Letters

Product placement isn’t about trickery

I disagree with Alan Kalter’s assertion [“Unnecessary Force,” A&C, June 30] that “many product placements are predicated on the false idea that people don’t want to see advertising at all and must be forced to view ads through trickery, misdirection and deception.” I believe marketers use product placement for two core reasons: 1) It provides opportunities to more deeply define a brand’s personality and make lasting connections with consumers by leveraging the positive attributes of the programming in which the product appears; and 2) it gives the brand message a much longer life than a 30-second spot does, thanks to reruns and syndication.