Gaga for Product Placement

The Center for Media & Democracy reported that “Lady Gaga is raising eyebrows with her latest racy music video, Telephone, but this time it’s not because of the overt sexuality, the wacky costumes or even the fact that her co-star is Beyonce’. What’s grabbing attention is the video’s flagrant product placement.

Gaga prominently displays at least ten different brands in the video, including Virgin Mobile (sponsor of her Monster Tour), Miracle Whip, Wonder Bread, Polaroid and Diet Coke. Of the many products shown, only a few brands paid to be included, according to Gaga’s manager, Troy Carter. Wonder Bread’s appearance was unpaid, but Miracle Whip paid to be featured, even though in the video Gaga combines the two products to poison a diner full of patrons. Polaroid cameras appeared after Gaga signed a new deal to become creative director for the Polaroid company. She is charged with reinvigorating the brand, which was killed off by the digital camera revolution (but is attempting a comeback).

Gaga now reportedly has a financial interest in the company, and her own line of Polaroid products is slated to come out later this year. After its release, the Telephone video generated close to 4 million views on YouTube in under 24 hours.”

The video also uses a vehicle from the Tarantino film Kill Bill, known as the Pussy-Wagon. It is also worth critiquing the hyper-sexual prison scenes which misrepresents and sanitizes the level of sexualized violence which happens to women in US prisons. Check out the video for yourself and let us know what you think.