# TV & guitars



## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

as I watched a bit of tv last nite it occurred to me that we see everything from tampons to toothpaste,cars and cigars, and lots more crap and fluff being advertised.WHY dont we see Gibson,Fender,Martin or whoever, advertising guitars on tv.
I for one would watch it,might even get another guitar!! any thoughts or facts? Im sure thier budget would allow it and id rather see pretty gits than the shit they usually flog - Jim


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

jimmy c g said:


> as I watched a bit of tv last nite it occurred to me that we see everything from tampons to toothpaste,cars and cigars, and lots more crap and fluff being advertised.WHY dont we see Gibson,Fender,Martin or whoever, advertising guitars on tv.
> I for one would watch it,might even get another guitar!! any thoughts or facts? Im sure thier budget would allow it and id rather see pretty gits than the shit they usually flog - Jim


Cause advertising is Big, Big dollars that they don't need to spend. Most Guitar makers endorse artists and "advertise" that way. Sort of the reason a car maker like Ferrari doesn't advertise. Why bother?


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## Spankin Allison (Jun 11, 2009)

jimmy c g said:


> as I watched a bit of tv last nite it occurred to me that we see everything from tampons to toothpaste,cars and *cigars*


Man...they allow Tabacco publicity in your province!?
Frank :smile:


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Starbuck said:


> Cause advertising is Big, Big dollars that they don't need to spend. Most Guitar makers endorse artists and "advertise" that way. Sort of the reason a car maker like Ferrari doesn't advertise. Why bother?


I agree. And when it comes to TV, guitar players (and their smarter brethen, the bass player) kqoct are such a small demographic compared to the tampon wearing, toothpaste using, car driving demographic.


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## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

I guess Id rather look at a new guitar than the inside of a tampon, or hear about e d, and IM sure the big guys could afford it,might get people under 3 buying! Lusting! and Owing L&M!
Buy now and save seems like a contrdiction so I just buy now and dont save
stay tuned Jim


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I watched David Letterman last night, and flipped over to O'Brien at one point. Brad Paisley was playing a killer Telecaster on Letterman, and Mark Tremonti was playing a pleasing PRS on O'Brien. On neither show did I see anyone using either a tampon, toothpaste or tobacco product. I think the reason you don't think you see ads for guitars on TV is because they run *all the time*. Three words: spontaneous product placement.

And while there may be no magazines dedicated to consumer choices in tampons, toothpaste or cigarettes, the newsstand is plastered with magazines devoted to guitars. So the reason you don't see ads is because the industry doesn't need them.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

mhammer said:


> I watched David Letterman last night, and flipped over to O'Brien at one point. Brad Paisley was playing a killer Telecaster on Letterman, and Mark Tremonti was playing a pleasing PRS on O'Brien. On neither show did I see anyone using either a tampon, toothpaste or tobacco product. I think the reason you don't think you see ads for guitars on TV is because they run *all the time*. Three words: spontaneous product placement.
> 
> And while there may be no magazines dedicated to consumer choices in tampons, toothpaste or cigarettes, the newsstand is plastered with magazines devoted to guitars. So the reason you don't see ads is because the industry doesn't need them.



I missed the Brad Paisley thing. Was he playing Crooks Telecaster or an actual Fender. Live he does play some Fender Telecasters but its almost always a Crooks.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Quite likely a Crooks since most of his paisley Teles are Crooks pieces....but that doesn't make we want a Crooks, it makes me want a Tele!


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Starbuck said:


> Cause advertising is Big, Big dollars that they don't need to spend. Most Guitar makers endorse artists and "advertise" that way. Sort of the reason a car maker like Ferrari doesn't advertise. Why bother?


much more effective use of their limited dollars to use Guitar porn mags and pass a few free ones out to big names.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

mhammer said:


> I watched David Letterman last night, and flipped over to O'Brien at one point. Brad Paisley was playing a killer Telecaster on Letterman, and Mark Tremonti was playing a pleasing PRS on O'Brien. On neither show did I see anyone using either a tampon, toothpaste or tobacco product. I think the reason you don't think you see ads for guitars on TV is because they run *all the time*. Three words: spontaneous product placement.
> 
> And while there may be no magazines dedicated to consumer choices in tampons, toothpaste or cigarettes, the newsstand is plastered with magazines devoted to guitars. So the reason you don't see ads is because the industry doesn't need them.


Right on. The difference between television programs and advertising is getting smaller and smaller all the time. Heck, the difference between newscasts and advertising is getting smaller and smaller all the time. Guitar ads run constantly, as mentioned, on all kinds of programs. But don't forget music videos! Non-players know Fender, Gibson, and Marshall are big names.... because they've been staring at those names in music videos for going on 30 years now.

