Wednesday · January 28 2004
Everyone's favorite (ahem) radio conglomerate, Clear Channel has sold out O'Hare airport in their station's traffic reports. Clear Channel has cut a year-long marketing deal with Allstate Arena for the on air product placement. Allstate Arena will replace O'Hare as the landmark in the Kennedy-294-90 interchange area.
How far away are we from, "It's really bad out there on the roads, Spike. 48 from downtown to The Junction as brought to you by LaSalle Banks. Hour twenty to The Allstate. The Baxter Labs Edens is bumper to bumper in both directions..."?
whoa.
As if Allstate Arena the United Center and US Cellular Field Weren't already bad enough on their own.
Is there nothing that isn't for sale?
One more reason to weep for the future when we will live in the United States of Wal*Mart, huh? It gets closer every day.
Err, well it's really nothing new. Wrigley Field, anyone? Since 1914? Tons of buildings have corporate names. Sears Tower being another prominent example.
It's the product placement nature of Allstate in lieu of O'Hare that bugs me, sorta like Snickers bars and Mountain Dew on Survivor.
As long as paren't don't license out the naming rights to children, I think I'll handle it. Though I did hear the story a couple months ago about kids named Esp(i)n and Infiniti.