Make your product the hero

A few product placements on TV Monday night worth mentioning.
During 24 on Fox, Morris falls off the wagon when he buys whiskey and a tin of Altoids instead of the Red Bull and pack of Marlboros he originally put on the counter.
After chugging the bottle, he reconsiders and uses the old finger down the throat trick to force himself to throw it up. At this point I think, "Kills whiskey-vomit breath. Curiously strong, indeed." But later, both Chloe and Milo smell alcohol on his breath. Guess those little mints aren't as tough as Jack Bauer.

Meanwhile, on NBC's Heroes, an iPod blasting rap music helped a woman cope with her super hearing. And the last shot before the commercial break was a long pan of the product. Unfortunately, it's sitting in a pool of her blood.


Dramatic shot, especially since it's still playing despite soaking in plasma. So I don't think it hurts the brand. But does it help?

I don't know if any of those placements were paid for. But Nissan's sponsorship of Heroes has included a fully integrated appearance of their new Versa since this shot in the first episode.

And last night, it certainly fared better than the iPod.

But I bet the car would have looked cooler with a few bullet holes.