After all the research I have done for this series, I have a much clearer picture of what is going on behind the scenes of an advertisement’s concept and philosophy. I have never been watching TV anyway; all the advertising hoopla just gets on your nerves after a while. Besides, I have better things to do than watch the crap that is called “entertainment” today.

But even though I have cut off most advertising, including popup blockers and spam filters on the computer and not watching television, there are still plenty of ads I see. On billboards, in newspapers and magazines, in the radio – advertising is everywhere. And it’s not too bad either. Advertising is a form of communication and a means of helping to revive the economy… To some degree at least.

I have an interest in advertising. Thumper works in the field and obviously has a genuine interest in advertising as well. For him, it’s a passion. I found this quote and it makes it a lot of sense when you identify it with advertising.

Art is individualism, and individualism is a disturbing and disintegrating force. There lies its immense value. For what it seeks is to disturb monotony of type, slavery of custom, tyranny of habit, and the reduction of man to the level of a machine.

- Oscar Wilde

To conclude the series, I found some interesting articles while researching and reading other blogs, and I would like to share them with you.

Mom Grind: Truth in Advertising

Mom Grind – this gem of a blog is very interesting as it too has expressed a very good opinion on advertising over the years, like this post.

The Jungle of Life: Old Hat, New Hat

My friend Lance, author of The Jungle of Life, wrote this article as we were working on the series. I feel it fits in perfectly. It is called Old Hat, New Hat and he explains to you his experience of looking for a new bicycle for his up and coming of two triathlons. I really the the quote Lance used here:

I think when shopping we need to ask ourselves these questions.

1. Do we really need this?
2. How long before something else replaces it?
3. Is this going to collect dust or be used?
4. Can I afford it?
5. Why pay full price? It will go on sale! So go back and read 1-2-3-4

When we have kids, I am not sure if we would even own a TV other than to watch movies. The thing is, advertising is everywhere and you can’t be with your children all the time. That is why it’s important to educate them early. I would answer any questions they ask if they saw something inappropriate in a magazine or newspaper. I would never encourage mimicking of anything they may have seen in advertising.

Huigh McLeod: Cartoons drawn on the back of business cards

This illustration by Hugh McLeod is pretty straight forward.

I want to thank those of  you who have followed the series and participated in the discussion. Thumper, thank you for being involved in this series. It was so much fun.

One last thing: while watching videos for the series, I thought this commercial would be a good example of great advertising. I saved it for the last post – here it is.

What ads or commercials really draw our attention, and why? Do you think being aware of advertising and having a little insight into it will change the way you look at products? Will it change the way you shop? Let us know below.

Here are all parts of this series again:

Advertising Towards Dummies - the start of it all
Celebrities, Movies, Role Models, Money - just what the title says
17 Sexy Commercials - somehow this is the most popular post of the series. I wonder why.
Teenage Illusions - about our children in an advertising world
Interview with an Advertising Professional - the second most viewed post in this series

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Let’s get right to it.

Thank you for joining us. Advertising is such a large field and can cover a variety of tasks. Can you give us a summary of your daily dues? What do you do exactly?

Thumper: Thank you for the opportunity! I’d like to say that I enjoy reading this series very much and I hope to be able to contribute something of value to the great discussion you have started.

I run a marketing consulting business that is geared towards startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. If I had to put what I do into one line, I’d say that I help build brands. My tasks include a variety of skillsets, and what I end up doing for each client strongly depends on the case. I have created and helped create advertising campaigns on most levels – from graphic design to copywriting, from conceptualizing a marketing plan to media buying, from initially analyzing the market to measuring the result of a campaign.

I have to say that this is not typical for the industry. It is what comes from having my own business and deciding on a case-to-case basis to what level I am able to contribute to the client’s cause. It also depends on the size of the venture – larger companies usually have structures in place and hire me for certain aspects of an existing campaign plan only. Both types of clients (large and small) have their advantages and disadvantages – where bigger corporations have a hierarchy, a time-consuming structure of command, and various hoops in place, a smaller company is usually more fun to work with because I have more of an impact on the results.

How did you get into this industry, and what was the driving force behind your choice?

I started my business back in 2002 after having studied Economics and Marketing. It was a big step for me and obviously not the typical path to get started in advertising. Usually, you would get a job at an advertising agency or marketing firm and work your way up.

