No, I'm serious.

This link takes you to the company (that I work at) site where I posted a blog entry on the fact that Disney did a Jell-O commercial featuring Alice in Wonderland, 2 new characters, all animated in quality Disney style, WITH ORIGINAL VOICES, to sell Jell-O.

I discuss the details a little more, but the point remains -- we all gotta pay our bills and eat too. If a big sponsor came to you and said "Do a comic that advertises our product and we will pay you more than your comic has ever made in its entire lifetime," -- would you do it?

And I'm talking regardless of how much your comic has already made. So if you have a popular comic and you made $100,000 in its lifetime, they'll pay you more than that in a single shot for the comic-ad. If you've never made a cent, say they'll pay you $500 U.S. plus $50 per year it's been running.

I dunno man... None of those characters were owned by Disney, so they weren't really sacrificing anything except the work and expertise.

To answer your question- hell yeah!
As long as I keep my copyrights, I don't care.

Like anyone would want an unknown story with unknown characters in an advertisement! XD

Of course, I'd do it! Think about it. If the product is more well-known than the comic, then it's free advertising/promotion (that you get paid for o_0 ). If they are equally known, then it's a mutually beneficial arrangement. If your comic is famous enough to make the product look good, then it's about the money, and you probably can even call a shot or two.

Not sure why you picked out that particular commercial, though, as old as it is. I mean Disney and McDonalds have been scratching each others' backs for seemingly all eternity. Disney does that kind of "promotion" with sponsors of all kinds. I'm not sure if it's so much whoring as it is great promotion for Disney itself. Not only do kids see trailers upon trailers for every new venture, they see the movie characters and titles in every ad break for every other product too. A whore with that much exposure would -- no, I better not go there. XD

Actually, I was flipping through the channels and saw Wayne's World on yesterday. I realized I can no longer watch that movie because these days I side with the "bad guy." He made an arrangement beneficial to a sponsor and a previously small time show. Sounds like a good and fair deal to me.

If someone came up to me with that offer right this second, I'd only take it under the condition that I make original characters for just the ads.

While I do some merchandising of my characters already, most of that is advertising the comic itself. If I were to use the characters to sell stuff completely unrelated to the comic, it would feel like I was cheapening the creation of it. I would want people to remember the comic itself, not the characters of a comic advertising something else entirely different (look at "Garfield" and the stuff it's peddled over the years).

However, if I made characters for the ads using a style similar to the comic, then people may be more inclined to check out the comic itself. It worked with "The Simpsons" and "Life in Hell", right?

I doubt they'd be interested if you wanted to use new characters. What they want is YOUR brand image, which would be diluted a lot by not using key characters. What good would an Alice in Wonderland commercial be without Alice & Co.?


I'd do it but I'd want retain enough creative control that I could do something I felt 'fitted' with my property. If I was handed a script and told "do this" and I didn't like it, I wouldn't want to do it. I'd "sell out" for the product but I would want the ad to be clever or in the spirit of my property. I'd want my property to gain from the ad and not just be something someone else can cash in on.

@UsedBooks: It's not the point if you think the question is realistic, the point is would you do it? ;)

Also, I remember Wayne's World as well, and knowing what I do now I'm going to say that I know people like the skeezy exec, and if they played it his way the show would have failed. He's one of those boneheads who has just enough knowledge to be dangerous but not enough brains to do anything with it. Plain and simple -- the show worked because Wayne and Garth were Wayne and Garth. He didn't get the show at all, but he knew other people liked it. If you don't understand the product, you don't mess with the freaking product!! You just sell it! People like him make moves like X-Men 3... and those people should be dragged out into the street and have the icky stupid beaten out of them in front of their peers.

A better example of a "exec bad guy who maybe isn't so bad" would be from Nick & John K. Ren & Stimpy was a funny show, but it was actually funny because of the amount of restrictions placed on John K. and how creative he'd have to be to get crap past their radar. Left to his own devices, John K. makes some really awful cartoons and he's also incredibly difficult to work with. He's stubborn and single minded, and doesn't always do his job either.

