It’s been around longer than you think. Began with selling soap to housewives.

Shows that were created for housewives with commercials for housewives.

Evolved into single sponsor “brought to you by”.

One of the first in the “brand patronage” genre. Certainly a sandbox us humans play in as well.

And then “unpaid” brand integration which added needed realism to the story as a filmic devices.

Which of course then became a Super Bowl spot.

Wilson the Volleyball is actually listed as a character on IMDb (uncredited). He went on to play “himself” in several SNL skits and a documentary short entitled Wilson: The Life and Death of Hollywood Extra. Really, really. Wilson Sporting Goods manufactured a volleyball with a parody of the hand print face on one side during the film’s initial release.

Today, American Airlines and Hilton Hotels were featured prominently in the George Clooney movie Up in the Air in exchange for production dollars. That’s big budget feature films. A retro Conrad Hilton appears in Mad Men where the brand is featured in several episodes of season three. That’s TV. The Sklar brothers win the Streamy for brand integration with Back on Topps, a comedy series featuring Topps Baseball Cards, Dicks Sporting Goods and Skype. That’s the web.

This is School of Humans.