When Saw 3D was released last year we noted what a wasteland horror films (typically) are when it comes to product placement. In fact, we couldn't find one single product in Saw 3D. Other than one good product placement joke, this week's number one film, The Rite, fits the horror profile.Continue reading...

A New York Times Media Decoder blog post today is noteworthy for how it perfectly frames the primary misunderstanding of exactly what product placement is.

In the piece, which notes the appearance of a Coors can in Disney's upcoming film Tron: Legacy, (above) the Times notes, "Cynical moviegoers may think the screen time is a case of product placement, where marketers pay Hollywood to embed their wares into the action… But Coors did not in fact pay for its part in the film."

Curious why The New York Times is wrong, both about what product placement is — and why Coors should be fretting?Continue reading...