Going back to Disney, in the McDonald's example that's more a partnership since McDonald's sells more happy meals and the movie gets more attention and a cut of the sales. In the case of Jell-O, the difference is that Alice in Wonderland wasn't a movie tie-in (it came out in '51). They took a well-known toon of theirs and made her shill Jell-O.

In General:
I'm surprised by the results so far! I thought for sure I'd get more "no I make ART!" responses!

OK, let's define a few more rules for any future responses:

1. You keep the copyright to your work.
2. They pay you once, but they can run the ad from here until eternity and not pay again.
3. At least one of your main characters must be involved in the ad.
4. As long as the ad is running, they can feature your characters on their products.

What Optional Points Which Might be Deal Breakers (just note if they'd break it)
- The product is written into the comic. So if it's Jell-O, at least one of your characters is suddenly going to have a Jell-O fascination.
- A canon story about the product must be included.
- A new character from the ad agency must be introduced. (This has happened, the comic "Monty" used to be called "Robotman"... except "Robotman" the comic was completely under the artist's control and was waaaaay better than the cutsie plush toy)
- You may not make fun of the product or the company conglomerates or you lose the contract. And they'll sue you.

Even with all those restrictions I wouldn't have much problem. Give me the cash!

I'll say again with the Disney example- it's very clearly not their character (even if it is their version). Alice has always been very well known as part of the books from which she comes, Disney was nothing but an adaption -a character that had already been heavily defined and redefined by many, many illustrators and artists. Back then they would've thought about it that way probably. - Adding "Alice" to an ad, rather than "their" Alice.
-Unlike say Snow white, who while NOT a Disney character either, wasn't as widely recognised or as defined in the public mind.

well, the thread's called "whore yer comic out for jell-o" and i clicked on it, so that should tell you something right there.

i cant see selling my idea out for fuckin jell-o's sake anyways, even if they were paying me vast, VAST amounts of cash. and im not just trying to sound valiant, i dont want my characters to be subject to glorifying the excellence of jell-o in the middle of a fight or whatever.

though if jell-o wanted to pay me for some small thing that was in my control, i'd do it. like bones eats some jell-o and spits it down a whores mouth while rubbing toxic waste on his junk that'd be fine.

or seas of mutant shit gets stuck in the sewer system, flowing upward until it overflows through the toilets, focets and showers, exposing mounds of dead fish and dinosaur shit in abundance, creating a new and fantastic delicasy called "sew-o-jell" that gives you cancer AND superpowers.

i'll be waiting for yer call, jell-o.

Oh lord yes, though probably not if those deal breakers conditions mentioned earlier were non-negotiable.

Not just for the cash (Which is great in itself), but for getting your name out there. It would be totally rad for a gazillion people to see my stuff.

For Jell-O?
Nah!
They don't even sell that here.

Not sure anybody'd want to use any of my characters. None of them seem to fit advertisements and they'd need to be tweaked for it.

But if I could keep the copyrights, direct the ad so I know nothing was being messed with too much and it was for something I would endorse myself I guess I'd at least consider it.

I really don't like the current stock of UK TV ads anyway. It's all T&A shots (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-7PMqaEnHk ), brain meltingly nonsensical things(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myOEutvVC5s ) and the re-using of ones at least a decade old (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0XoiZCqD_s ).

I'd rather have Rekkiy advertise Pepsi Max and have a little bit of my soul die in joy than have the "Pot Noodle Horn" brought back!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCtkLuFMzbA

UIYHGEBRVOIUEYBRIVOUBERIUVTNHIEWRLUHBEIUVRBHTIUEYWRBHVIUTEWBK!!!!!!!!!!!!


Mind you, in this day and age it would probably be a Pot Noodle VUVUZELA!
http://www.vuvuzela-time.co.uk/www.potnoodle.com/NoodleRange.aspx [vuvuzela-time.co.uk]

For me, it boils down to exclusivity and future control.

If, as you say, you get to keep the copyright and can continue to make the comic in your own way and pursue whatever other spin-offs/promotional deals/sponsorship etc you see fit, then there should be no problem. I'd take the money (or the jell-o) and run!

