Product placement
Corporations will pay a fee that varies, usually somewhere between $50,000 to $100,000, in order for their product to be placed in primetime programs. Product placement is done in order to raise brand awareness and increase sales. Most product placement is done subtly and used as a prop in a television program or movie or it can be made into a more fundamental part of the plot. In 2004, Coca-Cola paid an estimated $20 million to have their product placed in "American Idol", which had consistently been rated one of the top 10 shows for children between the ages of two to eleven years old. Product placement began to make its way into feature films in the 1980s when reports surfaced that the candy, Reese's peanut butter cups, sales had increased 65% as a result of its placement in the movie E.T., The Extra Terrestrial. Mountain Dew produced a film, "First Descent"(2005), that featured snowboards and helmets all embellished with their brand logo. Even through product placement in children programs is prohibited after 1974 by the FTC, it is evident that it is still in practice. There are no regulations on product placement in films, videogames or the Internet. "Advergaming" is a relatively new term in which computer games are built completely around a product with the ultimate goal of maintaining the child's attention to that specific product for longer than it would be held with a traditional commercial. These websites feature games that revolve around their specific products and favor players who purchase it. A part of many films marketing campaigns involve teaming up with a food corporation to promote both the film and the product. In 2007, the Kraft Lunchable's site allowed visitors to access a limited number of games for their promotion of the movie "Transformers" unless they had a promotional code which could be found inside the product.