• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, November 13, 2006

Effective product placement is a tricky, time-consuming business. It requires a subtle touch from marketers as they work with writers to weave brand messages into shows. It's a little ironic, then, that Comedy Central's "South Park"--a show not known for its subtlety--produced such an effective product placement for gaming giant Nintendo's new Wii system, slated to hit store shelves on November 19.

Nintendo's pitchman in the special two-part series last week was Cartman, the absurdly obese, hedonistic and selfish fourth-grader whose cutting sarcasm makes him the show's funniest character. The choice gives an idea of the "South Park" approach to product placement. Don't look for flattering context or attractive TV personalities to sell. Kid-glove treatment would be especially egregious to the show, whose mission is to mock and lampoon the powerful.

Instead, in the episode Cartman resembles an addict in withdrawal as he lusts for the new "Vii" system, heaping abuse on innocent friends and family members and raging against Nintendo for repeatedly delaying the release. At night, he lies awake in a cold sweat, tossing and turning in his rumpled pajamas and staring at the ceiling. Driven to distraction, he finally freezes himself, so he can endure the remaining two weeks before the system goes on sale without further torment.

In addition to the obvious satire of American consumer culture, with its video-game-addicted children who demand instant gratification, the plot is also a slap at Nintendo and rival Sony, which both angered their consumers by pushing back the release dates of their new systems.

Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are all introducing their next-generation gaming systems in preparation for the holiday season, with Sony rolling out the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft bowing the Xbox 360. But only Nintendo got the "South Park" treatment, bruising as it was--demonstrating that sometimes, mockery is the best form of flattery.