Heels click, too
: The WSJ says [not a free link] the fashion industry is in a swivet worrying about who’s going to set hem trends now that Sex and the City and Friends are off the air.
That’s an interesting cultural/marketing issue that goes beyond product placement. It’s a meta level above that: Trend placement.
If there are no shows pushing fashion trends and pushing consumers to buy new clothes — if we have nothing but All Survivor All The Time — then the fashion industry suffers.
In the old days, Procter & Gamble underwrote shows — not just soap operas but also Northern Exposure — to make sure it had an environment for its advertising to speak to its consumers. These days, major advertisers are getting direct product and brand placement in shows, like Mattel in The Apprentice.
Now take this to the meta level and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see major trend-sensitive advertisers and industries — fashion, auto, entertainment, electronics — underwriting programming not to place ads or products but to hope that these shows can still push the trends that push purchase.
