Advertising in a new age

One of the most interesting aspects of Spigel's essay was her exploration of early advertising. In the screenings from last week, we saw how series would use the characters or narratives in order to sell products, such as the condensed milk on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. In the essay, Spigel references The Goldbergs, and how its central character Molly would lean out her window and deliver her sponsor's commercial directly into the camera. In both of these series, the lines between the narrative and the advertisements were blurred, as if the audience were a part of the character's lives (for example, Molly's neighbor in The Goldbergs) or as if the characters themselves were endorsing the product. In many ways, these were the first instances of product placement, a technique that has become increasingly popular as television audiences become more intelligent and well-versed with the medium. In a modern day series like Scandal, while Olivia Pope might not turn to the camera and address the audience directly, it's clear that her Samsung phone (the subject of heightened focus and many closeups) serves the same purpose that condensed milk once did on The Burns and Allen Show. Despite the decades that separate these series, it is easy to detect the influence that early television shows, and more specifically their means of advertising, have on today's landscape.