“Well we’ve got good news and bad news…”

Great news! Little Mix’s US invasion continues with an appearance on the cover of Seventeen magazine, and it says they look cute!

Bad news: the subhead basically says “despite being a pop vagrant”.

Other suggested Seventeen cover stories:

THE WANTED
Nice hair – shame about the new video but oh well!

THE SATURDAYS
Great new single – obviously the TV show’s not coming back LOL!!

ONE DIRECTION
World at their feet – pity about Louis’ sock allergy but that’s probably the least of his worries right?!!!

NB: The press release for this is all quite serious and says we need to include the phrase ‘For more on the girls from LITTLE MIX, go to www.seventeen.com/littlemix and pick up the Little Mix June/July issue of Seventeen, on newsstands at Wal-Mart stores nationwide on May 21st’, so there you go.

MORELittle Mix MORESeventeen magazine comments

A complete guide to the product placement in J.Lo and Pitbull’s ‘Live It Up’ video

Even though we all know the music industry is fighting for survival, people can still be a bit sniffy about artists who use product placement to fund their videos.

This rush to judge seems particularly unfair when it comes to struggling independent artists like Pitbull and J.Lo who, operating outside the mainstream, will rarely enjoy the luxury of royalties from worldwide music sales and airplay.

So please don’t see this guide to the product placement in Pitbull and J.Lo’s ‘Live It Up’ video as any sort of criticism. See it instead as a celebration. A celebration of two artists who are just doing what they have to do to get their important message out there.

What you’ll see below is each instance of product placement, along with any details we consider pertinent, plus an estimate of how much each deal will have brought in for J.Lo and Pitbull.

Here goes!

Brand: Swarovski
Notes: Sometimes product placement can look a bit crowbarred-in, but according to their website, “through the mastery of poetry and precision Swarovski Crystal continues to be the market leader who meets people’s desire for adornment and delight”. And who can argue with Pitbull’s reputation for poetry and precision?
Estimated revenue: $8.99

Brand: Nokia
Notes: This is sadly not up there with The Greatest Nokia Pop Video Product Placement Image Of All Time. Disappointing.
Estimated revenue: $27.50 and a Nokia stress toy

Brand: Ice
Notes: We like the way the time on this watch is the same on the phone. Good attention to detail.
Estimated revenue: $2.99

Brand: Argos
Notes: Argos have been struggling to reinvent themselves for a young demographic and this subtle promotion for their new range of self-assembly clothes rails is both relevant and aspirational.
Estimated revenue: $7

Brand: France
Notes: Pitbull certainly likes to travel – that’s why they call him ‘Mr Worldwide’. And when we say ‘they call him’ we mean ‘he calls himself’, but the point still stands.
Estimated revenue: $15

Brand: Jessops
Notes: As UK readers will know, the high street photographic ‘emporium’ has had a tough time of things recently, but the recent arrival of Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones could be just what the doctor (OR PHOTOGRAPHER!) ordered. Peter’s fascination with celebrity was laid bare when he invested in Hamfatter a few years ago, and we applaud the forward-thinking nature of his choice to go with J.Lo and Pitbull to help rescue Jessops.
Estimated revenue: $75 and 20% of the business

Brand: Bird’s
Notes: Bird’s is another company struggling to make sense of its legacy in the digital age, and they’re keen to shake off custard’s old-fashioned image. Here we see Bird’s attempting to reposition custard as a high-end cosmetics product.
Estimated revenue: $3 Continue reading ‘A complete guide to the product placement in J.Lo and Pitbull’s ‘Live It Up’ video’ »

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