The first ad I remember to have created was back in senior highschool. I had been writing for the school paper for a while. It was called Sometimes because it was issued very irregularly. The other thing I liked to do was doodle in class – yes, this is the typical story that almost every graphic designer will tell you.

One day we noticed a decline in sales for the Sometimes. We tied that to nobody actually knowing that a new issue was out. The decision was to advertise it from now on using posters across the school… I did the posters.

My decision to go to college for economics instead of graphic design was based on another thing though. I knew early on that I wanted to go “entrepreneur” rather than “cubicle career”. My opinion was that I would need to know how to run a business – graphic design was extremely fun as a practical skill but marketing had always interested me as well. I had always preferred reading the Harvard Review over any novel… Go figure.

We talked about ethics in advertising a lot in this series. What is your take on it?

This is a very interesting point. The question is, what is considered to be ethical? I think most agree that an ad should not lie. If a pill does not cure a migrane, then please don’t advertise it as a migrane killer. But what if that pill helped 70% of all people who took it in a study? This is where it gets tricky. You have a product, you’ve invested millions of dollars into its research and development, and it does its job – but only in two thirds of all cases. This is a constant issue in the medical and beauty field – no person is the same, no matter how much we put them into demographic and social groups.

Is it ethical to advertise the safety of a car when it is not 100% safe? Nothing is 100% safe, no car will ever be able to protect its inmates from any possible crash. If there is a test on safety in some magazine and a certain car model is the winner, then it gets a badge that will almost always be used in the advertising for this model. Is it unethical to pronounce “safest car 2009″ when the term “safest” only refers to a compaison of other cars, but not to the general meaning of safety?

The fashion industry. If you wear those D&G sunglasses, does that raise your coolness factor? Does it make you a better person? Most certainly not, but the brand does carry an image that has been carefully built for decades. It’s called brand image and it is always geared to what the target audience wants to be like. This is achieved through emotional advertising: brand communication that has been manufactured to touch on the target’s emotions. Show them what they could be like with this brand, build expectations, differentiate.

In my opinion, this all boils down to education. A lack of information will always be used against you, be it in commerce or in politics. If you have a television set, you’ll know this and agree with me. Sadly, today not many people qualify for the term “educated”. A lack of education on one side always means an advantage for those who are educated; who often enough abuse this advantage for their own benefit.

This is the pessimistic way of looking at it. It’s Darwinism. On the other hand, today people have more options and possibilities to become what they want than ever before. We know more today than we ever knew in history. It’s all at our fingertips, ready for the taking. The variable in there is “us” – we need to want to be educated. Not everybody wants to.

As a rule, most ads are not deceptive. They merely emphasize on the benefits of the advertised product or service. This is the definition of advertising. When you go to a job interview, you dress up, practice your keyphrases, and try to make an impression – you are advertising yourself. Do you say that you sometimes have trouble getting up in the morning? Do you say that you don’t really want this job and you could care less about the company, but you need the money?

Everybody, including your future boss, knows that there are days where you’d rather not get up. It is human nature; it’s implied. On the same token, every grown-up knows that advertising is by definition in favor of the advertised product. Our job as consumers is to educate our children to be aware of this fact.

When does it go too far? Do you think there should be stricter rules and regulations when it comes to advertising?

There are regulations in place about fair advertising. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is usually the first to take something down if it is deceptive. Of course, the system isn’t perfect. Often enough, I see an ad that just makes me shake my head.

What I think should be reconsidered is advertising that is aimed towards children. We are far from being able to say that all parents fulfill their duty to educate their kids about advertising. I am a strong advocate of education starting at very early ages; I consider myself very thankful and lucky that I have been raised this way. We didn’t have a TV by choice. I read instead – books, not magazines (reading a magazine is consuming, not reading). I grew up being aware of the world around me – or so I think – and I believe this is the right way to go about raising children. Honestly, I didn’t always appreciate not being able to chime in on the various discussions about the newest episode of some series in school. I hated it. But looking back, I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

I think this is the real problem in the world today. We fail to educate our children enough. I think there should be better systems in place to educate parents about educating their kids. I also think that advertising towards children is not fair because of this fact.

The question is, what is the right way to approach this? Should we ban advertising towards kids? Should we cap a multi-billion-dollar vertical’s means to communicate their products with the market? Should we at least put a cap on their methods? I believe this is a problem and it should be addressed on both ends; the parents’ and the advertisers’. I don’t see this happening anytime soon though. Once again, it’s up to us to educate our children. Nobody else will do it for us.

