Lady Gaga's "Telephone" music video reeks of product placement

Lady Gaga's new 9 minute video for her song "Telephone" (featuring Beyonce) has a lot of people talking. I myself find the video to be quite creative. While I do have my own criticisms one of them in particular is the fact that there is so much product placement within it.

At 1:34 Heartbeats Headphones appears and Chanel at 2:17.

Virgin Mobile - A phone is snatched from a woman in a prison yard (2:07)


Diet Coke - Cans are used as rollers in Lady Gaga's hair (2:22)


Wonder Bread & Miracle Whip - Those are the magic ingredients in sandwiches made by Gaga (6:35)


Polaroid - A camera is used to photograph Beyonce (5:45) (Gaga is Polaroid's creative director and inventor of specialty products after inking a deal with the brand in January, 2010)


PlentyOfFish.com (4:27), and Hewlett Packard (4:24)

Lady Gaga's manager, Troy Carter, told Ad Age magazine that Diet Coke and Wonder Bread, did not pay to be featured in the video however Miracle Whip did offer some funds for the video. Virgin Mobile, Heartbeats, Polaroid, and Hewlett Packard placements were technically unpaid, as they were extensions of Lady Gaga's existing marketing partnerships. Plenty Of Fish VP Kimberly Kaplan told Ad Age magazine that the dating site made into the video via an ongoing partnership with Gaga's label, Interscope Records.

"If Michael Jackson was making 'Thriller' [today], he would do this too," stated Troy Carter. He further stated that, "These million-dollar music videos have to have partners to be produced."

Is this the truth? It just smells of stinky greed if you ask me. I don't see how these products have anything to do with art and creativity.