Product Placement

When I was watching Psych the other day, I noticed a product placement for Axe products with the character saying something to the effect of "They flock to them, like ladies to men wearing Axe". Product placement is when a show or movie place either a product's logo or a blurb about the product within in exchange for payment from the company of the product. I don't think product placement is bad unless it really is detrimental to the quality of wherever the product placement is. The Subway product placement clip shown in class was an example of being at least slightly detrimental to the show because the mention was both long and had nothing to do with the show. I might be underestimating the power of celebrity influence on people but I see no harm in the Coca-cola labels being placed in a way that the camera sees them for the judges on American Idol. I also find it interesting that shows often have to modify names of products so they are spoofing brands, like with Pear computers on ICarly, so they won't get penalized from using a company's brand unauthorized but the viewer will still know what the product is referencing. This is to make sure that a company's brand won't be used in a negative light. How big of an influence do you think product placement has when paired with celebrities?

In response to Justin Joliffe's post

 Justin raised the question of whether or not generics would overtake the expensive brands and whether that movement would increase outsourcing.

I don't think the generics will overtake the more expensive brands. There will always be people that will buy the name brands no matter how much they cost because of the perceived value that come with them such as status. Also, with things like food, some generics just don't taste as good as the more expensive brands that they are use to. Labor seems to be the most expensive variable in the manufacturing process, so most likely if the expensive brands take a hit, they most likely would alter labor first. I don't think the movement is wide enough that the profit margins would change enough to make companies that don't already to outsource though. I have always used generics anyways when quality is not compromised opposed to the expensive brands anyways. How big of a price change would pay between the generic and the name brand if quality is slightly compromised?