Do You Hold Britney’s Product Shilling Against Her?

  • Share
  • Read Later

YouTube

Sony’s — oh, whoops, we mean Britney Spears’ — video for “Hold It Against Me” debuted on Thursday night. And, hello, product placement.

The futuristic four-and-a-half minute clip was directed by Jonas Åkerlund — of Madonna’s “Ray of Light” and Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” fame — and it has all the trademark features of any Britney video. There’s the bright lights, the punchy choreography, the serious closeups of a soulful-looking Spears. New to the mix, however, is the gratuitous embedded marketing.

(More on TIME.com: See Britney Spears’ 2010 fashion statement)

Seriously, we get that it’s hard economic times all around, but couldn’t they have been a tad more subtle with the product placement? From prolonged shots of Sony flat-screens, to the dating site Plentyoffish.com, to Brit’s own perfume, the bombardment of product shots is borderline insulting. Yes, product placements are to be expected from television and movies (and music videos!), but do they have to be quite so blatant about it?

Then again, when has Britney ever been known for her subtlety?

(More on TIME.com: See how Britney Spears got back on track)