One of my favorite shows to watch is That 70s Show re-runs on Netflix. With Stars like Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Topher Grace, the show features the lives of a group of adolescent friends living in the 1970s. This American sitcom originally aired in 1998, but is set in the suburbs of 1970s Wisconsin, where episodes develop comical struggles of early adulthood. Having watched this sitcom before, I was aware that there are some products that are mentioned throughout episodes that are clear and obvious to the audience. Other products, however, are visible in background scenes, or are a general part of the environment, but are not as noticeably obvious to attract a viewer's attention. The episode I chose to watch was from season 6, episode 20, called "Squeezebox." This sitcom is always entertaining, but I always found this episode to be one of the more comical and relatable ones.
The most obvious product placement that I first recognized was for Budweiser beer. It is first evident on Hyde's (a main character's) shirt. He is visibly wearing it in at least two different scenes, each for about 2-3 minutes in length. The Budweiser logo re-surfaces when another main character, Red, is visibly holding a can in his hand while he is sitting at the kitchen table. There are no other cans or bottles with visible labels surrounding it, which makes the Budweiser label stand out. He also holds it so that "Budweiser" is clearly facing the audience at all times during the scene. I have also noticed that Budweiser receives a lot of screen-time during almost every That 70s Show episode. This leads me to believe that because of its prominent exposure, Budweiser more than likely endorses or sponsors the show, and requires that they receive so much air-time per episode.
The next product to be featured was a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and poster. Hyde is one of the most featured characters during the show, so once again he is the one wearing the t-shirt. He wears it for the remainder of the episode, so the Led Zeppelin logo is obvious in multiple scenes. It is also found in a poster in Donna's (another main character's) bedroom. The poster is in the background, but it is not blurred or out of focus like the posters usually are. It is clearly visible and is actually kind of distracting when Donna is standing in front of it in the scene. The band, which formed in 1968, was popular in the 1970's rock genre. I believe that this placement of a group, rather than a product, is to not only help establish the 1970's setting, but to also encourage viewer's to revive Led Zeppelin's music.
In a side story in the episode, Eric (another main character) works diligently on a Star Wars X Wing Fighter model, and even brings out his Star Wars action figures. Not only is the merchandise for the movie being exposed as products, but Eric, along with other characters, verbally mention Star Wars multiple times throughout the show. I think the producers used this exposure with the same intention as the Led Zeppelin products. The first Star Wars movie was released in 1977, so Eric's obsession with the movie reflects the popularity of it at that time. The intentional verbal and visual product exposure of the movie helps reiterate the setting of the 1970s along with the clothing style, hairstyles, room decor, and cars, to a targeted audience of young adults in the late 90s.
While Budweiser, Led Zeppelin, and Star Wars products were noticeably placed and discussed for a purpose in the show, there were some products that can arguably be determined as visible products that were not strategically incorporated for the audience's attention. Products that I noticed were as follows: a Candyland box, Cosmopolitan magazine, Kahlua bottle, and Forbes magazine. If I were not looking for these products for this assignment, I probably would not have noticed them while watching the episode. These products were either blurred and set in the background, or were only exposed clearly on camera for a brief moment in the scene. For these reasons, I believe that this was not intentional product placement like the others I had mentioned before. There was not enough emphasis on the products, and a lack of interaction with the characters made them seem less important. After completing this blog, I realized just how obvious producers and writers make advertising within television shows. The use of character interaction and setting help enhance the exposure of the products to sell the audience a product or in this case, a band or movie, without them even being aware.
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