Music videos are the new wild west of product placement. Cars. Booze. Dating websites. Nothing is too absurd to work in. For example, Britney Spears recently had her way with a police officer on a shiny red new Volkswagen Beetle. As we said, anything goes.

But just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Consider the brands that seemed to think the new Eminem video, Space Bound, was prime real estate for a little product placement. But did Sun Chips and Net10 even bother listening to the track?Continue reading...

Gucci Gucci is a parasitically catchy tune with a (NSFW) video that has already rung up over 3 million views. The track is singlehandedly credited with landing the unknown and largely untested Oakland artist Kreayshawn (the self-styled 21-year-old 'creation' whose real name is Natassia Zolot) a $1 million recording contract with Sony.

And after pop artists Spears, Ke$ha, Lopez and Lady Gaga filled their recent videos with product, the anthem's chorus "Gucci Gucci, Louis Louis, Fendi Fendi, Prada" is at once an endorsement, and an indictment, of commercialism in pop.

As Kreayshawn recently told Complex magazine, "It’s not really to say ‘F**k Louis’ [Vuitton] or ‘F**k Gucci.’ I have a Louis belt. Basically, it’s saying don’t let the labels make you who you are. Sprinkle it in there, but have your own style."Continue reading...

The hottest video in rotation is currently Lady Gaga's Judas. With as much style as it lacks sense — it's a muddled religious metaphor; all you need to know is she's a Harley-loving Mary Magdalene, as her new album cover tipped off fans — it's characteristically Gaga.

Plus, unlike recent videos of fellow pop divas Britney Spears and J.Lo, it appears Gaga has eschewed the overt product placement of last year's Telephone — apart from the Harley Davidson bikes that open the video, and the Schott Perfecto leather motorcycle jackets — for brand cameos that would be more recognizable to fashion cognoscenti.

As the Haus of Gaga's creative director/stylist Nicola Formichetti notes on his Tumblr, the video's fashion credits include Thierry Mugler, vintage Christian Lacroix, Alexander McQueen shoes and a Versace bracelet that was a gift from her Japanese fans.

Judas also contains one prominent product placement that might surprise fans of the songbird who sports a peace sign tattoo on her wrist. Continue reading...

The video for Rebecca Black's so-bad-it's-epic song Friday now has a gobsmacking 60 million views on YouTube. Black, meanwhile, has become a punching bag for culture critics who have taken upon themselves the important work of knocking a 13-year-old girl down to size — one, at least, who no longer needs an allowance from her parents.

Black's Friday should interest brand marketers who are trying to figure out the viral video space. Above, the video's co-star can be seen, sporting a grill if not braces: a convertible Chrysler Sebring. Of the product placement, The Wall Street Journal asks "Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ Video: Will Chrysler Benefit?"

The short answer to The Wall Street Journal's question is no. In fact, Chrysler will be happy if it just breaks even.Continue reading...