• Ad Age , Monday, June 30, 2008 10:15 AM

While weaving products into programs is a technique as old as TV itself, inserting logos, endorsements and name-brand goods into viewers' favorite shows has steadily attracted more interest among marketers as more viewers gain technology that lets them skip past commercials, or watch TV programs in new venues that use fewer ads. As a result, the Federal Communications Commission is examining the requirements for identifying product placements, and considering whether the rules do a good enough job.

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein has pushed for a revision of the current rules -- advertisers' in-program appearances are typically cited briefly before or after a program runs -- and says he is especially pleased the agency will look at strengthening disclosures for children's programming and the length of disclosure.

Display size and length of appearance of current disclosures "make a mockery" of the FCC's current requirements, he says. The examination of children's advertising is necessary because of "the concerns that parents, experts and I have been voicing for years about the unhealthy messages American media are feeding our kids," he says.

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