What would a world without advertising be like?

Honestly, I think very boring and sad. Advertising drives the economy. It creates demand. Demand creates jobs. Jobs create wealth. Wealth creates innovation. Innovation creates competition. Competition creates more innovation. Take advertising away… What do you have left?

I don’t know for sure but it certainly wouldn’t be as entertaining as it is today.

A huge concern of mine with raising kids today is what they are subjected to in advertising. It must be incredibility hard for those who have children. Children are starting pre-school as early as 2. Which is good – they learn social skills and interaction with other children. It just seems like such a long time when you think about it. Usually a child is at home for 18-19 years. The thought of them having 16 years of schooling before college seems funny to me.

In this time when you are not with them, the interaction with their surroundings and with other children takes place. It is only normal to expect good and bad influence. This is all a part of growing up, after all kids learn by example. Some kids are going to be more privy to television and magazine ads. This influence is going to appear in their behavior. Advertising is something a child needs to understand because it is everywhere they go.

Commercials & Children

Kids are watching commercials and hitting replay on the remote control because of a hot model or sexual content used to get attention. Boys are becoming shallow, arrogant and superficial because they will only look good with that hair gel brand. They are led to believe that rude behavior is acceptable in society. Girls are dressing sexier and wearing more make-up to look older. The perfect body provided by the marketers are giving our teenagers a false perception of what the perfect body is. The influence is noticeable just by walking through the mall on the weekend.

Body image is a very delicate topic with teenagers. Young girls should not be influenced by hungry models wearing a size 2. What they should be taught to understand that it is advertising, and advertising only. Decades of research tell us that people strive for beauty and idealism. Depicting a beautiful image touches on the viewer’s emotions. Emotional advertising is key – people want to see exaggerated benefits, not features. People want to be told a story, not hit with technical details. People want to dream – they deal with real life all day, after all!

This image placed in our children’s heads of the perfect, sexy woman or the perfect, handsome is actually harming them. Young girls alone have enough difficulties dealing with the normal stuff of being a teen – without having to have a negative body image.

Teenagers & Sex

The simple truth is, teens have become sexually active at an earlier ages. I think a lot of this is due to exposure to advertising. Needless to say, having sex too young is is emotionally and physically dangerous. Teens aren’t usually aware of all the responsibilities of sex. Or all the consequences.

On the flip side, adult men are finding it necessary to be more cautious meeting women. Horror stories of men come to mind who think the girl is an adult – then finding out she is underage after buying her alcohol or having sex with her. One thing leads to another and we all know what happens next. Jail time for the man who has been deceived by a misleading teenager.

Teenage sex is also opening the door for an unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and depression. I would tell any teen to think clearly about having sex for the first time. What they do today may come back to haunt them tomorrow or farther down the road. Sex should be a beautiful experience, especially the first time; this is an experience that you cannot have again. Once your virginity is gone, that is it. So you better be in love and plan a future with your partner instead of whoring out in order to climb up on the ever so present popularity ladder.

The Perfect Body

Not every woman or even every man can be expected to have a model-prefect body. For some reason, men have been excused from perfection and the pressure is mostly on us women – but that is another story. Using a model with a prefect body to sell products it is influencing young girls and boys as well though: the kids are getting the wrong messages about body image and the meaning of sex. Both are dangerous in the hands of young teens who have yet to be educated. Two of my main concerns are eating disorders and then kids becoming sexually active so young these days. This causes depression and anxiety from being subjected to the pressures brought on by advertising – multiplied by hormones and just being a teen.

I am astounded about the number of young women who have died due to anorexia. Even when there has been so much publicity of young models inflicted with eating disorders and dying of heart failure on the runway. Yes, the actual runway.

What comes to mind here is the tragic story of 22 year old Luisel Ramos and her 18 year old sister liana Ramos. These were two sisters who died within months of each other, both from anorexia, both in the modeling profession – where size zero is expected on the catwalk. Their deaths did bring international concern for models being pressured to be so thin. Italy banned all models who wore a size zero as an effect.

