Ford ad after american dreams

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 11/21/04 at 9:01pm

What in God's name was that?
It was a nice tribute to the military and then
BAM
they hit you with an ad for Ford.

[liotte]

Posted: 11/21/04 at 9:07pm

Didn't care much for the ad, but I enjoyed the episode of American Dreams. Very happy that JJ came home... but now what comes next on the show?

[feinstein9]

Posted: 11/21/04 at 9:08pm

(spoilers)

unfortunatly, the whole episode was laced with FORD FORD FORD. on the bus meg took, on the tele in jack's shop, and of course the mustang jj got. it would have been a better episode if not for the constant commericial, despite the fact that it wasn't supossed to be interupeted. also, it was pointless, cheap, and stupid to have nick from the aprintace do the "your fired" thing. it had nothing to do with the show and broke the fourth wall. other than that, yes, the episode was incredibly powerful. i hope jj will be okay and not have too much post-tramatic stress disorder.
but i'm glad luke and rox are gonna be together. chris was a jerk for lying to meg about the fire.

[marincrazy11]

Posted: 11/21/04 at 10:07pm

loved the show tonight!!!!!!!! Yeah, Ford paid for the show to be commercial free tonight so I was expecting a lot of Ford. I want to know what's going to come next on the show though!!!!!!!!!!

Posted: 11/21/04 at 11:25pm

The Cambells' Soups product placement all season has been more annoying.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 11/21/04 at 11:29pm

get used to it, kids...it's what's happening in advertising.

Posted: 11/21/04 at 11:35pm

personally, If I had a choice between some Ford product placement during the show with no commercials, or the three minutes of crap that appears every twelve minutes, I'll take the product placement.

[FabalaCohen]

Posted: 11/21/04 at 11:51pm

"What in God's name was that?
It was a nice tribute to the military and then
BAM
they hit you with an ad for Ford."

This was the first time I've ever seen American Dreams and the second I saw the ad's ending, I was all "NO. You just didn't." Shameful.

[FabalaCohen]

Posted: 11/21/04 at 11:55pm

ignore that. My comp was being weird on me.

Updated On: 11/22/04 at 11:55 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 11/21/04 at 11:59pm

I love Tivo. On the few occassions where I still watch TV, it so very lovely to fast-forward through the commercials, and never have to remember when a show is on.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 12:02am

skipping the commercials: exactly why you are seeing more product placement in programming.

[Plum]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 12:13am

Did I mention I don't watch much TV? :P

And you know what, the companies are idiotic. The reason people skip the ads is because there's too damn many of them- commercial breaks have gotten longer and more frequent. Eventually people will get pissed off by product placement, too, and what will companies do then? Forcibly strap viewers to their chairs and hold their eyes open?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:22am

well they are trying to pass bills in congress to forbid you from fast forwarding through previews on TiVo and DVDs. If you fast forward through them, constant pop ups will appear during the program advertising what you fastf orwarded through and you will have no way tos top them.

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:50am

The solution to the DVD problem is to copy them and disable "user prohibited funtions"

The really shamefull thing about the DVD thing is that the WORST offender of putting 30 minutes of commercials at the front end of the disc is Disney.

Another example of out of control advertisement is Wheel of Fontune. My parents used to watch that show but they have quit now that the 30 minute program has become 12 minutes of content and 18 minutes of advertisement... really.


Remember back when there were Cable stations that were commerical free? What happened to that? Oh yea, greedy Hollywood.


Hollywood always wants to scream that they're for the little guy and all their other liberal platforms, but they sure are a bunch of greedy bastards.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 11:00am

Which shows you the real logic of Bush's plan to punish the people he labels with a broad brush like Rodney just did ("Hollywood"): Punish em by giving em a BIG OLD TAX BREAK.

That makes about as much sense as Rodney.

And Rodney, either you're FOR FREE MARKET CAPITALISM or you are not. If the market will not bear commercials, they would disappear.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 11:06am

it wasn't an ad for just any old ford, it was for the new mustang, if i'm not mistaken. and what a mustang it is.

personally though, i much prefer the mustang commercial that has the footage of old mustangs playing behind the new one as they rev through the national anthem.

[Plum]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 11:57am

What the hell, Rodney? Greedy Hollywood? Greedy Hollywood is owned by greedy corporate America, the Republican Party's best friend. And they will push and push and push to get their profits as high as possible now, regardless of the long-term consequences, because their moronic bastards like that.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 12:05pm

Haven't seen this ad. But I'll tell you what does make me sick is the new GM ad that uses The Beatles song "Paperback Writer". Way to go Michael Jackson, keep bastardizing the The Beatles legacy so you can pay your legal fees! Grrrr!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 12:25pm

eh, it's a cover version. don't blame michael as he basically turned over the rights to sony for a $200 million dollar "loan" a few years ago which he's done so very much to re-pay *cough, cough* *crickets*. blame sony's corporate suits. and the b-52s who recorded it. and apple who's selling it exclusively on i-tunes. and emi.

jackson's worthy of contempt for a lotta things, but he's got about as much to say in this as i do.

[DaysOfWine&Roses]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 12:47pm

I guess I"m in the minority in that the product placement did'nt bother me. I thought it was very tastefully done. AD is always a very tasteful/classy show, I expected nothing less with this particular episode.

Anyway, here's an article from tvguide.com http://tvguide.com/news/thebiz/
regarding the whole situation:

What's up with American Dreams' product-placement blitz?


