Product placement in Brazilian prime time television:: The case of the reception of a telenovela

Brazilian telenovelas-popular prime-time serial melodramas-have traditionally used product placement to help finance production costs. In the last decade, this strategy has become a central force influencing narrative choices. This paper discusses product placement in Brazilian telenovelas through an in-depth analysis of a recent show, The Cattle King. Ethnographic data on its reception focuses on the role of gender, geographic location, and cultural capital in viewers' interpretations of textual insertions.