Product placement took a giant leap forward this week with McDonald’s announcement that it would pay rap stars royalties in exchange for lyrical mentions of the Big Mac burger. But such guerrilla marketing tactics have been worming their way into unexpected corners of national culture for years, and the practice is likely to get bigger as traditional advertising becomes steadily less cost effective. “Last year, British ‘chick lit’ writer Carole Matthews [signed] a deal with Ford to mention its cars prominently in several of her works.” And now, Britain’s TV watchdog organization has offered a significant policy shift which could open the door for products to be inserted into the storylines of UK television programs.