Why It Pays To Pay For Product Placement


Think getting your brand on Mad Men is an advertising coup? Think again: two Jaguar VPs reflect on a season-long arc that's seen the company's fictional execs involved with prostitution, extortion, and a suicide attempt foiled by a malfunctioning Jag:

Somewhat elated, but empty feeling as we get congratulated for a marketing coup that frankly we didn't orchestrate. Everyone wants to know did we know what was going to happen (no), did we pay for placement (no). Others are indignant. "This is awful, What are you going to do about how Jaguar executive was portrayed?" This is going to be complicated. But our job is to promote the desirability of our cars, not the morality of our fictional executives.

The above tweet was Jaguar North America's reaction to the attempted suicide of a Mad Men character.