• by Wayne Friedman , November 19, 2008

A can of coke on a kitchen counter? An AT&T logo on a truck going by on a city street? More digital product placement messages and content is on the way for several cable networks.

Comcast Networks has made a deal with London-based digital product placement company MirriAd for Comcast's cable networks: E!, Style, Versus, Golf Channel and G4. The media tech company will insert digital product placement images into existing video content as if they were included in the original shows.

Mirri has also created such images for "Deal or No Deal" and "Big Brother." In a release, Dave Cassaro, president of advertising sales for Comcast Networks, said: "Traditional advertising still has its place, but MirriAd's innovative embedded advertising solutions enable us to realize new revenues from brand owners, without compromising the viewing experience."

A number of companies have utilized digital product placement for the last decade or so. Some of the most successful examples are with sports TV properties, where digitally inserted logos and messages can appear on the stand behind home plate during Major League Baseball games. Or messages appear on the football field of NFL games.

MirriAd CEO Mark Popkiewicz calls it a "sophisticated approach for what is an increasingly sophisticated broadcast and advertising environment."