TV remote? Zap! TiVo? Zap! OnDemand? Zap! So much for the 30-second spot. What’s a product to do? Well how’s about get integrated right into the action?

And no, you don’t have to be a giant conglom to get involved. Vancouver-based PropStar Product Placements can get your brand a role in anything from Cancon to Hollywood blockbusters. According to CD Nancy Tear, there are opportunities to suit every budget, thanks to the popularity of Hollywood North.

‘The fact you’re inside the show spurs other opportunities, such as consumer promotions,’ adds Tear. ‘Instead of spending on P-O-S and radio, [marketers] can negotiate promotions before the movie is even made – for significantly less. We know who the other partners are so if you can’t carry your own promo but want to

become a prize for someone else’s, we can negotiate that.’

Among the opportunities PropStar currently has in the works are the TV series Instant Star and Corner Gas, and on the cinema side, the highly anticipated The Da Vinci Code with Tom Hanks.

Tear works on a retainer, developing the strategy with the client or the media agency, then finding appropriate vehicles or even going so far as to get scripts changed to feature the product. (This is known as ‘behavioural placement.’)

From Toronto, Tear has worked at MCA Universal in NYC and Walt Disney U.K. Most of her staff have marketing backgrounds so they can understand the advertisers’ needs.

‘Media buyers and planners need to embrace product placement as part of the new marketing mix,’ Tear says. As for measurement, ‘We know exactly how many people go to a movie, how many watch a show, what the DVD and video rental and sales are. Typically, one placement pays for the retainer.’

Currently, Propstar’s client roster includes the Toronto Blue Jays and online live theatre directory theatrecanada.com.