Viewers nix product placements and tie-ups

We join many viewers in noting with alarm the return of “commercial product placements and tie-ups” to both the big and small screens this season.

In the Metro filmfest, entries like “My Little Bossings” were full of tie-ups with food products, medicines, detergents and such. And, on TV, some shows similarly feature the same additional commercial links and mentions.

Disturbed and outraged viewers find this unacceptable, because when it comes to movies, the producer already makes money upfront via ticket sales, so why should he generate more income in cash or kind by opening his production up to distracting product placements?

On TV, too, producers of hit shows generate good income from “official” commercials, so they shouldn’t be allowed to use up more valuable program time with tie-ups, “subliminal” tie-ins, “sponsored features,” and other devious ploys to make even more money at viewers’ expense.

TV-film producers would be wise not to pooh-pooh viewers’ complaints in this regard. Fans who finally realize that they’ve been taken for granted can summarily withdraw their patronage for an erring producer’s current and future TV-film projects. —A cautionary word to the wise-guy producer—who may turn out to be too wise for his own good!

Better plucky than ‘lucky’

Another reprehensible practice that should be declared verboten and kaput in 2014 is some TV people’s penchant for doing features on and interviews about superstitious beliefs, pamahiin, hapless individuals allegedly “pinaglihi sa crab, baboy, pagong” and all sorts of wretched creatures.

In this day and age, all those superstitious notions keep believers from progressing mentally and psychologically, and should be done away with as soon as possible.

Some TV people focus on these far-out notions because they know they’re popular with viewers. But, being more enlightened and educated, it’s their obligation to help their followers crawl out of the dark ages, into the light.