As much as it might make the artistically minded cinephiles among us uncomfortable, the cold hard fact is that movie industry is all about the money. Product placement, a marketing strategy that involves the inclusion of a product into a film for advertising purposes, has been a cinematic tradition since the inception of the medium. Before films began to include narratives, motion pictures were seen by the general public as nothing more than sideshow attractions to gawk at; filmgoers went to fairgrounds to see industry-funded short films for their visual effects. Essentially, cinema was born from advertising. Product placement continued throughout cinemas evolution, showing up in notable classics like the first winner of the Academy Award for best picture Wings (1927), Fritz Langs M (1931) and Its a Wonderful Life (1946). The inclusion of everyday products can lend a movie a greater air of realism, and if everyone can make a little money by increasing brand awareness then so be it. Problems arise when advertisers and filmmakers take it too far at the expense of credibility. Audience can get turned off if they suspect that a film is more interested in peddling a product than telling a story. Worse still, the companies who wanted to get some exposure via cinematic marketing might leave themselves open for ridicule for their shameless self promotion. In the age of massive budgets for summer blockbusters, the film industry has come to rely on advertising subsidies to help ease the financial burden. Studios have become more and more flagrant in their shilling; movies that are more commercial than film like The Internship (2013) have started popping up in theatres. With filmmakers having to appease their corporate overlords more than ever, audiences are starting to pay tickets to attend feature length advertisements. Theres nothing wrong with trying to make a buck but the line has to be drawn somewhere. For your consideration, we have compiled a list of films that are guilty of crossing the line from movie to ad campaign. Follow us as we investigate the worst cases of cinematic selling-out.
