NEWS: Fall Out Boy: Raising the Bar on Product Placement

CULTURE: Fall Out Boy: Raising the Bar on Product Placement

Advertising: it’s the second-oldest profession. (Circa when the first-ever prostitute placed her first-ever Paleolithic Craigslist Erotic Services ad.) It comes in many flashy forms and makes anyone involved a lot of money, seeing as it’s the business of making money in itself. It also says a lot about whatever era it’s produced in, since as markets grow and evolve, advertisers are always looking around and analyzing the landscape to find out what’s working better and what they can weasel their way into next. According to a recent article on Podcastingnews Dot Com, banner ads are totally out, and video ads are totally in.

So, clickable videos are the new wave of advertising, eh? See, this is funny, because I was just checking out the new Fall Out Boy video down over on YouTube. (This was in the interest of social science and staying abreast of pop-cultural zeitgeists, mind you; nothing to do with some kind of raging girl hard-on for Pete Wentz or anything.) It’s called “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs,” and the song is rife with kids-these-days modernity, from the top of its slick Kenneth Edmonds string-section production to the bottom of its text-message-overtoned title. But these things I knew from the album. The first thing I noticed about the video, however, (aside from the goofy monkey motif that I’m not even going to bother touching on) was a sign at the start of the video that it is apparently sponsored by delicious deodorant body spray. Which struck me as... odd... seeing as this is a three-minute music video and not a soap opera or anything. I figured it was just that, a sponsor, but as I watched the whole video I was nearly plowed over by the amount of product placement packed into that little video. Cell phones, an SUV, the aforementioned body spray: brand names flash like wildfire.

Now I know rap videos can get a little bling-y with the name-dropping and the crossover clothing lines, and maybe Petey’s been spending a little too much time chilling with Hova, but there’s a difference between showing off the money you have and trying too hard to make money. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a video that can't be interpreted any other way but as an extended advertisement, and I just don’t know what to make of it.

I apologize if I'm harping too much on shameless product placement after G-Unit’s awesome book series and all, but if I’m going to give Fitty a hard time then I don’t see why I should let F.O.B. off the hook. You want to run with the big rap bulls, you get the blogger horns. On the one hand, I almost don’t know why this should be so upsetting. Sports stars triple their income on endorsements, and Wentz was primed to be a soccer star before trading in the Gatorade for a gallon of liquid eyeliner. Perhaps the same mentality is simply closer than one would think. Besides, between a clothing line and a record label and headlining the Honda fucking Civic Tour, Señor Wentz has never kept hidden his agenda of trying to be the richest boy in the business. Then on the other hand, it seems like such a slippery slope. Like I said, this is the first blatant ad video I’ve seen, but I sincerely doubt it will be the last. Especially with the advent of interactive internet videos, as opposed to what you watch idly on TV. According to that DoubleClick article, It’s an ad exec’s dream.

"Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" has been on YouTube for two days, and has received over 31,000 hits. If even one poor misguided kid went out and bought terrible cologne in the name of being more Wentzianly attractive to the emo ladies, then the advertisers have won, and believe me when I say that’s almost as bad as the terrorists. Pete Wentz has a book coming out in the summer called Rainy Day Kids, and if he busts out and cross-references his own brand of mineral water in there, I swear to god I'm going to have an aneurysm.

That's it. Pete: you’re on notice!

Recommended Related Viewing: Watch only at your own risk. I can't be held responsible if this video alone causes you to develop a strong distaste for Fall Out Boy. Or body spray. Or monkeys.




_DictionaryGirl_ can call out Pete Wentz all she wants, but everyone knows she would totally be at the Civic Tour in a heartbeat if she had the money.

+1 for _DictionaryGirl_.
I feel ambivalent.
I also don't have tickets to the Civic Tour.

What do you expect? I mean sell-out, pop, made-for-12-year-old-girls music ends up once again kowtowing to the industry. Jeez, surprise surprise. This band and many others of the same genre were specifically made to sell records to an age demographic who are more inclined to do and buy whatever told is the "it" product. Its art that provides amateurs with the feeling that they can pretend that they know what creativity is.

It shows once again these people are complete tools. (Really whiney ones at that.)

I'm hoping this is another sign that this emo fad is finally dying so we can get back to having REAL artists produce... I dont know... well how about art?

I probably wont make any friends with these statements.

