ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTThe EnvelopeCompany Town  Product placements
make their way onto viral YouTube videos
BusinessTelevisionTelevision IndustryRoyal Caribbean
InternationalDreamWorks AnimationGeneral MotorsRevlon Inc.
YouTube video makers are taking cues from TV pioneers by using
product placements instead of commercials Big-name brands are
popping up on viral YouTube videos  YouTube stars are borrowing
an idea from Hollywood's Golden Age: product placement.  Think
how General Motors sponsored comedian Bob Hope's variety show,
Revlon backed the 1950s game show "The $64,000 Question," and
Milton Berle hosted the "Texaco Star Theater." They all made
money by infusing products and brand names right into the shows.
Taking their cue from TV's pioneers, the celebrities behind
viral videos on YouTube are making deals with sponsors who pay
from $5,000 for single videos to just under $1 million for
larger campaigns. Digital audiences get turned off by
traditional commercials, and YouTube personalities won't make
any