Product Placements on 24 are about as common as dead bodies.  According to research, fans of 24 can recall product placements better than fans of any other  prime-time show.  Yay, good for us.  We’ve endured placements of Treo’s, manpurses, and now Bill is talking on a Sprint phone while Jack drives a Hyundai.  

Ford and Hyundai will now share the spotlight on 24 with government agents still driving Fords. But Bauer will be cruising in a Hyundai. 

According to Nielsen IAG research, Hyundai’s integration with this show will be twice as effective as brand messaging on any other primetime show. 24 records one of the highest consumer recall rates for product placements in prime-time. (source)

Jack Bauer has saved the world countless times and we are led to believe all he has to show for it is a knockoff Korean piece of crap?  Sure it has a 100,000 mile warranty, but it’s no BMW. 

If the writers of the show can put Jack in a Hyundai, it begs to ask what product placements didn’t make the cut.  

Below are the first in a Blogs4Bauer series on 24 – Product Placement Rejects. 

Heineken
Heineken wanted to make beer the official drink of 24.   By placing the product in various scenes, the Dutch beer company expected sales to increase 100% in 2009.  However the agreement fell apart when marketing manager Hans Gruber wanted Jack to drive around in his Hyundai with a mini-keg in his lap while talking on his Sprint phone.   Writers argued that Jack Bauer would never drink and drive.

Fox News
Fox airs 24, so naturally Fox News thought it should have a product placement on 24.  However it was later discovered that, like the fact that there is no music on MTV, there’s also very little news on Fox News.  

Plus, the infectious monkey from the movie Outbreak…oh, wait, that’s Janeane Garofalo.  Well, she walked out off the set when she saw her desk on the set for the first time.

 If you know of any other potential 24 Product Placement Rejects, post a comment.