Nice article btw... well written, and good topic.

see, i have wanted to fight pete wentz for a while, and this just takes the cake. i don't hate fall out boy. i just wish pete would stop whoring himself for money.

this is the way it always is. a band will be big for about 3 years then fade off into pop music history as a flash in the pan. example backstreet boys, n'sync no one even give a shit about them now. the same thing will happen to fall out boy i just hope that in the behind the music pete wentz is the one that dies from a overdose.

hey look, its Moulin Rogue with talking monkeys!

and there's chimpanzees in the video too!

I'm more thrown off by the weird line-copping from Closer.

So I guess it's just a matter of weeks before the 12-inch poseable dolls hit the stores?

I don't really like it either, but it makes me envision pete sucking dick...and that makes me giggle. I mean, how could he not be familiar with all the wonderfulness that is cock?

what do i click on to make fall out boy go away?

Pete needs to smash his fucking face into that Fall Out Boy sign, then I'd buy some TAG!

Tell that to the marketing machine!

I don't mean to be the asshole here and FOB is probably not the best example; however, when the bulk of the population, particularly the demographic they play for, is not buying music how are musicians supposed to make their money? Everyone says musicians don't make money off of the records but that isn't true. They actually do make a lot of their money selling records. Artists definitely get screwed by the label but they still get a paycheck for the work they have done. Sure they could tour 365 days a year and make a living doing that; however, what if they want to have a life outside of that?

If they want to do music as a living and don't want to travel every day of the year then they have to make money elsewhere. If you're a musician and someone tells you that you don't have to work for a year and all you have to do is put some deodorant in a video you're making for a song you've already written it's gotta be tough to say no. If someone walked up to me right now and offered me a years salary to let them use something I had already done I think I'm gonna take the years salary. Just about anyone who says otherwise needs to really think about it. Hell, maybe they use all the products they are endorsing. If you're already using the product and you're gonna get payed for pimping it I think you'd be foolish not to do it unless the entire definition of you band was built on not doing anything that could be considered "selling out". I am not sure FOB had enough artistic credibility to make that claim in the first place so let them make their money. Maybe they'll figure out a way to do what they are doing and dodge the natural public backlash that will definitely come their way.

eh, I don't care. I'll admit straight up that I like Fall Out Boy. I don't care about the product placement or anything. I just find the music enjoyable to listen to. I can appreciate it for what it is without being an "underground elitist" who shits on anything that's sold more than 15 records.

FAWSOME

Why did anyone let them even get big? I mean, their lead singer is a fucking muttonchops fatass. Hell of a marketing campaign to get teen girls to listen to that.

Actually, I do know of one previous example: The Fall Out Boy video with all the vampires, in which the singer plays some background music with his Amp'd Mobile phone while taking notes on vampire Wentz's condition. Though I imagine not nearly as extended as whatever's in the current video.

They probably got big the same way that any commercial band gets big: a commercial following. We can still question how/why in the fuck *NSYNC or Backstreet Boys got big but there's obviously a market for it.

This is kind of a crappy statement. I don't care for their music that much either (although I hear ...Arms Race on the radio and I don't think it's that bad). What's not cool is assuming looks is talent. Google some images of The Ramones. Our society puts way too much emphasis on looks. If you're going to hate on him - hate on him for his music but don't be so shallow.

You probably wouldn't like it if someone were to point out the fact that you're prematurely balding and based whether or not they thought you had any value as a ______________ (your job title here) on that.

Just saying...the personal attack isn't really needed...ya know?

HEY! are you sure this is FOB? i could understand the lyrics!

I can't believe that douche was in Arma Angelus

At least if they claim to be talented we can sue them for false advertising!

I just watched this video again (yes, I'm that bored).

The chimp/orangutan thing still throws me....especially when they cut to that scene where one is supposed to be caressing the girl...and it's obviously a fake chimp hand. That's actually creepier than if a real chimp did that.

I guess we're supposed to believe that everyone involved in producing and shooting a music video is a chimp/primate/whatever but if they are the ones steering the band....what does that make them ?

Ah, the mysteries of evolution.

well lets see the advertiser fronts the money for the video and gets some product placement go figure! then you go ahead and overemphasize the product placement in the video. great job! nowhere near as bad as you said it was, shoot the phone got more screentime than the body spray (whatever i am biased i made quite a few bucks off those guys) shoot i just rewatched it you see the body spray can once and thats it......

the creepiest part is when the chimp hands creep up petes torso...

thats pretty harsh... pat stump is adorable.