While the media world was abuzz with questions over the iPad placement on Wednesday night's "Modern Family" (turns out Apple didn't pay for the appearance, they just loaned the device), I was just as intrigued over the episode's other major product placement.
I'm talking about The Grove. The Fairfax district shopping center was name-checked on Wednesday night's episode, as Claire (Julie Bowen) specifically announces her intention to buy an iPad at the Grove's Apple store.
Here's the weird part: Up until now, "Modern Family" has existed in Anywhere, USA. The show has definitely shot at L.A. area locations, such as the Century Plaza Hotel and the Santa Monica Pier -- but they've never actually identified where they were. The Pier could have been any pier (although we Angelenos clearly knew where they were), and the Century Plaza could have been any hotel.
That's why it was particularly strange that the characters made a point of specifically saying which shopping center they were heading to. Are they suddenly coming out as a show set in Los Angeles? Or was the Grove namecheck a sort of "thank you" for allowing the producers to shoot there?
AdAge estimates that the value of iPad's "Modern Family" appearance may have been worth $1 million to $2 million. The Grove didn't get nearly the same amount of attention on the show... but it still definitely got some nice publicity on one of TV's hottest new shows.
Rick Caruso strikes again!
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