On his TBS show last night, Conan O’Brien announced a plan to give away 20 air fresheners, conveniently wrapped in Chevrolet cars. But will the product placement alienate Cocophiles?
“This is the car destined to become our show’s first long-form product integration and online giveaway,” O’Brien said, as his sidekick Andy Richter showed off the Chevrolet Cruze’s features. The segment, ostensibly one gigantic ad for Chevy, lasted several minutes.
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This massive product placement certainly helped the bottom line, but it could alienate some hardcore fans. Some were already peeved when his much-hyped “Show Zero” only lasted five minutes and mainly consisted of shilling for Coke Zero. Jay Leno is sometimes mocked for his ostentatious product placement, so why would Coco, ever the renegade, do the same thing?
Money, that’s why. And that’s okay.
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O’Brien may be put on a nerd pedestal, with fans assuming he’d never sell out like those traditional late-night hosts. But judging by the format of his show, O’Brien has no plans to drastically alter from the typical late-night path. Advertisers like consistency, and they also love product placement. Bills have to be paid, and O’Brien is simply being realistic. Even though the promotion is done with a wink, it’s still being done — and with the advent of DVR, advertisers need more obvious ways to get consumers interested.
Though he’s captured the Internet’s affection through silly viral videos and a hilarious Twitter account, Conan O’Brien is not a television savior. Like his Twitter bio says, he’s just a guy who had a show, and now has another show. Shows have ads, so hopefully Team Coco won’t bail.