On the positive side for those of us who don’t make our money in advertising, this technology is something of a double-edged sword. Product placement makes lots of cash but it makes a lot of weird connections in people’s brains too.
[The technology] can [digitally add products/advertisements] if you are watching a film on a laptop, smartphone or smart TV, by tracking what you previously bought or looked at online. It works in the same way that online adverts pop up on websites based on your past purchasing or viewing history.
"The technology is an attractive bridge between the demand for high-quality content free from intrusive advertising, and alternative sources of content provider revenue," says Mr Taylor.
Cleopatra Veloutsou, professor of brand management at the Adam Smith Business School at Glasgow University, says these technological developments come as movie and TV advertising firms are trying to catch up with their online peers. "They have lost a lot of income, they are trying to find creative ways to catch up," she says.
However, associating your product with a particular film, TV programme or musical artist comes with risk, says Tamsin McLaren, a lecturer in marketing at the University of Bath's School of Management. "Things can go awry if there is a scandal or PR backlash," she says.
How product placements may soon be added to classic films - bbc.com
I understand the “need” to “carve open a new revenue stream” but can we just leave the classics alone? Of course we can’t because greed always wins. Sorry to be such a downer. But reality sucks sometimes.
Moving on…(sort of)
All I can see in my mind when I read about advertisements assaulting my eyeballs at every turn is this one scene from Minority Report: