When Ralph Nader was to be interviewed on the topic of product placement by documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock for his new film, Nader did what anyone would do — he placed his own products. “When we showed up to shoot that scene, Ralph comes walking into the room and he goes, ‘If you’re going to interview me about product placement I’m going to put some of my own products in here,’ and so he literally put his own books on the table,” Spurlock recalled Thursday night at the D.C. premiere, appearing alongside Nader. “So if you watch that scene, literally front and center are Ralph Nader’s books.”
Spurlock, best known for his hit documentary “Super Size Me,” decided to explore the issue of product placement by getting companies to sponsor his new film. He filmed that process, which makes up the bulk of the documentary.
Recommended Stories
“I’m shocked that anybody said yes to this movie,” Spurlock told Yeas & Nays.
Once companies signed on, he would only use their products for the remainder of the film. For instance, he would only drink POM Wonderful. All other drink brands were obscured. He also only drove Mini Coopers and only ate Sheetz subs, to show the kinds of deals companies would cut with filmmakers.
“Do they come off looking bad? I’m sure there are scenes where they probably wish they would have said things differently or done things maybe a little differently, but I think on a whole, all the companies in the film come off looking good,” Spurlock told us. “Ultimately what makes them look the best is the fact they had the balls to say, ‘I’m going to stand behind this movie and this idea that I have no control over.’ ”
“POM Wonderful Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold” hits theaters April 22.
