In the past five years, give or take, product placement has gone from carbonation to technology. We’ve had the Apple logo shoved down our throats so much so that every time I eat a granny smith, I think about how much I spent on my iMac – no regrets of course,  just high tech advertising at its best.

Before digital media, the sponsorship heavy hitters included Coca Cola, Budweiser and car dealerships. When Brad Pitt drinks it, we drink it. Now that search engines, subscription and social networking sites have become “products” in themselves, we are seeing more and more of their presence in commercials, feature films and on our favorite TV shows.  So, just how far away are we from hearing the words, “this broadcast is brought to you by Twitter?”

Living rooms across the country were astonished by this year’s Google ad during the Superbowl. Does Google.com really need a commercial to grow its profit margin? “How much did that air time cost?” an eager Saints fan asked me. I have a good guess, but I bet Ancestry.com could tell you, considering they’re running Sunday ads on NBC during “Who Do You Think You Are.”

And let’s take the recent blockbuster graphic novel turned movie, Kick Ass. If any film could’ve snuck in a subliminal Pepsi can, Doritos or pizza, targeted at teenagers, it was this one. On the contrary – in this day in age, it was comic books, iPhones and MySpace.com. MySpace you ask? Yes – that blast from the past networking site is the communication device used to call the title character into fighting crime. Okay, a little behind the times in my opinion but perfect if they are trying to drive traffic back to  their site, right?

Is this an example of product placement? Absolutely. Free advertising? That still remains a mystery. Corporate sponsorship deals are very hush, hush – especially in the film industry. So, whether consumers will be rushing to their computers to join MySpace.com (again) or buy a set of nun chucks after seeing Kick Ass – that remains to be seen.

Move aside Pepsi and Starbucks – I’ll be drinking the iPhone and Facebook from now on!

Paula Berg, Public Relations for Southwest Airlines, gave the Lunch Keynote address. She took the crowd on the rollercoaster that is her life at Southwest and showed us that it is manageable to maintain all the social media outlets and do a blog… all you need to do is be a superhuman. Here at Red McCombs Media, we’re far from being superhuman but we know we can get it done and done well. We’re testing the social media waters and getting our feet wet. I may not be the best blogger or the best tweeter but I plan to improve each day until I get it down… just like Paula did, then maybe I’ll be… half-superhuman.

What was my “Ah Ha” moment, you ask? Well, it wasn’t a single thing but it was more a re-affirmation of my true passion for the marketing profession and all the exciting things constantly changing that make it all worth while. What made it even better is I wasn’t alone, everyone was all ears just as I was; we were ready for that ‘something new’. 

Overall, the conference was highly informative and I suggest that if you can make it out to any of their upcoming cities on the OMS tour, you should stop in for a few refreshers and a lot of great ideas with ways to get things moving at your company. Also, if you ask questions at the end you get a complimentary beverage of your choice… now that’s a deal.