I recently came across an interesting blog by Abby Tayleure about the enormous amount of product placement in Lady Gaga videos. Abby has rewatched Telephone and Bad Romance and had noted the specific times in the videos where the product is shown. She counted 17 of them in total.
After reviewing the list of brands featured in her music videos (Virgin, PlentyofFish, Wonder Bread, Miracle Whip, Chanel, Polaroid, Hp, Coke… etc), I feel that the advertisements did not have a huge effect on me. I admit that I find Lady Gaga’s music videos were highly entertaining because they are weird/crazy/creative (or whatever word you want to use), and the products were all unexpected, and provided surprise for the audience in that sense. However, I believe the companies wasted their money by paying Lady Gaga and Beyonce to use their products in the music video, because I did not change my attitude towards the brands that were featured. After reading a bit more online about Lady Gaga and product placement, I found others who shared my view. Most of the brands that were shown in the Lady Gaga videos are not luxury brands, nor modern brands. I do not associate Miracle whip, Polaroid, or Hp with social trends. Ie, they are not Nutella, Canon, or Apple. They are the “desperate” brands who wishes to gain some publicity by appearing in a popular music artist’s videos. In contrast, Nutella, Canon, and Apple already have a loyal following, and would rather spend their marketing funds elsewhere.
