by LUKE SAVAGE
It’s hard to come up with a better encapsulation of capitalism’s dreary imprint on culture than the latest innovation in the field of advertising: the retroactive insertion of product placement ads into classic movies.
Shrouded in darkness, an unknown figure rigs an explosive device and places it in the trunk of a nearby car. Moments later, a couple gets inside, and we follow the vehicle through the bustling, winding streets of a seedy town on the US-Mexico border. Soon, our perspective becomes fixed on another couple, who seem to be wandering carefree through the crowds and past the local establishments. Both pairs arrive at a checkpoint and are seen bantering with customs officials. “Are you an American citizen, miss?” one asks the woman in the car as she complains, “I’ve got this ticking noise in my head.?.?.” The vehicle disappears from view, and the second couple begins to share a kiss before the inevitable finally occurs and they’re interrupted by a massive explosion.
So runs the famous long take at the beginning of Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil (1958), still one of the most memorable opening sequences in the history of film. Now, try to imagine how much better it would be if various surfaces — walls, storefronts, signposts — were retroactively emblazoned with slogans like “Just Do It” and invitations to drink Coca-Cola. Soon, you may not have to imagine, and you’ll have the tirelessly innovating engine of Big Tech to thank.
Earlier this week, the BBC’s New Tech Economy section published a largely enthusiastic report titled “How product placements may soon be added to classic films.” If that combination of words reads a bit ominously, the ensuing details are at least faintly dystopian. The crux: thanks to new advances in CGI, a slew of advertising agencies are rushing to get a piece of what looks to be a new frontier in the neoliberal commodification of culture. In 2019 alone, the global product placement industry was worth some $20.6 billion dollars — a figure that is almost certain to increase as streaming services grow, Blu-ray and DVD sales dwindle, and technology slowly converts every digital surface into a billboard-in-waiting.
“As walled content gardens leave traditional advertising increasingly obsolete,” reads the website of UK-based advertising firm Mirriad, “[we offer] a new solution for a new era in advertising.?.?.?. With limitless creativity originally engineered for Hollywood, we seamlessly immerse brands into the epicentre of popular culture.”
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