Last week’s episode of NBC’s sophomore comedy “Community” jumped wholeheartedly onto the product placement bandwagon, with a plotline that trapped the gang in a runaway flight simulator built and branded by Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yet, while the placement was undoubtedly heavy-handed, and reinforced by at least one traditional KFC commercial that aired during the program’s second break, it was also cleverly executed, and fit well within the already established tenor of the show. Before this point “Community” has relied heavily on pop culture references for humor, and the decision to brand the oft humiliated Greendale Community College’s flight simulator with the decidedly low-brow food chain feels like more of the same.
Can branded products be used legitimately in television and movie content to give viewers points of reference with which they are relatively familiar? Or should all of these kinds of partnerships be condemned? These questions are not easy, but will ultimately need to be addressed.
For an additional, decidedly positive take on the episode, see Vulture’s take over at NY Magazine.
Images: NBC Website and fastcompany.com
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