Another case: Ana Carolina Reston, a beautiful Brazilian model, died in 2006 from anorexia related complications. Ana was 21 years old. Statistics show Iceland leading the world-wide death toll due to eating disorders per capita – but the United States, while on position 8, still has in the highest total amount of deaths in the world.

Girls and boys have so many things to deal with as a teenager, not just eating disorders. Hormones are going crazy. Experiencing acne for the first time. They start dating and have extra added pressure with school. Besides that, they are planning for what happens after high school graduation. During all that time, they are surrounded by ads showcasing perfection – but also by the in-school Taco Bells and McDonald’s… Confusing!

Teenagers need to know what a proper diet is and stop hanging out at the fast food places. This is a maze we could all fall into just because of the convenience of a drive-through. It is very easy to fall into this trap and gain extra weight. It is also very easy to fall into the other trap advertising the opposite extreme.

Advertsing is not a topic our kids are going to learn in school; it is the parents’ responsibility to explain what advertising really is. The opportunity for this could also be the perfect time to introduce budgeting to their lives: after all you are molding them into mature and responsible adults; you don’t want them to exceed their expenditures when in college. You’ll be the one ending up paying for it anyway…

Nothing sells better than a flash of skin. But a sexy ad does not necessarily have to come with naked models. Often enough, it suffices to merely suggest, or imply sex, without showing it in-your-face style. It strongly depends on the age of the target group the ad or commercial is geared towards.

So lets talk about sex

This is a mature matter, but I have picked commercials your kids may have viewed (if you have kids). It’s all in the best interest of this series, since sex plays a big role in both print and TV advertising.

Lets not be hypocritical here. I remember when I first met Thumper, there was a definite physical attraction. Then I found out that he was intelligent too, which made him even more attractive to me. Seriously, I can remember looking at pictures and noticing how our bodies perfectly lined up. We are all curious about sex. Sex appeal is one of the biggest motivators – for both sexes.

Now let’s shuttle back in time when the man did the exploring and provided for his family. Often tea producers and tobacco companies used a woman on their label to attract the male to their products. In a sense, it was to remind him of his significant other. In another sense, touching on the longing for the opposite sex. Providing him with a fantasy.

Image by Joan Thewlis. Click to enlarge

It is human nature for us to be curious when it comes to sex. The phrase sex sells has been proven to be working for hundreds of years. Replicas of women carved out of wood were on signs for saloons, tonics and tobacco. As things progressed, images of women were used on packagings and even inside of packs of cigarettes. The W. Duke & Sons Company started using trading cards of sexually provocative starlets in their cigarette packagings in 1885. Within five years, the brand was the leading seller.

But let’s dive into modern advertising now.

Calvin Klein & Mark Wahlberg

As I reflect back onto advertising that caught my eye, one of the first advertisements I recall was with Mark Wahlberg. It was pasted on a city bus, and he was only wearing a pair of Calvin Klein boxers. Go figure. Here’s the corresponding TV commercial:

Lord have mercy, but if you have seen any ofthese advertising posters, you have to appreciate them. Why do I, because I appreciate a handsome man in great physical condition. Because it is normal. Not to mention my bedroom at home was plastered with New Kids On The Block posters. I loved Donnie Wahlberg and having his brother in boxers on my wall was pretty cool.

Absolut Vodka and Kayne West

This advertisement was made to inform us of the collaboration between Kayne West and Absolute Vodka. Or something like that. The artist teamed up with Absolut Vodka to make this funny commercial that gives you the powers to be Kayne. Absolut Vodka has been a sponsor for Kayne since February 2008.

And here is the next one; this time, the brand appears more clearly:

Martini & George Clooney

The ultimate man of sex appeal, George Clooney. I would even hit replay on a George Clooney ad for a cheap vodka. I don’t particularity care for the taste, but I do like George Clooney. This commercial for Martini is one of my favorites. I think you would agree if you had a choice – George or Martini – George would win hands down.

Tanqueray Gin – Playboy & Tony Sinclair

Image source

Here we have a  poster of Hugh Hefner and a couple of his playmates promoting Tanqueray Gin. The popular gin has been around since 1830 – Playboy since 1953. Tanqueray claims the popularity of this endorsement with Playboy still influences sales today.

Rodney Mason, is the actor playing jet-setting party boy Tony Sinclair, is the spokesperson for Tanqueray Gin. Tony Sinclair always has a beautiful woman on his arm and a hilarious laugh. Are you ready to Tanqueray?

