Product Placement in Peril?

Advertisers are "livid," says Tessa Wegert, over an FCC petition filed recently by Commercial Alert that could make TV product placement advertising a thing of the past. If the petition succeeds, Wegert frets, it would "ensure brands like Doritos and Mountain Dew never again appear on an episode of 'Survivor' without a conspicuous accompanying message disclosing their nature and origin. ... Media buyers fear Commercial Alert's recommendation will diminish the effectiveness of placements. One media buyer, who requested to remain anonymous, was quoted as saying product placement disclosures would, 'diminish the very reason why we do product placement deals -- to integrate products into a show without calling attention to them as commercials.'"