Lights, camera, brands

"... In 2004 the value of product placement in American television grew by 46%, according to PQ Media, an alternative-media research firm. Adding in films, magazines, videogames and music as well as TV, the market was worth $3.5 billion in 2004. Leslie Moonves, chairman of CBS, a broadcast-television network, recently said that three-quarters of all scripted prime-time network programmes will soon contain paid product placement. The growth is occurring because advertisers reckon that it helps to sell their brands, and television firms are desperate for extra money as some of their traditional advertising moves to the internet and elsewhere. ..."  Link:  The Economist.  Thanks to Chuck McConnell for the tip.  --Dennis