• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, February 11, 2005

If no claims are made by a consumer product as to the level of its performance, then how much of a mind-manipulating threat can it be to television viewers? Not much apparently.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruled yesterday the growing trend of product placement on TV needs no special labeling. Unlike a TV commercial, a product placed on the set or in an actor's hand on a TV show, makes no claim.

Commercial Alert, a nonprofit advocacy group, petitioned the FTC to label product placement before, after, or during a TV show. It believes not to do so is misleading viewers.

FTC disagreed, saying consumers don't give more or less credence to products that appear in product placement situations since, most times, there is no valuation - by actors -- either negatively or positively toward the product.

The FTC may have a point. Most product placement today still typically shows products merely in the background or foreground. Actors may talk about a product, but it is never the center of a story. It's only an aside, an association.

Commercial Alert believes something needs to be done as product placement movement grows - and as our TV airwaves become more cluttered with marketing. It doesn't want it eliminated, which is less severe than European broadcasters who totally ban product placement.

The Association of National Advertisers said Commercial Alert is misguided since "the FTC already has the power necessary to stop false or deceptive advertising in the product-placement area."

A warning or label in effect defeats the whole reason for product placement. Consumer products are used for product placement on TV shows to present reality, organically, without calling too much attention to it. You almost forget it's there.

Almost. That's the subtle manipulation advocacy groups are warning against. With the growing wave of product placement, no one wants a consumer duped into mindlessly buying Perrier because Will of "Will & Grace" was holding one in his hand a half-hour after viewing the show.

But don't worry. The product placement trend will have a saturation point -- basically non-organic placement. That's when Will will be holding both a Perrier and a bag of Oreos cookies. That's too much -- and maybe not his style. When that happens, the level of product placement will be instantly cut back, because viewers will turn off the show.