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r/thesopranos•
75mark

Product placement in the sopranos

There was a thread earlier this week and I stumbled across this article

https://autoweek.com/article/car-news/would-you-lend-tony-soprano-car-tv-mobsters-become-shills-free-ride

For the record I don't believe there was any product placement. This comment (from the vice president of blah blah blah) pissed me off though :

In another episode, Soprano gives his son, A.J., a yellow Xterra. A.J. grins and says the SUV has "sensors in the seat belts. Part of Nissan's triple-safety philosophy."

Laura Caraccioli-Davis, a vice president of Starcom Entertainment, which arranges product placement, says of the safety reference: "That one was really obvious. It disengaged me from the story."

Tony referring to the triple safety philosophy is 100% in line with him falling for marketing crap, trying to justify the car to Carmela and bragging about getting "the best" of something and also parroting what someone else told him in the car yard.

Posted Aug 23, 2019, 11:14 PM UTC

1531
Leading_Lock•

I don't get why some people want to make a big deal about product placement. What do they expect? A white box with black letters that say "CEREAL" sitting on the counter in the kitchen?

I know it might have been 1954 in the Sopranos household when it comes to sex talk. But it was up-to-date when it came to everyday products.

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CaveManZach0245•

I've always felt the same way. Product placement makes a show/movie feel grounded, whereas having The NASOON YTERRA seems goofy and takes me out of the story. The Sopranos is so good because it feels real.

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throwmeaway_2•

It's more the absurdity of how the products are used though. I'm only on season 2 of my first watch (trying to avoid spoilers here but can't help reading some threads) and the last couple episodes alone had really bad Coke placements. Untouched 6 pack just sitting at the dinner table. Or Tony carrying a 6 pack of Coke to talk to AJ. I like real products but it's disengaging to me when they're always perfectly facing the camera or used in an unrealistic way.

0
SheriffLevy•

Andy Rooney ova here!

3
sometimesstateline•

Tony had an endless supply of Honeycomb.

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Leading_Lock•

I agree that the Xterra comments were wholly consistent with the Tony character.

25
SheriffLevy•

Not very effective if true. I haven't had a diet Fanta since.

16
cosmocreamer•

I thought it was a Sugarless MorherFucker?

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75markOP•

That's the last fucking diet soda with special blend of splenda and aspartame and the great taste of Teflon that your ever gonna drink

5
[deleted]•

Lets go right over here, to office depot

7
sometimesstateline•

We're gonna be right by the Sports Authority, how are you fixed for sweat socks?

3
GlenDaleny•

What about mother fucking orange peel beef

6
ajarndaniel•

Tony goes apeshit because there was no orange peel beef delivered, or because they delivered the goddamn motherfucking orange peel beef by mistake?

3
B__Malz•

he was mad that he ordered orange peel beef and didnt get it

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TisRepliedAuntHelga•

...yeah but Laura Carracioli-Davis found it jarring too??? Wow, I guess this show let its fan down.

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DrGeraldBaskums•

Stopped using Brylcream

4
Pons__Aelius•

All the mobsters are obsessed with faux quality.

They have no class and try to display it with things.

"The picture is way better than laser disc."

It means 'fool the eye'.

etc

etc

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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jerseycitymax•

Paulie’s “ Brogan adjustment” is a Cadillac dealership in Totowa, NJ.

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intrepidenterprise•

I went there for a used Camaro, salesguy looked like he coulda been on the show, total crook

2
FZJavier•

the only product placement i can remember is in S1. when tony daughter and her friend goes to christopher apartment, and chris gf offer a coke to tony daughter friend and she hold it in a way that you can clearly read the coke brand name .

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Moriason•

Maybe it was safer, but the system probably had no balls

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meatieso•

Product placement sucks, but it's something you have tolerate. The key is how it's done, the product placement itself. I think The Sopranos does a very good job. The X-Terra comments fit the character of Tony. The "some pulp" line is hilarious, and the Mercedes thing... I don't know, it was part of Gloria's life, and that was a good character, I think it fit well.

I prefer the product placement of Community though. Making it so obvious to make it part of the joke. But The Sopranos it's not that bad.

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75markOP•

It's not bad at all, if it does exist it's fucking seamless and the writing does not suffer for it. Also the character of Tony would drive an Escalade. It's not as if he is driving a Hyundai.

8
SheriffLevy•

Community? Wayne's World called. It wants its bit back.

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Undergroundman29•

Ah, Community. I see you are a man of culture as well.

2
jamesshine•

There were an awful lot of Phillips brand televisions with larger than normal production logos on the fronts. I had the same model shown on the screen in a scene. It was strange seeing a Picture in picture sort of thing of the same TV. It was nearly identical except drastically different logos.

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kool_g_murder•

I didn't really notice it when I was watching (so I guess it can't have been done that badly), but in the ep where Chrissy dies, I think Tony has to say a line about how great the vehicle he was driving at the time of the crash is, safety wise, as long as you're wearing the seatbelt - something like that. I think I heard it on a DVD commentary years ago.

In the series' final scene in the food place with the jukebox (Holstens? Can't be bothered to look it up), Tony says something like the onion rings are "the best in the state for my money". I'm guessing this is something the restaurant insisted on, not exactly the most scintillating line of dialogue for the climactic (or not) big finale!

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75markOP•

I don't know, they could have gone to any other diner if the diner have them demands.. Is the inconvenience line out of place? For a show that is 50% about told I don't think so.

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monroechris•

"There better be coke left"

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75markOP•

Yeah would have sounded a lot more natural if the line was "there better be some flavoured carbonated water left"

3
monroechris•

Or just "soda"

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[deleted]•

[removed]

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