Full disclosure: We have absolutely nothing against product placement. In fact, thanks to the proliferation of household DVR, we fully understand the importance of in-show advertising that isn’t able to be automatically fast-forwarded through. That said, what we do have a problem with is really stupid product placement.
Take last night’s HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER for example. An otherwise excellent episode — which saw Robin get a much needed “Win” and in the process prove that she’s a real New Yorker by stealing a cab, emotionally breaking down on the subway, killing a cockroach and beating the gang to a downtown restaurant to spot what was supposed to be Woody Allen, — was marred by what we are facetiously going to call the worst product placement in the history of television! Allow us to set the scene:
INT. MACLAREN’S PUB — NIGHT
Narrator: Kids, I also needed a win that day. A couple of nights earlier your Uncle Marshall had offhandedly mentioned a website called…
Ted: Grade my teacher dot net
Marshall: It’s this awesome site where students can go and say what they really think about their professors. You’re probably on there…
The scene then shifts to Ted’s apartment where as a result of an incredibly poorly thought out product integration deal with Microsoft, he is forced to utilize the “Bing” search engine to find the web address grademyteacher.net. The very same web address Marshall just told him about less than a minute ago! Suffice to say, from hopeless romantic to kind of a douche bag, Ted Mosby may be lot of things. But colossal moron he is not. We’re just sayin’ 
