Radio Staffers Told To Say Nice Things About AOL
from the the-new-strategy-for-product-placement dept
Late last week we had the fascinating post about AOL's deal makers during the boom years. While those profiled in the article have moved on, it appears that AOL is still making some creative deals that don't leave everyone feeling very happy. A number of radio staffers are now complaining that they've been told to intersperse their regular banter with positive comments about AOL, as per a new advertising agreement between Infinity Broadcasting and AOL. I guess this is the way you do "product placement" on the radio. Of course, I don't think this is anything new. I remember at least a decade ago hearing DJs talk up various products that they were clearly being told to talk about - without making it clear that it was an advertisement. This just comes back to the question of how much trust will people put into the voices they hear. If it becomes clear that they're just shilling products, then you have to wonder if they'll be able to hold the same audience attention on issues that really matter.
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I can't remember which companies they were talking about, but they were advertising them in general conversation. As soon as they were found guilty, the Government Department that sets the rules for broadcasting put in some new rules to try and stop it. So now, in every show, a message is aired which tells you what company's sponsor the host. One of the stations I listen to even had a listing on their website telling you roughly how much each host was paid by each company (their site is down now, though).
Josh
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