With the launch of Windows 7, people have been on the lookout for Windows computers making appearances on TV shows as a part of the company’s promotional efforts at marketing the new OS.
Blogger Long Zheng just noticed that a Windows 7 computer made a (hilarious) appearance on NBC’s 30 Rock where the writers use it to try and design a new microwave oven and, after adding multiple doors and wheels among other things, found that they had ended up designing a car instead.
On another show, stylistas may have noticed that the Bing campaign promo spots interspersed in Bravo’s Rachel Zoe project showed Rachel and her assistant using custom-branded Windows PCs. (Rachel’s featured her own logo and Marissa’s was white with a black logo…By the way, where can I get that one?)
And in the geek fav, “The Big Bang Theory,†Penny’s pink laptop makes regular appearances thanks to a product placement campaign by Dell.
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Those are just a couple of recent examples of Windows PCs on TV, but I also remember last year, a Windows PC of the future made an appearance on Fox’s Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Why is this notable? Mainly because Apple has, until now, been the go-to company for product placements within TV shows. Anytime you see that logo, you know that deals have been made. Whether or not the company pays for product placement is unknown, but since they claim they do not, it’s likely they just donate the hardware. Through Apple’s product placements, the subtle message seems to be that everyone uses Macs – even those in corporate environments where you know that if this was the real world, there would be Windows PCs connected to an Active Directory managed domain. Case in point – an Apple PC makes an appearance on House, a show that takes place in a hospital – a site where normally finding a Mac is still quite the rarity. Or, as one blogger recently put it, “finding a Mac [in a hospital] is about as rare as finding a vegetarian at Outback Steakhouse.â€
That being said, I hope there will be more efforts to balance out the product placements in the future to give some equal time to Windows, especially now that there’s a shiny new OS that’s worth showing off.
Image credit: 30 Rock via IStartedSomething.com
