• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 20, 2006

For years, product placement was a hush-hush subject in the world of media sales. Deals were done quietly, perhaps because marketers were wary of being associated with the hot-button issue of subliminal advertising.

Nevertheless, the business is now out from behind the curtain. Besides routinely being the focus of panel discussions at media conferences, an online product placement marketplace has just made its first deal, and a cable network has hung out a "for sale" sign to let marketers know it's ready to insert their products into its shows.

Media Matchmaker, a Web site launched 45 days ago, allows content producers looking for product placement dollars to search for advertisers--and vice versa. The site, mediamatchmaker.com, has facilitated its first deal: Quik Drop International will have a role in the upcoming syndicated show "Countdown to Draft Day."

Meanwhile, Court TV is running an ad in an online industry publication touting itself as a product placement outlet. The ad says "product placement is a Court TV specialty" and opportunities are available in reality shows "Parco, P.I." and "Beach Patrol" and celebrity crime news show "Hollywood Heat."

"There's an acceptance," said Media Matchmaker CEO Betsy Green of product placement. "It's now just part of the landscape."

The Court TV ad with the tagline "Show & Tell" ran in daily e-mail newsletter Cynopsis, where most ads try to drum up sales by touting ratings strength or announcing a new show.

The deal on mediamatchmaker.com was reached between Palisades Media Group, which represents Quik Drop, and Lynnfield, Mass.-based production company StarGames. StarGames' "Countdown to Draft Day" has clearance in 85 percent of U.S. markets in April.

Quik Drop had indicated on the site that it was looking for a brand integration opportunity and StarGames contacted the company's representative, Palisades. Media Matchmaker allows two parties with similar goals to find each other, but the transactions are closed offline.

The Quik Drop deal also includes traditional spots and interactive components.

So far, Media Matchmaker says it has 40 producers and between 12 and 15 agencies using its service. In addition to product placement, the site allows media entities to sell sponsorships and other programs to generate ad revenue.

"We want to be the source for any entertainment programmer that needs advertiser support," Green said.