I decided to
watch “The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention” of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
for product placement in a sitcom. Always sunny is by far one of my favorite
sitcoms to ever air on television, and I’ve noticed product placement when
watching it in the past. I decided to use this episode as an example because it
holds some prominent product placement, but it’s also my favorite episode.
Placement
starts right at the beginning of the episode. It shows the gang going somewhere
inside one of the character’s cars, and Frank, one of the main characters, is
drinking boxed wine out of a diet Coke can. As the episode continues, they
continue to show more and more characters adapt and utilize his idea, making
the product placement even more profound. The characters continually hint at
the idea throughout the episode as well. The gang refers to them as soda cans;
however, they never use any other type of can, regardless of how many of them
are doing it. I find this interesting because it’s very obvious they are not
consuming the product itself, they are only using it as an illusion to drink in
public without being suspicious.
In addition,
I found one other significant placement later on in the episode. As the crew is
hanging out in the bar, there’s a distinct importance on Coors Light beer
products. They have plastic containers for coasters and straws adorning the
logo. Moreover, they have multiple neon signs on the walls showing off the brand,
as well as keg tap handles boasting the “silver bullet.” But the most
interesting part about this is that there are zero other brands of beer shown
in the bar. All of the other signs and logos simply say “beer” or “lager” and
do not mention any specific brand. To anyone that’s been in a modern bar, they
would notice something as odd as this immediately and probably begin to worry
since Coors light is an awful beer. Bars don’t carry just one brand of beer,
and they want everyone to know they probably have the brand you’re looking to
enjoy when you step in. There are signs and advertisements for almost any type
of beer you could hope for in a pub today, especially an Irish pub like the one
in the show. It makes me wonder what the significance of Coors is for the show,
whether they wanted that branding, or if it was the cheapest. Regardless, it’s undoubtedly
there for everyone to see.
There were
some other brands that appeared throughout the episode, but none of them seem
significant enough to be considered placement. For example, one of the
characters drives an older Range Rover, but you only see it momentarily. In
addition, there are plenty of different brands of liquor behind the bar, such
as Jameson, Beefeater, and Baileys, but it’s a brief visible shot of them, and
they go without mentioning by any of the characters.
It does not
seem to me as if It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia emphasizes brand names too drastically,
but certain scenarios cannot be denied. However, I don’t know much about
branding in television, so it may be something as simple as what brand is
cheapest, or if that brand is necessary for the comedy or plot development. In
comparison to other popular sitcoms, I would say Always Sunny does a good job
with subtle brand approach.