NBC's American Dreams may be set in the past, but exec producer Jonathan Prince's approach to the TV business is steeped in the future. This Sunday's episode will run with only one commercial break, from sole sponsor the Ford Motor Co. But the Ford Mustang — which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year — has a prominent role in the show.

The 1966 Mustang will be seen in vintage TV commercials on the sets in Pryor's appliance store. And guess what's waiting in the garage for J.J. when he makes his homecoming from Vietnam? It's the latest example of how Prince has boldly integrated products into Dreams. Campbell's Soup has also figured into the show's story lines this season.

Such product integration is being counted on as the silver bullet against digital video recorders such as TiVo, which enable viewers to fast-forward past commercials with ease. Media-buying firm Magna Global cited a Nielsen projection that 10 percent of all television households will have a DVR by the end of 2005. Among those who have already owned a DVR for one year or less, 56 percent say they fast-forward through the commercials when they play back shows. That figure goes up to 72 percent in homes that have had the devices for a year or more.

While product integration has become a staple of reality shows, there is still a general resistance to it among producers of dramas and sitcoms. "My friends who do what I do, who are show runners, are much more resistant for two reasons," says Prince. "Some don't have to play this game. If I'm executive-producing Desperate Housewives, Law & Order or CSI, I don't have to play this game. I will someday, but I don't now. Part of that is staving off the inevitable so that I can 'creatively hold my ground.' The other reason is fear that somehow they will get a note from Procter & Gamble saying, 'You can't use product here.' My feeling is, I get notes all the time. I get notes from the studio, I get notes from the network, I get notes from everybody. My job is to take those notes and integrate them in a way that does the show no harm."

Prince acknowledges that it's a little easier for him to work products into his family-oriented program than a cop show or a medical drama. When Ford did a similar product-integration deal with Fox on 24, there were lengthy discussions about how the cars were used. Precautions had to be taken to make sure no villains were behind the wheel.

"Families are consumers," says Prince. "That's what they do. They consume products. It gives us a gigantic advantage. I put the dad in a TV store and the daughter dances on American Bandstand. So TV commercials are everywhere."

The 1960s setting for Dreams helps as well. "We are locked into using brands that have lasted for 45 years," he says. "That means when you tell a story about Ford Mustang or Campbell's Soup, you are saying, 'This has been around for years.' We were here during the difficult times of the '60s, and we're still here now. It makes you dependable. It makes you a true blue-chipper."

American Dreams has a passionate, loyal group of fans who tune in every Sunday at 8 pm/ET. But it's been hurt this season by being up against ABC's red-hot Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the most warm-and-fuzzy reality show in prime time. Prince is hoping that his willingness to play ball with advertisers will keep his show — and others like it — alive.

"I'm not doing this because I'm vested in the future of Procter & Gamble or Ford," he says. "I'm much more vested in keeping a broadcast television model that works for shows that are marginally successful, and there are going to be more and more of these shows that cost more than a reality show and aren't doing CSI-like ratings. There is a group of viewers who are extremely loyal to our television show. But if you don't grow that group of viewers, you'd better find a different way to get revenue."

Translation: Big-name advertisers — come on down! "Here's a chance to have TiVo-proof advertising with a show runner who is friendly and knows his job is to sell soap, soup, cars, whatever," says Prince, adding, "I'm open for business."

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 12:54pm

Who else thinks AMERICAN DREAMS is headed for hiatus?

The show has been flying by this fall, skipping through seasons, doing Thanksgiving way early, and shoving a Christmas reunion into a November sweeps episode. In soap opera it's called "eating story," which means change is in the wind (change of writers the ususal) But this is primetime, with different stakes.

My guess: I think the show will have to have done well in November sweeps to come back right away. If anyone digs up info to the contrary on its future, please post. This has been an oddly paced autumn; I hope there's more.

Posted: 11/22/04 at 1:01pm

They've GOT to put it in a better time slot. Maybe Thursday after The Apprentice is over.

Last year they went weeks and weeks without showing a new episode. If I sit down at 7pm (central) on Sunday for several weeks in a row, to Watch American Dreams and it's not on, then how likely am I to be there when it IS on?

[DaysOfWine&Roses]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 1:10pm

They are currently filming episodes for when it comes back (they'll break for the holiday's I assume).

But, it won't be back until at least January. I'm thinking maybe even Feb. Holiday specials and whatnot will take it's place. They handled the whole thing (albeit rushed) just fine.

I would rather have it handled like this (a new ep. week after week with no interruptions). Waiting 2 weeks here, 1 week there, for a new ep. is nothing but frustrating.

I'm much happier with how they handled things this year.

Posted: 11/22/04 at 1:41pm

I agree


*** Spoiler for the 11/21 episode ***

One thing about the episode that I didn't buy was Helen waiting in the car for the family to come out of church to tell them JJ was coming home. You'd think her rushing in to tell her family that their son/brother was safe and coming home would be an acceptable reason to disrupt Midnight Mass.

[etheb]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 1:53pm

i loved last night's ep. the product placement within the show didn't really bother me... and i was really confused during the part with the guy from the apprentice because i didn't know who he was. my mom had to explain it to me afterwards. anyways. the commercial afterwards was hilarious because it was so bad. they couldn't act at all! oh, and the next episode is 1/2/05, according to nbc.com. can't wait!