Product Placement in Children's Entertainment

More and more savvy media users have gadgets that enable them to zap past traditional 30-second TV spots. And they’re hip to product placements, in which advertisers pay to get their brands in movies, songs and TV shows.
So now, big advertisers like Volkswagen and Sprint, desperate to reach these retreating audiences, are sneaking in ad pitches by getting their products in places people might not expect, such as comedy shows and children’s cartoons.

“Advertisers are trying to find ways of reaching potential customers in more clever, effective ways that don’t cost too much,” said Bill Keep, marketing professor at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. According to PQ Media, a Stamford, Conn., research firm, product placements in 2004 were valued at $3.46 billion. Now that the product placement floodgates have opened, advertisers are looking at other areas that carry more risks. (GANNETT)