Cabana Cachaca Rum Ads

Image source

Is that a tan line? Why yes, it is. Cabana Cachaca is a Brazilian Rum so why not use Brazilian bikini lines? This very provocative marketing strategy has swept the world over the last couple of years and it seems to be working well for them. This poster is mild to compared to the ones showing a clear image of the models breast.

In some major cities in the United States, Cabana Cachaca posters and billboards have been banned because of the nudity. This print ad was one of them: a woman dressed in nothing more than tan lines, a pair of stilettos, and a bottle of the alcohol brand. Here’s a Cabana Cachaca tv commercial:

Smirnoff Vodka and James Bond

Victoria’ Secret

I love Victoria’ Secret and I do purchase many of their products, and this ad is kind of cool. Sex and the recession! Victoria’s Secret is well known for their beautiful models and imagery.

For those of you who actually noticed, the above sexy commercial already portrays Victoria’s Secret’s recent logo evolvement.

Dolce & Gabbana

This commercial is one of my favorites. Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses truly give things a new perspective, according to the ad:

G.Q and Mercedes

Hugo Boss

This is an ad for the Hugo XY and XX cologne. Hugo is a brand extension of Hugo Boss and (clearly) targets a younger audience, as opposed to their other brand Boss.

Nando’s

Here we have a commercial advertising Nando’s  hamburgers. The ad is a promotion for their new Double Breasted Burger. The brand co-op with Coca Cola Zero is included as a product placement.

Milk – It does a body good

Even milk ads got in to the game. This is a video that is a couple of years old but very good.

Axe

The refreshing aroma of this deodorant makes for an interesting experience in the elevator. Plus, a list of sexy commercials wouldn’t be complete without an Axe ad.

Lynex Jet

Here Lynex Jet is promoting the airline of the future. Including the mention of an exclusive member, the mile high club. Sex appeal – fun – fantasy.

Home Depot

Yes -  even Home Depot gets in on the action. There seems to be a sale on heavy power tools, I think. Or did I get it wrong?

Need Glasses?

This commercial was broadcast in Germany a few years ago. It was before I knew Thumper but one of my friends in Munich sent it to me. Now remember this is an advertisement for eye glasses.

It has been fun writing this article and I came across more reads about sex in advertising such as this article by Daily Finance. Many nights while I was collecting the sexy commercials I was seeing squares when we went to bed. So many to watch, I could have gotten stuck on Youtube when I typed in Calvin Klein alone. Every boxer ad popped up and not just Calvin’s brand…

So what do you think – does a sexy commercial have the right to exist at all?

A standard in advertising is to use the perfect model – a well-liked celebrity – in order to attract attention, brand, and build an image. Celebrities are our heroes; what applied to kings and dukes before the modern ages now is true for them. People look up at them and put stock in their opinion because they love them. We love the supernatural role models because they live the lives we dream about.

What is true for Hollywood sometimes applies to Washington, D.C. as well. A stage as slippery as politics inevitably comes with an entertainment factor – a factor that doesn’t always come from the inside: protagonists attract people’s attention by definition. So sometimes, we spectators get lucky to witness a moment that deserves gossiping about just because it’s so fantastic and out of the ordinary. This is a marketer’s dream not only in the United States:

Photo source

In this billboard for underwear brand Bruno Banani, I doubt it was solely about lingerie. In April this year a 1000 Square foot billboard of much loved German Chancellor Angelia Merkel and other prominent German politicians and celebrities was mocked up in front of Berlin’s strip mall Ku’damm. Angela was clad in a purple bra and matching panties – now that’s buzzworthy!

Campaigning for political support is one of the ways the candidates get the word out to us. There is a lot of dirty pool going on, as we very well know, but everyone is fair game when it comes to advertising. Or so it seems. Every piece of information we get, be it through a newspaper story, a magazine feature, or advertising, contributes to the manifestation of an opinion. It’s called building a brand image and the word ‘brand’ can stand for anything you want. Bubble gum, General Motors, Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, Irak – it doesn’t really matter what it is.

The slogan used in the above billboard says,

We do our best to stimulate the economy.

- the copy then goes on to say, “trade in an old pair of undies and get € 5.- off a new pair!” In advertising, even the perceived claim is interchangeable and in this case, it’s not really about saving $7 when you buy new underwear. It’s more about creating brand awareness and the “saving factor” only offers an added hook to remember the ad’s context. I doubt that many people will take their old undies to the store just to save a couple bucks. So what is really being advertised here?

