Obviously, the first rule of mind control is don't talk about mind control—especially with the human shells that house the minds you're attempting to control. The second rule of mind control is don't brag to news outlets about how great you are at mind control. No one told NBC about these rules, though, which is why they boasted to the Wall St. Journal about their hilarious "behavior placement" scheme:
The tactic—General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal calls it "behavior placement"—is designed to sway viewers to adopt actions they see modeled in their favorite shows. And it helps sell ads to marketers who want to associate their brands with a feel-good, socially aware show.
Unlike with product placement, which can seem jarring to savvy viewers, the goal is that viewers won't really notice that Tina Fey is tossing a plastic bottle into the recycle bin, or that a minor character on "Law and Order: SVU" has switched to energy-saving light bulbs. "People don't want to be hit over the head with it," says NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker. "Putting it in programing is what makes it resonate with viewers."
While I applaud the idea that NBC wants their mind control, excuse me, behavior placement to be subtle, I think they could make it even more subtle. Like, invisible-subtle. Because the behavior placement described in this article is, at best, pointless. I'm sure the fact that the dead rape victim in Law & Order: SVU happened to have energy efficient lightbulbs in the lighting fixture positioned directly above her bloody, battered corpse is what resonated with viewers from that episode. "Hmm. Even that viciously beaten corpse on SVU uses energy-saving lightbulbs. Maybe I should get some," isn't a thought that has ever occurred.