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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

May 4, 2017 | 5 min read

Designated Survivor, the new Kiefer Sutherland-led political drama co-broadcast by ABC in the US and Netflix outside of the US and Canada, has come under fire for a really on-the-chin product placement underlining all the latest features of the Ford Fusion.

The show tells the story of Kiefer Sutherland’s ‘designated survivor’, the US secretary of housing who becomes president after a bomb takes out much of the cabinet.

Last week, episode 18 came under fire for heavily featuring Ford in a 90 second sequence that showed two lead characters interacting with the Ford Fusion.

The car is shown extensively over multiple angles before the car’s digitised dashboard and smart features are all tinkered with by the agent. Viewers noticed, and even worse, complained about the placements. Especially Netflix viewers, some of whom argued that they pay their subscription to escape such clumsy attempts at advertising.

The incident was first picked up by AdNews. Following is some of the feedback from viewers, underlining the fine line advertisers have when intruding in beloved content.

Ford Abc Netflix

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