斯諾登促使甲骨文撤掉植入廣告

The fallout from Edward Snowden’s revelations about the National Security Agency has reached Hollywood after Oracle asked for its brand to be scrubbed from a new film about spies and espionage.

愛德華•斯諾登(Edward Snowden)有關美國國家安全局(National Security Agency)的爆料，已連帶影響到好萊塢。近日，數據庫軟件供應商甲骨文(Oracle)要求將自己品牌的痕跡從一部特工題材的新電影中抹去。

Oracle, the database software group, had originally paid to have its brand prominently featured in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, which stars Chris Pine and Keira Knightley – just one of the many product placement deals that have become increasingly lucrative for Hollywood.

甲骨文最初曾向電影《一觸即發》(Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit)的製片方支付了廣告植入費，讓製片方在這部由克里斯•派因(Chris Pine)和凱拉•奈特莉(Keira Knightley)主演的電影中突出顯示該公司的品牌。植入廣告近年來日漸成爲好萊塢的賺錢渠道，上述交易只是其中一例。

But after Mr Snowden leaked details last year about the NSA’s mass surveillance of electronic data – including its ability to monitor Silicon Valley technology companies – Oracle got cold feet, said several people close to the situation. The request for its brand to be removed was made in the final stages of the film’s editing.

但據知情人士透露，在斯諾登去年爆料美國國安局大規模監視電子數據的做法（包括該局能夠監視硅谷的科技公司）之後，甲骨文改變了主意。在電影剪輯的最後階段，甲骨文要求去掉本品牌的廣告植入。

Oracle declined to comment on why it asked to be taken out of the film, which was released in the US last month. Skydance Productions and Paramount Pictures, which produced the film, also declined to comment.

這部電影已於上月在美國上映，甲骨文拒絕就爲何要求撤掉廣告植入置評。影片製作方Skydance Productions和派拉蒙影業公司(Paramount Pictures)同樣拒絕置評。

Oracle has a family connection to Hollywood. Skydance, which co-produced Jack Ryan, is run by David Ellison, the son of Larry Ellison, Oracle’s billionaire founder.

甲骨文與好萊塢之間有着密切聯繫。電影《一觸即發》聯合製片方Skydance的老闆大衛•埃裏森(David Ellison)，是甲骨文創始人、億萬富翁拉里•埃裏森(Larry Ellison)的兒子。

Oracle was not charged for the re-edit but it did not get back its original fee, which ran to several hundred thousand dollars, said people familiar with the matter.

製片方沒有對重新剪輯另行收費，但甲骨文也收不回之前付出的廣告植入費。據知情人透露，這筆植入費約爲幾十萬美元。

The cost of placing products or brands in films or television programmes can range from thousands to millions of dollars, depending on their prominence.

在影視劇中植入產品或品牌的費用低則數千美元，高可達數百萬美元，取決於廣告植入的明顯程度。

The product placement market has boomed as brands seek new ways to reach consumers and viewers that watch far fewer television commercials.

植入廣告市場之所以興起，是因爲如今消費者和觀衆觀看的電視廣告比以往少得多，品牌商只得努力開發各種新手段，讓消費者看得到自己的品牌。

The most recent figures show that global product placement spending in film and television rose almost 12 per cent in 2012 to $8.25bn, according to PQ Media, a research company.

調研公司PQ Media的最新數據顯示，全球影視劇產品植入廣告開支在2012年增長了將近12%，達到82.5億美元。

Oracle’s withdrawal from the Jack Ryan film bucks a Hollywood trend, in which technology companies have been among the most visible brands in movies.

科技品牌近年來一直是好萊塢電影中最常見的品牌，而甲骨文從電影《一觸即發》中撤掉廣告植入，創造了一個罕見的反例。

Google’s Mountain View headquarters was the setting for the critically panned comedy The Internship while James Bond’s recent cinematic outings have featured Sony Vaio laptops and Sony phones – a consequence of Sony Pictures co-producing the Bond films.

在廣受惡評的喜劇片《實習大叔》(The Internship)中，場景設定在谷歌(Google)公司的山景城(Mountain View)總部，而在詹姆斯•邦德(James Bond)最近一部007電影中，索尼Vaio筆記本和索尼手機都露了臉，顯然是索尼影業(Sony Pictures)參與聯合制作007系列電影的結果。

The younger Mr Ellison, backed by money from his father, has co-produced several films alongside Viacom’s Paramount studio, including World War Z, Star Trek: Into Darkness and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

小埃裏森在父親的資金支持下，已與維亞康姆(Viacom)旗下的派拉蒙影業聯手製作了多部電影，包括《殭屍世界大戰》(World War Z)、《星際迷航：暗黑無界》(Star Trek: Into Darkness)和《碟中諜4：幽靈協議》（Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol）。