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| Silvio Berlusconi punched in face after Milan rally Italian prime minister left bloodied and shaken after being punched in the face as he left a political rally in Milan. telegraph.co.uk |
Niger vows to arrest dissidents Niger says it will arrest three exiled opposition leaders - jeopardising crisis talks on the country's political deadlock. news.bbc.co.uk |
Products, I've a place for you | Rebecca Front You won't catch me stealthily plugging tea or mobile phones. No, I do it in a really blatant wayLiving room. Day. A ringtone is heard. Rebecca Front comes into the room and picks up her Apple iPhone 3GS. She holds it slightly too far from her ear, so the camera gets a good look at it.Rebecca: Hello?Editor: Hi, it's Gwyn from the Guardian.Rebecca: Ah, the Guardian. My daily newspaper of choice. It gives me just the right blend of objective news reporting and informed comment with the odd humorous aside to brighten my day. What can I do for you, Gwyn?Editor: (slightly perplexed) Well, I wondered if you had any thoughts on this product placement story. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is considering relaxing the rules that ban advertising within the fabric of a programme.There is a long pause.Rebecca: I was listening to you. In fact, I can hear you so clearly on this new Apple iPhone 3GS that it's almost as if you were in the room with me. The pause was just me thinking, working out how I feel about this … and, if I'm honest, it allowed me to savour a cup of refreshing Yorkshire Tea – the taste of the Dales – with just a dash of fresh, organic, semi-skimmed milk – the taste of ... a cow. Sorry, I slightly lost the thread of what we were talking about.Editor: Product placement. The British Medical Association and National Union of Teachers are concerned that unhealthy products could be marketed by stealth in popular shows.Rebecca: (chewing) Mmm, yup, I can see their point. I mean, we all enjoy the odd treat, don't we? Right now, for instance, I'm munching a bar of delicious Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate made with a glass and half of British milk, and Fairtrade Ghanaian cocoa beans. And that's fine, within the context of a good balanced diet that's rich in fruit and vegetables. But say you had some character in, I don't know, an ITV detective series, eating a bar of Dairy Milk with her cup of Yorkshire Tea while on her iPhone gathering evidence. Where would the nutritional context be then? Unless of course you got the writers to put in a line where she says something about going to the gym or eating a salad. But that might detract from the plot.Editor: (wearily) Yes. I think that's the other objection. Programme-makers are worried that their scripts may be compromised if they have to push a particular product within their show.Rebecca: They're right to worry. As a viewer, I don't want to watch a comedy show where all the characters have to wear, say, Converse Unisex All-Star Hi-Top trainers even if it's completely inappropriate ... though (chuckling) now I come to think of it, I can't think of many characters who wouldn't find it appropriate to enjoy the comfort, support and durability of a pair of Converses.Editor: I get the feeling you're not taking this entirely seriously … maybe we should ask someone else.Rebecca: (a panicky tone creeping in) No, don't do that. Look, I'll come clean. This whole move towards product placement is supposed to help broadcasters get over the slump in advertising revenue. But it's not just broadcasters who are suffering. It's voiceover artists too. Recession or no recession, a girl's gotta make a living. I thought about accepting sponsorship: "This column was brought to you by Rebecca Front, in association with Immodium." But then it occurred to me that with a little bit of product placement, I could keep my piece ostensibly the same while topping up the money you pay me with a little extra revenue, maybe the odd freebie. These are hard times.Editor: We just want a column. Your opinions. The odd joke. No adverts.Rebecca: And that's what you'll get: 670 words on why I think product placement is a rubbish idea. I'll email it to you this afternoon … thanks to this Apple MacBook. It makes instant communication as easy as …Editor: Erm …Rebecca: Sorry.Product placementAdvertisingMarketing & PRTelevisionTelevision industryRebecca Frontguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Housekeeper sues Israel PM's wife Sarah Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a lawsuit filed by her former housekeeper. news.bbc.co.uk |
Haitian-American Media Play Important Role for Haiti Quake Victims, Haitian-Americans Abroad US-based Radio Soleil has become a vital link to hookup with Haiti's Signal FM, the Haitian mega-station undamaged by quake www1.voanews.com |