Question for the brain strust
 

What is the purpose of obscuring the make and model indicators on cars, trucks, and tractors that are used in commercials? Capital One has an add out that shows a Farmall A and and MGA with the badges obscured. I've seen this before. Kenny Chesney did "I think my tractor's sexy" video on a John Deere 60 and they panted out the "John Deere' and the "60." Why? Whats the poin?.

I think it may have to do with paying out royalities or not pissing off other OEMs...what ever it is I will say this, its about money plain and simple. Its always about money....

Possibly the artist covers it because they are not getting paid to be a spokesperson.

Yup, it's about not wanting to be seen as endorsing or having to pay royalties for the name, depending on the use.

Essentially, this^^.

It's called Product Placement but it's almost the opposite of paying royalties. In the ads mentioned, the car, truck and tractor are props used to hawk another product--banking or a song, for example. Showing the identification of those props is, basically, free advertising for the manufacturer and many ad companies ask for some compensation or even the cost of buying or leasing the prop for the shoot. If the manufacturer doesn't want to pay, then the brand name is simply obscured. Also, if the prop is incidental to the product being advertised, the obscuring serves to further remove the item from public recognition and, as LubMaster77 said, not show favoritism to one manufacturer over another.

Showing the brand name of a consumer product does not usually require payment of royalties as once it is purchased (by the ad company or the company that rents it to the ad company) it is yours to use as you please.

Let's not forget the days where just the opposite was happening--automobile manufacturers sponsored entire t.v. shows, for example, and every vehicle in the program was of that sponsor's brand.

That still happens with tv shows.... Look at all the GM products in CBS shows....

Back in the day, Apple wouldn't let the bad guys in TV shows or the movies 'use' their computers.