Advertising is built into ‘House of Cards’
Netflix has released the new season of “House of Cards.” If there’s been one criticism of the show, it’s that it’s too heavy on product placement.
One plus for brands: viewers can’t fast -forward through product placement, says John Murphy, who teaches advertising at the University of Texas at Austin.
“It’s part of the story line, and therefore it’s potentially much more valuable exposure than a traditional 30-second spot,” he says.
The brands are definitely making money. But the shows? Unlikely, says Abram Sauer, founder of the Annual Product Placement Awards at Brandchannel.com.
“I would be shocked, personally, to learn that any money was paid to Netflix in any form,” he says.
Sauer says a lot of times brands pay with props instead of cash. Like, if there’s a bar scene, the brewer will bring in everything needed to make it look like a real bar. For a show, that can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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