Apple And The Boob Tube

Rick Zeman writes "The Washington Post talks about Apple's success in product placement in television shows. While 'Apple said it does not pay for product placement and would not discuss how its products make their way into television and films' television viewers are treated to the view and use of Apple products in such shows as 24, Sex and the City, and this year's biggie, The Office. Also from the article: '"Apple is the brand of people who are creative," said Lucian James, president of Agenda Inc., a brand consulting firm. "Where they are using Apple is sort of suggesting artistic-ness."'"

Comments

Obviously for the benefit of the masses

[Bombula]

I wouldn't say film and television uses Apple to suggest "artistic-ness" so much as intelligence and sophistication.

Which of course means that what they should be using are hacked XBOX 360s running Linux...

Re:Obviously for the benefit of the masses

[marimbaman]

I wouldn't say film and television uses Apple to suggest "artistic-ness" so much as intelligence and sophistication. Which of course means that what they should be using are hacked XBOX 360s running Linux...

Er, wouldn't that be suggesting living-in-parents'-basement-ness?

From TFA

[Space cowboy]

Indeed, actors on [The Office]'s drab workplace set do not use snazzy Apple computers, but rather black, generic desktop PCs.

Of course, for Apple, that works too...

Simon.

MovieOS

[TheSHAD0W]

I bet they have coders all set up to make their computers display what they need to, as props; while if the studios used X86 they'd have to hire their own coders. It's important for the computers to be able to blink "PASSWORD DENIED" in red, and then "password accepted!" followed by the super-secret information fuzzing in with neat video effects.

Re:MovieOS

[Bogtha]

Don't forget if you are searching for something, it needs to flash up each and every record in the database until it finds the one you want.

I can't wait until Google supports this killer feature.

Set dressing

[vought]

I'm lucky enough to have known a couple of set dressers for popular television shows introduced over the past decade. We never spoke specifically about Apple products, but she (both of them) had iBooks, a cube at home, etc.

Decorating a TV set is pretty complicated. You don't show brand names unless they're paying for it (and you must hide those brands from all camera angles), but you want to encourage a feeling of familiarity for the viewer, so you end up with stuff like a half-turned Coke(TM) can that has a malformed "ribbon device" to avoid the trademark police. Regardless, you always display products that the viewer will find familiar - hence the avocado-green washer and dryer on That 70's show. That godawful combo isn't there because it's pretty, but it is a clear indicator of when the show occurs, and a nod to the life and times the show is set in.

Apple is pretty unique in that they don't have to pay, but you'll notice that rarely is the Apple logo shown on TV shows that place Apple products. Apple knows that their industrial design is enough to get them placed in shows that want to show progressive, forward-thinking office environments or creative, flip characters.

You see racks of Dell servers on "24", but you never see the word Dell, either - and I'd bet you my neck on a block it's because XServes just don't have big enough blue LEDs and blinky lights - and because Dell's servers are, oddly enough, among their best looking products.

Apple products just look better on camera, full of artful, swooping designs that are utilitarian enough for everyday use, but futuristic enough for TV's trendsetting set dressers.

Re:Free product

[moosesocks]

This is pretty normal operating procedure from what I understand.

Everybody wins. The studio gets free props, and Apple gets free advertising. If anything, it works out better for apple, as they get free advertising.

That said, I think that apple products get chosen by the set designers simply because they're the most stylish/fashionible. If you want a futuristic, high-tech set (ie. 24), Apple's the way to go. It's their job to make the set look good.

What?

[ScrewMaster]

Apple is the brand of people who are creative.

Baloney. I'm not knocking Apple products ... but from a marketing perspective Apple is the brand for people that are willing to pay a premium for their personal computers in order to suggest that they, themselves, have some degree of "artistic-ness", or at least style. Yes yes, many Mac users are artists or graphic designers or what-have-you, but people such as that purchased their equipment on its merits and have no need to impress anyone with "hey, look at me I have a Mac so I must be artistic!" For me, a computer is a box that sits on the floor and should remain as inconspicuous as possible, since I'm not trying to make any kind of statement with my choice of computer system. I make that statement with the quality of my work, regardless of the platform I happen to be working on at any given time.

Re:What?

[shmlco]

"Yes yes, many Mac users are artists or graphic designers or what-have-you, but people such as that purchased their equipment on its merits and have no need to impress anyone..."

To quote, "Baloney." Keep in mind that artists and graphic designers happen to be the exact same types who'd appreciate Apple's elegant lines and strong industrial design.

I have an Apple Powerbook, and I bought it not because it makes a statement to others, but because it works, works well, and I enjoy using it. I love solid well crafted tools, and I hate the flimsy creaky cheap plastic crap that other manufacturers pass off as "design".

I work better on my Mac. It's a synergistic effect.

Characterizing Apple owners as mere status-seekers is as simplistic as my characterizing Linux-types as people too cheap to pay for software. Sure, some might qualify as such, but it would be unfair, unwise, and, well... stupid for me to tar all of them with the same brush.

Re:MovieOS already exists, under a different name.

[Xyde]

Actually that machine was running UNIX. IIRC it was a Quadra 700 running A/UX 3.