Log 4: Madison and Vine

**I couldn't find the ad anywhere online so I took a video of my TV--sorry for the weird quality.
I was watching the CW show Jane the Virgin the other day and I noticed a very odd commercial. The commercial was the first one after the show cut to break, and it featured clips from the show. These clips were played one after the other with a voice-over actor making commentary about what was happening. It showed a relationship on the show that finally worked out, and then it said something along the lines of "They worked it out, you can too! Switch to MetroPCS!" I was caught off guard by this commercial, because it seemed like such a stretch. I can't imagine anyone actually thinking "Well, Xo and Ro's relationship worked out on this TV show I watch, so I should probably switch my cell phone plan." I was so baffled that I googled it, to see if anyone else thought it was weird. That's when I realized: not only had they been airing these kinds of ads for months, but MetroPCS is a much bigger part of the show than you would think. Every device used is MetroPCS, which I sort of noticed before. I tend to notice on TV shows when they make a point of not using iPhones, it's probably because they're sponsored by another company. However, I didn't know until I researched it that MetroPCS went as far as to require a certain amount of time that their products must be shown. For example, the main character, Jane, is a writer, so she uses her laptop a lot. So, MetroPCS can request certain storylines that would involve Jane sitting at her computer for long periods of time, therefore promoting their product. This is a classic example of Madison and Vine, where a company essentially merges with a TV show in order to sell their product.  The TV gets sponsorship and the company gets a new kind of advertising. The company is able to advertise their product without the consumer even realizing it. Like when Jane writes on her computer, the viewers are paying attention to the story, not necessarily the product. But, we gain exposure to the product and it starts to live in the back of our minds. Then when we see direct advertisements for the product, we already have exposure to it, and, depending on how you feel about Jane the Virgin, a positive connotation of the product. Some shows are better than others about how obvious their Madison and Vine is, but if you look closely enough, you can usually tell when the show is being sculpted by an advertising company.