June 6th, 2005
Dream of Having Your Name in Lights? So Does Your Iced Tea
By Stuart Elliott
The New York Times
Yes, another marketer is jumping on the branded-entertainment bandwagon that has been careering along Broadway. The Snapple line of juices, teas and other beverages sold by a division of Cadbury Schweppes is becoming a sponsor of two theaters that are set to open by the end of the month on Broadway south of 50th Street.
Critics of creeping commercialism fear that the arrival in the theater of branded entertainment, which is common in movies, television and video games, will further blur the line, already hard to distinguish, between art and commerce in American culture. For instance, Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, a nonprofit organization in Portland, Ore., decried the tequila deal with ‘’Sweet Charity,’’ declaring that it was ‘’sad to see Broadway becoming part of the marketing machinery.’’