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American Morning

Paid Endorsements Common for Movie Ads

Aired June 18, 2001 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now, let's talk to the man who broke this story of the fake on-camera testimonial. Claude Brodesser is a reporter with the entertainment industry publication, "Variety." He joins us from Los Angeles this morning. Thanks for coming in. We appreciate this. But let's get right to Sony's rebuttal there, saying that they're not the only ones who have done this sort of thing. Is that true?

CLAUDE BRODESSER, "VARIETY": Well, it really depends on what you mean by the only ones who have done this sort of thing. Not to be parsing out each word, but it's certainly common practice for studios to look for a better gene pool, sort of speak, and look to actors to provide it. By that, they provide a gratis screening of a film and at the end, hopefully there are opinions that they like and unlike regular folks who might have you know, unsightly nose hair or look like they went bobbing for french fries or something like that, they're good-looking opinion and they offer the sort of opinions that are used in these ads.

In the course of reporting out the story, we realized from speaking to different post-production executives and studio executives, marketing heads that it's not all that uncommon for studios to simply pay actors to say some lines who have never in fact even seen the movie. So, you know, for consumers to think that the quote/unquote "real people" that they're seeing on the screen is in any way real, they're no more real than is Mel Gibson a Revolutionary War officer.

HARRIS: Yes, I've got to tell you something, me personally, every time I've seen those ads, I've kind of got the feeling that this has got somebody who was set up to say this sort of thing, and I'm imagining that I'm not the only one who thinks that. But are there any other really, I should say, hard and fast regulations that were actually broken in the process here?

BRODESSER: Oh, absolutely. I mean, there are in place Federal Trade Commissions regulations dictating exactly what sort of relationship an endorser can and cannot have to the seller or to the supplier of the product.

HARRIS: Uh-huh.

BRODESSER: And the first of many regulations on this topic is that if there is a relationship or there exists a condition between the two that would materially affect the opinions that this must be disclosed and...

HARRIS: Well, let me ask about the use of African-Americans in this particular case. Am I to assume then therefore that other movies that I just happen to see being -- I guess I shouldn't say marketed to African-Americans, but featuring African-Americans giving endorsements like that that there's been some sort of shenanigans involved there?

BRODESSER: Well, let's be clear. I think any speculations as to why Sony chose to inject these two African-American employees into the ad is just that, it's speculation, but it's as important to look at the fact that these people have a higher-than-average level of melanin than what they actually said, and what she said was it's a perfect date movie, and by that, you know, I think there's a temptation, perhaps, maybe to inject race into this, and certainly I'm sure that "The Patriot" was not an easy sell to African-American audiences and a lot of urban audiences simply because any time you have a movie that deals with slavery, there are going to be people who feel that it didn't accurately portray events, and for that reason, it might be a tougher sell.

But also, "The Patriot" was a fairly violent movie, and one in which people are decapitated and children herded into a church and burned down to the ground alive. That's rarely the sort of fodder that makes for a good date movie. And it may have been just simply an attempt to expediently get an opinion in there that would move -- sort of kill two birds with one stone, as it were, and appeal to both middle-class movie going African-Americans as well as anyone who might have date and want to see the picture.

HARRIS: Finally, real quickly, if I can get your reaction on this one, has this -- does this flap hurt Sony or hurt the industry at all? I know it's been talked a lot about in our community here on the news, but I don't know whether or not it's actually hurt the industry out there at the ballot box.

BRODESSER: I think it remains to be seen what happens exactly as the upshot of this. Certainly, Washington, I'm thinking, is very interested in this sort of thing, having already issued a pre-damning report on entertainment marketing, particularly violent content. We have a new Federal Trade Commission head, and this will certainly be an opportunity for him to put his stamp on the commission. Pitofsky, who is the outgoing head of the commission, is certainly one of the most progressive and activist consumer protection heads that we've had in years, and it'll be interesting to see what the FTC does with this, if anything.

HARRIS: All right, Claude Brodesser, thanks much. Thanks to you, now, I won't believe a review unless he looks like he's been bobbing for french fries.

BRODESSER: Thanks, Leon.

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