The internet marketing blog genre itself is often monetized by becoming a vehicle for product placement. Pop-up ads, link building and spam keep you assured that “you’re a winner!” as you navigate the web. Banner ads pop in and out of windows, flashing different sites that you could be at instead. Love it or hate it—advertising is dense, targeted and everywhere you go.
Modern advertisers have deadly aim. If someone stays logged in to their emails or social media platforms while searching the web they will quickly find ads becoming more and more tailored to them. To give companies credit, sometimes readers really are interested in seeing “The Newest Fall Looks” they can jump to in just one click. Internet users experience a lot of convenience when their interests come directly to them. Some Internet users will find they enjoy the customization as a search engine remembers what city they are in and tailors their results.
However, it can be a little much; companies hunger to learn more and more about potential clients just through a few Internet searches which can leave users feeling a little exposed. Considering how sensitive of an issue identity theft is many people may prefer that their search engine leave their own personal information out it.
Morgan Spurlock, filmmaker of “Super Size Me” fame, is well into his next project—a movie that in financed solely by its product placement. He gave a TED talk about his film in March.
Spurlock has made a body of work focused mainly on putting himself in uncomfortable positions and studying the sociology behind them. He said, however, he’d never been more uncomfortable than when he stepped into the boardroom with advertising big wigs.
By studying product placement and the way it can shape a film so closely Spurlock raised a lot of questions. All of the top advertising companies that he approached initially backed out, wanting nothing to do with the film. Mainly, it seemed, that a loss of control was what deterred the clients. They were concerned about being represented too transparently.
But what’s the problem with transparency? Well, for an advertising company to be transparent would be to show all their cards. The companies may not want consumers to know their tricks and, frankly, consumers might not want to know them either.
Transparency is scary from both sides. It can be creepy for consumers because they may not want to know all that companies know about them. The consumer doesn’t want to be transparent—no one wants to so simple or predictable. It can be a little frightening for brands because they may not want us to know the efforts they go through to read us. Additionally, if we knew the tactics that they implemented they may not be able to work as well.
