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Velvet Light Trap, no. 50:
CFP on advertising and promotion

The Velvet Light Trap
A Critical Journal of Film & Television
Number 50, Fall 2002

Advertising and Promotion

Since the days of early cinema, advertising and promotion have been
critical for the success of film and broadcasting. Advertising and
promotional campaigns themselves have influenced and been influenced by
cultural change; technological developments and industrial capacity have
increased the prominence and frequency with which advertising and
promotional materials can circulate; and revenue from advertising and
promotion supports television programs and films, especially in commercial
media systems. Yet these advertising campaigns and promotional efforts are
often derided,
marginalized, or dismissed. Moreover, many advertising and promotional
texts (posters, commercials, trailers, and the like) often fall outside
traditional categories for serious analysis and consideration within the
academy. We encourage explorations of advertisements and promotional
materials as primary texts, as secondary texts supporting other media
content or products, or as a subject represented in film or television
programming. For the 50th issue of The Velvet Light Trap, we welcome
submissions that examine cultural, industrial, textual, regulatory, and/or
audience-centered issues surrounding advertising and promotion in media
from historical and contemporary perspectives.

Possible topics for this issue include but are not limited to:

advertising/promotion and televisual flow
product placement and/or integrated advertising in media texts
race, class, gender, and/or sexuality in promotional materials
commercial broadcasting within public service media systems (e.g. ITV in
Britain)
style and authorship
history and/or development of cinematic trailers
advertising bans or taboo products (e.g. hard liquor, condoms, cigarettes,
feminine hygiene products)
controversial advertising campaigns
synergy and marketing strategy
Super Bowl commercials
promotional tie-ins, ancillary products, and merchandising
advertising boycotts and cultural politics (e.g. refusals to advertise on
"Ellen" or "NYPD Blue")
government regulations, industry self-regulation, and advertising
public service announcements
infomercials and celebrity testimonials
relationship(s) between advertising agencies and radio/television/film
industry
local cinema or television promotions
film/television advertising and minority communities (e.g. television/film
advertising in the Black press)
audience targeting and advertising (e.g. demographics, Nielsen ratings)
advertising and film/television genres
advertising and national identity; globalization
advertising and star image
culture jamming (e.g. fake advertisements)
underwriting and public service broadcasting
branding and the formation of brand communities
promotion and the political economy of film distribution
commercials as content (e.g. music videos, "World's Funniest Commercials"
specials)
advertising and propaganda (e.g. war bonds campaigns)

Papers should be approximately 7500 words (roughly 20-25 pages
double-spaced) plus bibliography and endnotes in MLA style. Please submit
four copies of the paper, plus a one-page abstract with each copy, in a
format suitable to be sent to a reader anonymously. Papers should be
accompanied by a single cover page that includes the author's name and
contact information. Submissions must not be sent exclusively via email.
Submissions will be refereed by the journal's Editorial Advisory Board.

To obtain more information or to ask questions, please contact Doug Battema
(dbattemastudents.wisc.edu, 608-263-3997), Bill Kirkpatrick
(mwkirkpastudents.wisc.edu, 608-238-6656), or Michael Newman
(mznewmanstudents.wisc.edu, 608-263-3998). Submissions are due by Monday,
17 September 2001, and should be sent to:

The Velvet Light Trap
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Department of Communication Arts
821 University Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1497
USA

The Velvet Light Trap is an academic, peer-reviewed journal of film and
television studies. The journal is published biannually in March and
September by the University of Texas Press. The Editorial Advisory Board
includes such notable scholars as Don Crafton, Michael Curtin, Alexander
Doty, Herman Gray, Heather Hendershot, Barbara Klinger, Walter Metz,
Charles Musser, Chon Noriega, and Lynn Spigel.