Advertising is always looking to improve the messages. New paths are approached – over-saturation makes it necessary to stand out. In this case, it does make me wonder if this billboard ad has a subliminal political statement. Germany’s current Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is running against Angela for the highest office in the country in September of this year, is featured on it as well – in a very confident pose right behind Angela Merkel. Given the slogan of the ad, doesn’t Angela look a little featherbrained in contrast? Flashes of my country’s presidential race are coming to mind. I think that at least to a point, this is a piece of the puzzle of the political campaign of competitor Steinmeier.

For those of you who are not aware of Angela’s accomplishments – she is the first woman to be chancellor of Germany. She is also the president of the European Union. Forbes Magazine has named her the most powerful woman in the world 2006-2008. In 2008 Merkel received the Charlemagne Prize after working to reform the European Union.

Billboards. When I see one, what attracts my attention is the scale of it, and the person on it. It is interesting to see advertising billboards that are placed so high above the buildings. They are not only larger than life, but also higher above the ground than anything else. Closer to the sky, so to speak. That’s superiority in extenso.

The picture, or message, becomes complete with all the other ads around us. Cafes, buses and train stations are places where you will find the smaller versions of billboards in poster form. Other posters appear in the street and on the outsides of buildings. Many times they are at eye level to gain the attention of commuter traffic and pedestrians.

The movie with the sarcastic title Thank You For Smoking is about the spokesperson of a tobacco company’s lobby organization (fantastic and hilarious movie, you should watch it!). His tasks include negotiating deals with Hollywood bosses, or bribing the Marlboro Man so that he doesn’t sue the tobacco company for his cancer. In the former case, there is an upcoming movie that our man would like to use to promote cigarettes. It’s a space movie… Nothing is impossible in advertising, right?

Product Placement

So let’s talk about product placement in movies to complete the circle we started. Product placement is a great trade-off between the entertainment industry and advertisers. In the marketing mix (the 4 P’s) it clearly belongs in the ‘Promotion’ category. You know product placement when you watch a movie and the hero is eating a bag of Lay’s or doing a search on Google. Embedding advertisements into entertainment is an attempt to build an emotional bond with consumers – real-life products in a fictional story contribute to brand ubiquity quite a bit.

In a couple James Bond movies, Pierce Brosnan drives a BMW. Then Mr. Bond drives his BMW off the rooftop of Hamburg’s Atlantic Hotel Kempinski right into the Avis Dealership he rented the car from in the first place.

More of the products used in James Bond movies are Perrier Mineral Water, British Airways, IBM Computers, Jack Daniel’s Black Label Scotch, and Smirnoff Vodka. The Omega watch has been the watch worn in Bond movies since 1995 when it replaced Rolex.

A little trivia about Omega: Omega has been the official timekeeper for Olympics since 1932 and will be used again at the Winter Olympics in 2010. The first watch on the moon was worn by Buzz Aldrin and was a Omega.

James Bond is not the only walking advertisement though.

• You’ve Got Mail – America On-Line (AOL), Apple, IBM, New York Times and Starbucks.
• Austin Powers – Pepsi and Starbucks
• Cast Away – FedEx and Wilson Sports equipment
• Men in Black II – Ray-Ban sunglasses, Mercedes Benz, Sprint, Burger King
• Lara Croft Tomb Raider – Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
• Knocked Up – Google, E! Television Network, Red Bull, Sierra Pale Ale, BMW, and Apple computers
• The Bourne Ultimatum – Google, Nokia, Norton Anti-Virus, Motorola Razr, BMW, Volkswagen Touareg, and Mercedes
• Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and The Haunted Mansion (2003) – based upon theme park rides
• Sex and the City – Apple computers, Marlboro, Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Cartier, Christian Dior, Jimmy Choo, Absolut  Vodka, Fendi, Oscar de la Renta, and Durex.

The above is only a tiny fraction. I don’t intend to cover all product placement that has taken place since the dawn of modern advertising – almost every movie that comes out today is co-sponsored by at least one commercial product.

So when you watch a movie, be aware that the celebrity in it is only a celebrity because of his or her popularity among their fans. And down at the very core, deep inside – what is a fan like everyone else in the world?

A consumer!