By Jill Ciampa

Next time you watch TV, count how many times you see a commercial product. The amount of times you will see an object you recognize or something of a similar kind will baffle you.

Product placement is becoming an increasingly popular way to advertising for well-known companies. This means that products are usually placed

or spotted in TV shows, movies and media. From a subtle appearance or an abrasive knowledge of the merchandise; it is used more and more in everyday media.

“Some product placement is good, if I see Oreos I’m gonna want to go and get some Oreos,” stated senior Matt Bloom, a Marketing at Central.

Some product placement that may be easier to distinguish is in shows such as The X Factor, where each judge sports a large cup of Pepsi. To aid that product on the show, Pepsi also came out with an X Factor version of Pepsi. This Pepsi is sold with pictures and labels of The X Factor over the case and the cans.

Movies often promote certain product as well. In 21 Jump Street, they blatantly reference Taco Bell and had T-shirts from stores like Urban Outfitters and Jansport backpacks. Other movies generally reference cars and beverages.

 Watch for product placement around you and see how much it affects your decisions. Do you really want that ’67 impala or do you want to drive what your favorite character drives?