The catch to look out for would be that the jell-o company would probably not want their brand associated with, for example, blood-and-guts or adult-rated material, so it's quite likely that they would seek some degree of control over your comic's future content. In that case, it becomes a much tougher call and, unless the money was life-changing, I'd probably say no.

DAJB
The catch to look out for would be that the jell-o company would probably not want their brand associated with, for example, blood-and-guts or adult-rated material...

So Shades is going to get super sexy in future??? :)

You're looking the proverbial hypothetical gifthorse in the mouth... I'd say that the ad people would only pick your comic to start with because the type of thing it has in it (guts, boobs, pretty flowers, whatever) is what they want their product associated with.
... but if the content does change to something quite different from what they want their product associated with, then there's probably a get-out clause in there anyway, like you have to return the money or something like that. You could nut that out with them before you sign the deal. And if all it is is that you return the money, then you haven't lost anything anyway.

In the mid 1950s there was the Wonderful World of Disney TV show and Jell-o was a sponsor of the show on NBC. So Disney used their characters and animators to do commericals for their TV line-up. I'm sure this Jell-o commercial might also have popped up during the Mickey Mouse Club, Zorro and Daniel Boone.

That's how TV commercial sponsors worked back in the 1950s. Burns and Allen had pitches for Condensed Milk built into the show and Band-aid brought us Richard Greene as Robin Hood and then there were the hysterical Texaco spots built into Milton Berle.

As for ad execs asking to use my creations in a spot? It'd be fun.

OK, but instead of Jell-O, how about Maxim?

Your all liars!

Integrity Shmegrity! Show. Me. The MONEY!!

I have ads on my webcomic page, and in my line of work as an illustrator who occasionally does graphic design stuff when required. naturally I end up advertising products and services. I've even done an entire promotional tour for Nintendo in the past. Naturally I don't have anything against doing art to advertise products or services.

I do have some standards however. I won't, for example, do work for something I strongly disagree with. I have turned down requests for this kind of work on occasion. I won't do work condoning morally objectionable or illegal activity, or hatred toward any race, gender or social group.
It's not simply an issue of choice, but one of my reputation and public image. I run manga workshops for kids, so if I were seen endorsing something dodgy, the amount of lost work through damage to my reputation might end up costing me more money in he long term than that job paid!

The same kind of goes for my characters. I wouldn't want to see them condoning anything that would harm their intended audience, and also I think it'd just be silly if they were used to advertise something that's out of their nature. I'd happily have a character promote something I feel they'd approve of. Would Rekki promote a shop selling awesome flares? You know she totally would. Sarin would almost definitely be up for appearing in a PSA about healthy living or social awareness etc. I always find it jarring to see a character stuck on a product that I can't imagine they'd care about, so if it ever happened to me, I'd try to decide based on what seems true to those characters.

zaymac
Your all liars!

Integrity Shmegrity! Show. Me. The MONEY!!

I sure as hell wouldn't promote MARMITE even if they paid me a billion quid for it. I've put at least a decade of thought into my comics. It's why I still don't have complete pages. I want it to be as near to the best I can do. Even if it turned out shit in the end I still wouldn't use it to sell something I hated or promote an organisation I don't agree with.

*Cough* PETA *Cough"...

BUY NEW HARKOVAST JELL-0!
Its harko-tacular!

I can imagine it now.

"Gee Ridley, whenever I fly through the air getting into quixotic happenings with Martians and kung-fu vampires I usually get pretty hungry. That's why I always turn to jiggling color goop!"

Jiggling Color Goop: That guy in the webcomic likes it.

Even better idea....we can call it Jello-vast!

I've never been able to make a cent out of all the art I've made over the years, so the obvious answer for me would be 'Yes'! lol

Would I do it? Possibly, but only if I were allowed to do something as subtle as a character eating Jell-O, or going through the contents of a haunted fridge (or something) and non-nonchalantly mentioning Jello-O as they list off the contents. Or they'd get attacked by a Jell-O monster similar to "The Blob." Either way, nothing that'd really make the product look fantastic.

