• by Wayne Friedman , April 20, 2006

Product placement has found its way into virtually every area of television programming. Now it's jumping off the small screen and into real life crime analysis, albeit with a connection to television. General Motors is donating - with the help of the producers of CBS' "CSI" producers - two GMC Yukons to Los Angeles and Las Vegas law enforcement agencies.

GM says this is part of a broader initiative with producer Jerry Bruckheimer Television's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "CSI: Miami," and "CSI: New York," in which the automaker provides a number of vehicles for program production purposes. For example, GM provides Hummers to "CSI: Miami."

Included as part of this effort, GM worked with Bruckheimer's writing staff and forensic consultants, to design and manufactured the "Mobile Analysis Unit" (MAU), a re-engineered 2007 GMC Yukon Denali.

Additionally, director Michael Bay directed two GM commercials, both similar in tone to the "CSI" shows. One is a 30-second spot introducing the Yukon as the all-new MAU. The other is a 60-second spot featuring executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who talks about the donation of two 2007 GMC Yukon trucks to the cities of Los Angeles and Las Vegas for use by real-life criminal analysis departments.

As part of a promotional tie-in, CBS viewers will be given a chance to win a GMC Yukon, in a contest called "Work The Case, Win The Wheels."