Abstract

COVERT AND PUBLIC SERVICE ADVERTISING: ITS NEED AND IMPLEMENTATION

Rishi Mohan

Volume: 1 Issue: 2 2011

Abstract:

Covert advertising is presently a hot trend in promoting products and services. It embeds a product or brand in entertainment and media and uses undercover tactics turning ordinary entertainment into an extended ad. It raises brand or name image making it more recognizable and memorable to the target audience. In the film, “Minority Report,” where Tom Cruise’s character, John Anderton, owns a Nokia phone and a Bulgari watch with the logos highly visible to the audience. Another is the futuristic film, “I, Robot,” where Will Smith’s character made mention of his Converse shoes a couple of times calling them classics. Auto makers use films to advertise their models such as “Spaceballs” (Audi and Mercedes-Benz), “James Bond” (Aston Martin, Ford, BMW, Saab, etc.), “The Matrix Reloaded” (Cadillac) In the film “Bladerunner,” the product placement was very obvious where the whole film stops to show a Coca-Cola billboard. This type of advertising is also used in reality shows and television series. Screenwriters and actors, however, find covert advertising not so pleasing partly because, unlike reality TV stars, they are not paid for such endorsement. In addition, covert ads jeopardize the integrity of their craft. Hence, writers and actors are calling for disclosure informing the audience at the start of the program that they will be subject to covert ads.

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References

• 'American Advertising: A Brief History' – essay at George Mason University
• American Memory Collection of the Library of Congress
• Advertising & Society Review – an online academic journal publishing diverse points of view on advertising's role in society
• Advertising Collection from the Library of Congress
• Advertising Educational Foundation – advertising-related resource including vast archive of award-winning advertisements
• 'Advertising in the Schools' – article from ERIC
• Association of National Advertisers Homepage
• Commercial Alert – an advertising watchdog group
• Duke University Libraries
• Emergence of Advertising in America – online articles from Duke University
• 'Educating the Consumer about Advertising: Some Issues' – article from Education Resources Information Center ('ERIC')