Marketers should not let recent media reports about a video product-placement “sellout” scare them off from sponsoring videos or dropping products in.
The concerns, first raised in the the Los Angeles Times a few days ago and likely to spread further (I received a call from a reporter in Virginia on the issue after the Times story appeared), are overblown.
YouTube has been covered in the media so exhaustively that reporters are searching for new and juicy angles. I’m sorry, but seeking controversy in product placements isn’t going to win any Pulitzers. The concerns could continue to circulate in the media for awhile, but they’re essentially meaningless.
Far more important for marketers is to execute product placements and sponsored videos correctly, in order to get optimum bang for your advertising dollar.
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