--- D


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## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

Bang on with the product placement!! EVEN commercials now quite often have a prop git in the scene somewhere. If I have to look at adverts give me gear ads not the reg smuck. Sorry ,no cigar ads in BC,I was letting poetic license get the better of me again. Maybe Fender or Gibson will buy out a tv station(or all of them) and then advertise.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

jimmy c g said:


> Bang on with the product placement!! EVEN commercials now quite often have a prop git in the scene somewhere. If I have to look at adverts give me gear ads not the reg smuck. Sorry ,no cigar ads in BC,I was letting poetic license get the better of me again. Maybe Fender or Gibson will buy out a tv station(or all of them) and then advertise.


I agree with you on the fact that ads should be ads. I have no problem with ads, as long as they're clearly labelled as such. I, for one, don't think product placement should be allowed - I think it's shady advertising. It allows advertisers to make claims about their product without explicitly taking credit for making claims about their product. And therefore without taking responsibility for making claims about their product. To me, it's subtle and weaselly, and I don't like it.

But then again, I don't like TV in general. 

--- D


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

there ARE tv commercials for guitars...here's an example...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL4YTQS6UPs


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

jimihendrix said:


> there ARE tv commercials for guitars...here's an example...
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL4YTQS6UPs


Exactly, I was going to mention that Gibson does or has recently done TV adverts in the USA.

I LOL'd at the commercial, I do that when travelling with my kids. I play "FOR A LOONIE, TELL ME THE NAME OF RED RIDER'S PEDAL STEEL PLAYER?" etc etc, usually while listening to a classic rock station. I stump them with pretty obscure stuff as a general rule, otherwise the game gets spendy for ole dad  . Or vary the values to a dime or a quarter on the easier stuff. They are 15, 19 & 20 and know more about rock n roll history/trivia than 99.9% of kids their age. Oh, and they can do the money math in their heads like you can't believe, they have there hands out when we get out of the car with "That'll be $4.35 please" or whatever hehe. All 3 play guitar, and the 19yr old is a very good rock drummer.


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## seanmj (May 9, 2009)

I will hear the odd radio ad for L&M... especially around Christmas. I generally don't shop there unless I have to... but sometimes they have a good deal or two.

Sean Meredith-Jones
http://www.seanmeredithjones.com


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

The show Weeds definitely has product placement from Gibson. Les Pauls and ESs are everywhere from the fourth season on.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Andy said:


> The show Weeds definitely has product placement from Gibson. Les Pauls and ESs are everywhere from the fourth season on.


F holes a good place to put the Weeds product?


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Product placement is huge for Gibson. Another one I can think of was on CMT...they had a celebreality next big star type show "Gone Country" with Dee Snider, Marcia from the Brady Bunch, Bobby Brown and others competing. Gibsons were littered all over the house they lived in, as well as presented to each of the contestants.

Les Pauls figure prominently in the HBO series with David Duchovny, Californication.

Peavey got an episode of American Chopper (OCC) with a special edition bike done (not to mention cross promotions with Jack Daniels).

I've seen Daisy Rock guitars on The Price is Right.

On Discovery Channel I once saw a 30 minute tour of the Gibson factory and they walked through the process of building a LP.

And theres others.
Guitar marketing is there, its just almost subliminal if you arent watching for it. And by far, Gibson is doing it the heaviest.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

Diablo said:


> Product placement is huge for Gibson. Another one I can think of was on CMT...they had a celebreality next big star type show "Gone Country" with Dee Snider, Marcia from the Brady Bunch, Bobby Brown and others competing. Gibsons were littered all over the house they lived in, as well as presented to each of the contestants.
> 
> Les Pauls figure prominently in the HBO series with David Duchovny, Californication.
> 
> ...


Gibson is big on the reality shows. Both of the "Rock Star" shows (INXS and Supernova) were sponsored by Gibson, where they gave each contestant a guitar. They also occasionally give guitars to other reality show participants, of the "American Idol" type.

I'm convinced they also work with their "endorsee" bands when producing their material. I watched the Foofighters DVD a while back, and I was intrigued to see what kind of Hagstrom guitars Pat Smear played. I like the brand, and I have read that he's a big collector of vintage Hagstroms from the 60s and 70s. However, there wasn't a single shot in the DVD where you could see a Hagstrom headstock. All the headstock shots were Gibson products. There were even a couple of edits where, I'm convinced, the closeup of the headstock was not even the guitar that was actually being played. That is some clever attention to detail on their part.

--- D


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

On Two and Half Men, Jake has been sporting a Fender EVH Wolfgang this season.
coincidentally, ever since Eddie showed up for a cameo.


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## Beach Bob (Sep 12, 2009)

puckhead said:


> On Two and Half Men, Jake has been sporting a Fender EVH Wolfgang this season.
> coincidentally, ever since Eddie showed up for a cameo.


Prior to this season it was a red Strat of some sort (one hopes a Squier for a 12 yr old kid). I did notice the change this year, but hadn't figured out what it was to. The headstock didn't look Fender-ish to me.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Les Paul's famous ad was actually for Coors, but it featured the Les Paul guitar as well.

I like the quiz one. Funny.

[youtube=Option]S8O5wZAd2z4&feature=related[/youtube]


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