Over the holiday break, Time Magazine took notice of all the Apple product placement in two of the season's hit films: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Of the latter, TIME wrote (kindly citing our ongoing Brandcameo product placement tally) "If it weren’t for Apple, the IMF would be SOL."

Of course, here at brandchannel we've noted (numerous times) Apple's involvement in both Mission Impossible and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Of the former, we noted that, 15 years after being a very public partner of the first Mission Impossible movie, Apple now zips its lips, "unwilling to even acknowledge its product placement program."

The two films cap off a year that was, as has become typical, extraordinarily filled with Apple product placement.Continue reading...

It's the end of 2011 and the last chance for Apple to get all its product placements in before beginning onscreen dominance anew for another year. Apple already has a starring role in the new Mission Impossible, and, who knows, maybe the glowing Apple will also appear in We Bought a Zoo (alongside Home Depot), The Darkest Hour or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

One film opening over the holiday break, based on everyone's favorite global adventurer, will likely not have any Apple tech products. But that doesn't mean Tin Tin can't sell some product or help build brand awareness.Continue reading...

As Hollywood's year winds to a close, it's a weekend of "colons." Three sequels are hitting theaters with the industry hoping audiences are more interested in seeing an old idea again over anything new.

The Hollywood fare opening this weekend — Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and ‪Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chip Wrecked‬ — use colon-tastic titles in lieu of roman numerals. Sequels they are nonetheless. Even the product placement and marketing seems reheated.Continue reading...

Paramount Pictures turns 100 in 2012, but it’s getting the party started this week.

When the studio’s latest blockbuster — Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, starring Tom Cruise — opens on Friday in IMAX theatres (and everywhere else on Dec. 21), observant moviegoers may notice that the studio branding has had a little work done, which some might miss as they turn off their phones or tear open their Junior Mints.

Paramount’s famous mountain logo has been redesigned, adding “100” at the center in honor of its upcoming centenary. According to its press release,

"The studio’s first logo, a symbol of a rugged, snow-covered peak from the Wasatch mountain range, was created in 1916. The 100th Anniversary logo was created by Devastudios, Inc. Paramount will use the (new) logo throughout its centennial year in 2012. Beginning in 2013, the wording about the 100th anniversary will be removed from the logo, with the rest of the design remaining in use."

Entertainment Weekly points out that the original semi-circle consisted of 23 stars back then while the new centenary logo only has 22. (Perhaps one was whacked when the studio released The Godfather?)Continue reading...