academy (NARAS), he writes about music for MusicDish.com and the Immedia Wire Service. The G-Man's albums are released by Delvian Records and are on Apple's iTunes. He can be reached via http://www.gmanmusic.com.