Monty Solomon quoted a newspaper story saying:
LOS ANGELES -- A breakthrough in television advertising debuted
> without fanfare last spring as a brand-name box of crackers appeared
> on the CBS sitcom 'Yes, Dear' for about 20 seconds, seen but hardly
> noticed by millions of viewers.
> Unbeknownst to them, the image of Kellogg's Club Crackers had been
> digitally painted onto the top of a coffee table after the scene was
> filmed, launching the latest advance in a marketing practice known in
> the industry as product placement but derided by critics as 'stealth > advertising.'
I think the "breakthrough" happened a lot earlier. I recall watching what I seem to recall to be a Formula 1 race where a tire company logo was 'painted' on the pavement, in front of the start line. The logo disappeared after the race started. This was at least 3 years ago.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And for those of you who like to watch (or mock and laugh) at CSI - Special Victims Unit did you ever notice how often a Federal Express delivery truck is driving across the next street south of (wherever) the Brave and Courageous (and frequently brutal) detectives are walking as they create their theories for the prisoner/ scum of the day? Same idea, it began four or five years ago on CSI-SVU; lately I have not seen the Federal Express truck parked there or driving past. PAT]