Product placement is all over modern Hollywood productions, but nowhere is it more in-your-face than The Fast And The Furious series. There's the obvious stuff, like all of the cars that get used in the films, along with all the other auto companies who get name-checked or otherwise have logos and products appear the makers of spoilers, nitrous tanks, all the fun customised stuff the street racers have plastered all over them. The Dodge Charger in Fast Five was even called the year's best product placement. Throughout Fast & Furious 6 there's a heck of a lot of lingering shots of Nokia mobile phones (because people totally use those still) (people who aren't your parents), The Rock wears Under Armour shirts throughout a favourite of the actor and everyone drinks Corona. Well, except for in one particular shot. For the most part the product placement is just stuff organised by producers and marketing people but The Rock's shirt is something he's got a vested interest in (ie he's a sporty guy who probably got a load of free sporty Under Armour shirts), and then there's the Conjure cognac on a table at the barbecue at the end of the last film. A cognac that Tej actor Ludacris invests in. And is the American brand ambassador of. And what better ambassadorial coup than getting your product front-and-centre for the end of one of the biggest films of the year? Pretty sneaky, Ludacris...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
