Product Discrimination In Advertising

Media and advertising, for the most part, have always gone hand in hand. So why is it that music artists are getting a lot of reactions, and backlash for advertising product placement in their songs? The reasoning seems to be behind one word, “value”. The value of something can be the determining factor for everyone involved in the media industry, that includes the artists, the consumers, and the advertisers. The backlash that some of these artists take for “selling out” is a strong one, especially when it comes to the fans of their music. The average consumer over the years has adapted to the norm of having ads in their daily consumption of media through overexposure to commercials in between television programs, product placement within movies, etc.. People have yet to become adapted to artists going under advertising contracts and implementation of advertisements within songs. A majority of consumers revolt against these artists that choose to sign these advertising contracts, because to them it 's the same as hearing the artist themselves saying that they don 't care about what …show more content…
I believe that the answer lies within the strong bond between the singer and the listener. Music is one of the most intimate forms of entertainment. There has always been this bonding connection between having one person tell a story with emotions through song and having another listen and relate to it themselves and/or the world around them. With that bond comes a rich trust and when certain artists pour their hearts out in a song, the last thing that someone wants to hear is something as cheap as product placement. The value of the music industry lies within the heart, the heart-to-heart between the singer and the listener. This new ground for advertising comes with settlers who have been here for years, and it 's not very nice when you try to take away the value of their