No, the little “P” that sometimes appears at the bottom of your TV screen is not what you think! We will explain

On television, when an audiovisual work is broadcast and it is classified according to age, at the bottom of the screen we can see prohibition icons: under 10 years, under 12 years, under 16 years or under 18 years. These restrictions appear on a black and white background to attract the public’s eye.

Mysterious P

However, if you pay attention, you may occasionally see another logo: a black “P” on a white background. No, it is not the first letter of the word “pornographic” to denote an adult film.

Works of this genre are classified under the category “Prohibited for persons under 18 years of age”. That “P” simply means that the feature film you’re about to see includes product placement.

Product placement. The mere mention of this advertising technique makes many viewers cringe. By going to theaters or watching TV, they already have to deal with a lot of advertisements. Having to endure a new burst of more or less well-delivered commercials throughout the film can be quite painful.

However, this technique has been around since the beginning of cinema, with the Loomer brothers in particular placing a brand of soap in one of their films. We can also cite Embarquement, in which the filmmaker brothers put Evian water in the foreground.

common practice

Over time, brands have used this medium to reach as many people as possible; And for artists, product placement contributes to the financial promotion of the work. Some commercials became famous, for example in Blade Runner, when Harrison Ford speeds through town on his spinner.

There are also famous soda brands seen in The Gods Have Fallen on The Heads or World War Z, the famous Omega luxury watch in Casino Royale, the Wilson Balloon from Alone in the World, Nokia phones from The Matrix or Beats speakers in Transformers 3 .

The comedy Wayne’s World also mocks this practice in an absolutely brilliant scene. We can see the characters, Wayne and Garth, showing the main brand objects on the screen and not detracting from their extremely exaggerated emphasis.

Two troublemakers simultaneously utter a word that is the opposite of this attitude, lamenting that money has become the sole motive of our time. Fun diversion!

Controversial scene:

“Product placement is a form of audiovisual commercial communication consisting of the inclusion or reference of a product, service or brand by embedding these elements in a program for payment or other consideration”The website explains Supreme Audiovisual Council (CSA).

“As a result of the transfer of the European Audiovisual Media Services Directive of December 11, 2007, the Law of March 5, 2009, on Audiovisual Communication and the New Public Television Service Directive, TV channels have introduced the possibility to use product placement in certain programs and under certain conditions. .”

“The CSA has been empowered to determine the conditions under which television channel programs may include product placement. On 16 February 2010, it adopted a review on the subject, which was amended in certain respects by a review on 24 July 2012.”