Friday, February 10th, 2012
The January 7th episode of ?Top Chef? (Season 5, episode 7) featured a paid product placement from Diet Dr. Pepper in the form of the ?Dr. Pepper Quickfire Challenge.?
The challenge pitted contestants against each other as they tried to make a health-conscious dessert without any sugar. While the chefs were busy cooking their meals, they refreshed themselves by drinking a can of Diet Dr. Pepper.
However, critics are reacting negatively to the product placement. First of all, the product was not used or included in any of the cooked meals. Needless to say, it was an inorganic product placement. Secondly, the product had too many camera shots, which made the placement blatantly obvious. Lastly, some critics felt strongly that the chefs were forced to drink Dr. Pepper. After all, true chefs are always after the flavor and meals/drinks without sugar just don?t fit the profile.
Experts say that the Diet Dr. Pepper product placement would?ve been more successful if it had more significance to the show, i.e. use it as part of a dish. If the placement was more invasive and not intrusive, it would?ve garnered new patrons.
