In recent years it has become difficult to watch television
without seeing a certain brand pop up somewhere. Product placement is a much
used marketing technique since the ‘90s, and television functions as a perfect
medium for it. Not only because every new episode provides new possibilities
for product placement, but also because television shows are practically always
looking for ways to expand their limited production budgets. But some companies
go further than a mere casual shot of their product. They get incorporated into
the show itself.
The brand that is most notable for this kind of advertising
is Subway. The restaurant franchise was a pretty big sponsor of the beloved but
criminally low-rated series Chuck, so their sandwiches appeared frequently, as
you might expect. What’s more unusual is that the Subway slogan was actually mentioned by the characters. This is a pretty big commitment on the part of the Chuck
production team, since too obvious product placement might alienate viewers. In
this case however, it proved to be hugely successful, for Subway as well as
Chuck.