Do you remember?

Nielsen ratings have predicted that as many as eight out of every ten viewers never see commercial advertisements because they simply skip the ads using their TiVo or DVR, according to an article by Tom Dorsey of the Courier Journal of Louisville, Kentucky. This article stresses the importance of putting advertisements in the form of product placements within the storyline. This way, if viewers want to watch the show, they are forced to view the advertisement. There's no skipping these "commercials" when they become part of the program. The article specifically places Applebee's restaurants as a sponsor/product placement with in NBC's Friday Night Lights.

Although viewers are guaranteed not to skip the "advertisements" known as product placements, it does not guarantee that they will remember who or what the product placement was for. The author of the article specifically asks viewers of Friday Night Lights if they remember what restaurant was featured in the show and some can recall, but others cannot.

I think this author makes a good point. Take last Sunday's episode of Desperate Housewives for example. Eva Longoria's character was shown shopping for a mattress at, specifically, Macy's. How many viewers are going to spot the Macy's sign in the program? And how many viewers are going to be able to tell you that it was definitely Macy's that she was shopping at out of all the department stores out there? Recall may be one thing that companies may need to improve upon. Since they've found a way to make you view their ads, all they have to do now is to make you remember them.