On second thought...nah. I never intended to make a cent off this thing, and besides, having a real-world product mentioned in a world that runs on horror movie rules could strain the ol' suspension of disbelief a bit much.

Yes. If it would ruin the comic or the characters for me, I'd just make a new comic.

I guess the only way sneaking a modern product into a comic with a distant future setting would be to put the product, an advertisement for it or a reconstruction of it in a museum.

"And here we have something archaeologists believe to be called a 'Fruit Window'. Note the small sequential pictures on the wrapping depicting sapient fruit creatures being killed in various ways for consumption."

Heh. That would be pretty funny to show, actually...

Yeah, I think most of us agree that YES, we would indeed accept cash for product placement.

This is a non-issue.

-------------------------------------------------

What WOULD be an issue though:

Would you accept cash to turn your main pride and joy comic into hardcore porn?
Not an alternative version of your comic, or a side story: your comic becomes a porno for good.

Any amount of cash?



-For me, no...

Unless...
...the cash was in the millions.
Basically enough cash to make me want to give up copyright or even agree to work in a live action porno myself. lol!

So, since that's not going to happen ever, that IS a no

ozoneocean
Would you accept cash to turn your main pride and joy comic into hardcore porn?Not an alternative version of your comic, or a side story: your comic becomes a porno for good.

Any amount of cash?

I could see two of my comics going down that road... the other ones, not really. But "any amount of cash" would override "not really". :D

ozoneocean
What WOULD be an issue though:

Would you accept cash to turn your main pride and joy comic into hardcore porn?
Not an alternative version of your comic, or a side story: your comic becomes a porno for good.

Any amount of cash?

I already did that for free! lol!

But I guess the point you're getting at is, could any amount of money persuade you to change your comic into something you don't want it to be? Well, it would take a lot of money, but yes. I'd still have spare time to work on the types of comics I wanted to do, even if I had to do them under a different pseudonym. I don't get this whole "artistic integrity" business; even Michaelangelo had his price. More onerous terms would mean a steeper price, of course, but I don't think anybody here wouldn't sell all the rights to everything they've ever created for, say, a billion dollars. So in reality it boils down to whether or not you're willing to sell out for what companies are likely willing to pay. And realistically, those companies are more likely to charge YOU for placing your product on theirs! :)

Whore my comic out, in a literal sense -- conversion to porn? No. Not for any amount. For one thing, my wife wouldn't forgive me. For another, my primary motivation to work isn't just survival, I enjoy doing challenging things. That's why I play video games, after all.

I don't think anyone would ever ask to turn anyone's comic into porn though. The big money in advertising won't touch that area (except for sex industry advertising).

Going back to my own question, would I whore out for Jell-O? OK, in my case it's cheating because in the world of Super Temps, the character DO that. Skully's done an ad for "Mr. J's White Wash" already as cannon. Granted that's a fictional example, but I wouldn't bat an eye to having her do real advertising. (Matter of fact, she could 'foil' Hydromancer by turning the available water into Jell-O, and then foil herself by stopping to eat it). Skully's best friend Devil Girl works as an "advertising super" doing spots for what are essentially Twinkies.

We could open up another thread though -- "How would you react to seeing someone making porn using your characters (assuming they're not claiming ownership or making money)".

In general, no, I wouldn't change the characters, story, or nature of the comic for an outside source whether it is an advertiser or "porn." (Besides, my anatomical drawing abilities are laughable, so it would be pathetic porn anyway.) Nor would I sell my comic to someone else to draw/write even if they kept the world and characters in character. It's my world and my personal creative energy outlet, and I will selfishly keep it for myself.

Now, if someone offered me enough money that I could actually live on for a while, I might consider it. (If I could actually find a job, that might change, but at the moment, I am not above grovelling and compromising to buy food and pay bills.)

smkinoshita
I don't think anyone would ever ask to turn anyone's comic into porn though. The big money in advertising won't touch that area (except for sex industry advertising).

Oh, people ask. ;)