Not until Lady Gaga wore a meat dress to the 2010 MTV Video Music Award did her name spread like wildfire and become the endless discussion topics regarding her quirky, one-of-a-kind taste of fashion and almost everything else, including music video creation. That explains why once her “Telephone” video co-starring with Beyoncé was premiered, Gaga’s obsessive fans and many pop-culture observers began to break it down frame by frame. Surprisingly, it was not the blatant nudity, lesbianism or poison, but the product placement sprinkled throughout the video that garnered viewers’ attention most. The video’s remarkable number of product placements showcases the consumerist culture we are in, where advertisers strive to revitalize and raise public awareness of their brands by incorporating their products into popular music, movies, TV shows and sports besides traditional advertising.
The 9-minute video is packed with at least eight different brands, including Virgin Mobile, Monster Heartbeats by Lady Gaga headphones, Hewlett Packard laptop, Polaroid, Diet Coke, Wonder Bread, Miracle Whip, and dating site PlentyOfFish.com. Although the frequency of product placement in this music video has been to a ridiculous level, the way that brands listed above are inserted into each scene is quite coherent. For example, Gaga steals the Virgin cellphone to contact Beyoncé to bail her out of jail. Food brands like Miracle Whip and Wonder Bread feature in the kitchen scene.
The production placement in “Telephone” is interesting and worth studying since it shows viewers that the boundaries between entertainment and advertising have been blurred because of pop culture phenomena and that these two industries’ purposes are getting intertwined. “Telephone” represents the anxiety of entertainment industry about costs to make videos and promotions, which hence causes the artists to cooperate with corporations for revenue. Similarly, advertisers need to bank on entertainment, especially well-known individuals, to bring their products into narrative contexts, which have a more powerful resonance than traditional split 30-second ads.
Under the light of the symbiotic relationship between entertainers and advertisers, it is understandable why there is such an excessive amount of product placements in a multimillion-dollar video like “Telephone.” Also, it is interesting that most brands shown in “Telephone” are not luxury brands, nor modern brands. Hewlett Packard (HP), Miracle Whip, Polaroid, or Virgin Mobile know that they are not Apple, Nutella, Canon, or AT&T. That is why these brands are trying to stay hip and blend in the pop culture by featuring in Lady Gaga’s video.
Along with its catchy, addicting music and distinctness in almost every aspect from content to visual in comparison to common music videos, “Telephone” is an epic pop-culture landmark that many popular brand wannabe are willing to jump in even just for a few seconds. However, I am unsure whether such desperate and excessive product placement would help companies increase their sales or not after gaining more awareness.

Reference:
LadyGagaVEVO. (March 15, 2010). Lady Gaga – Telephone ft. Beyoncé [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U