Product placement involves having characters in a movie, TV show, stage play, music video, book or other means of public entertainment, use a real product during their performance in such a way as the product is clearly visible and identifiable to the viewing public.

Sometimes the product is used, as in drinking a can of Coke, while other times just the product logo may be shown, as in the name of a brand of gasoline. Product placement may also be seen in public places such as airports and bus terminals in the form of a display of actual samples.

With the advent of time-shift recording devices (DVR, DVD Recorders, TIVO) advertisers are realizing that people are likely to fast forward through commercials and not see their product. So product placement is targeted to where this cannot be done without destroying the integrity of the entertainment. It is becoming more prevalent on television, and is likely to completely eliminate commercial breaks in the future. Paid product placement has been used in feature films for more than 50 years.

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