> 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.
Actually I'd bet it was the yellow first down line used in football telecasts that started it all. Once a marketing wiz noticed what was happening they starting coming up with all kinds of things to superimpose. I'm fairly certain those small ads on the backstop to the side of the view of the batter in major league base ball games is superimposed on a specially colored panel. It keeps changing, there are a LOT of different displays, I can see no lines from rotating panels, and at times with "special views" the area is blank.