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1 A ADVERTISING AND THE INVASION OF PRIVACY ADVERTISING IN THE MOVIES In the 2006 movie Talladega Nights: Th e Ballad of Ricky Bobby, viewers prob- ably were not too surprised to see the obvious pitches for NASCAR, Sprint, Wonder Bread, and Power Ade as the story unfolded. In fact, the advertising connection between the movie and products continued into the retail envi- ronment, as grocery stores began to sell NASCAR-branded hotdogs and other Talladega-branded merchandise. Sports events, particularly auto racing, have long been associated with corporate sponsorships, which have grown to be an acceptable part of the experience. However, is the blitz of products as props, or part of the story line in a movie, an invasion of the customer’s privacy? Con- sumers pay to be entertained by a movie, not to be exposed to a two-hour-long commercial. Corporate sponsorship through product placements in movies, TV shows, and video games has become an ever-increasing method of promotion. Global spending on paid product placement promotion increased by 42 percent in 2005 and by another 39 percent in 2006. Th e United States is the world’s fastest- growing market in the phenomenon, generating $1.5 billion in 2006. Compa- nies have found that this method of promotion is more precise in reaching their targeted audiences than regular television advertising since technology has allowed customers to skip over commercials or record their TV programs on TiVo. Movie executives have embraced the use of product placement as a means to bolster their movie budgets and off set costs before the fi lm is ever introduced