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 Chances are that you, like most Americans, enjoy watching funny videos on the internet. Maybe you’re one of the 100,000,000 or so that have watched a baby panda sneezing on Youtube or one of the 350,000,000 who laughed as Charlie bit his older brother’s finger. They’re quick, enjoyable, and, most importantly, easily accessible. In short, everything that an advertiser dreams of for their product, so it was only a matter of time that comedians started producing funny web videos that promote products.

Jason Bateman and Will Arnett recently started the new video ad business Dumbdumb, a site that aims to please both their fans and advertisers by producing ”digital content matching not only a brand’s personality and marketing objectives but Arnett and Bateman’s well-known comedic tone as well.” Their first project was a series called “Always Open,” featuring the comedian David Koechner interviewing celebrities like Jason Bateman, Sarah Silverman, and Amy Poeller. How does this promote anything? Well, the show took place in a Denny’s and aimed to extend Denny’s campaign of “America’s diner is always open.”

Another popular video is “Prom Date,” in which Jason Bateman plays the father of a teenage girl that Will Arnet, her high school teacher, is taking to the prom. In the midst of the shenanigans, Orbitz Gum comes to the rescue, making the parents more easy-going and the teacher less of a slime ball. I have to say that it’s not as funny as the duo’s past material, especially when I was expecting material to match the hilarious TV show Arrested Development, of which Bateman and Arnett both starred. While “Always Open” does a good job of putting Denny’s in the background, “Prom Date” makes the mistake of centering around Orbitz Gum, making it feel a bit forced.

Of course, product placement is nothing new. One of the first examples was way back in the 1950s when African Queen took money to feature Gordon’s Gin in the film. Later on, Reese’s Pieces paid to be in E.T., gaining incredible popularity because of it. TV shows have become notorious for product placement. For instance, Seinfeld often featured brands seamlessly; the episode with Junior Mints simply becomes “The Junior Mints episode.” More recently, shows have become more blatant with product placement, like in 30 Rock when Liz Lemon, after plugging Verizon Wireless, turns to the camera and asks, “Can we have our money now?”

Now, media is becoming increasingly web-based, and it would only follow that someone would find a way to sell funny internet videos. Jason Bateman and Will Arnett are joining a flock of comedians who get brand backing for their comedic wit (Zach Galifianakis does a spot for a deodorant on his hit web series “Between Two Ferns). The only question is whether this will make comics lose their credibility or if audiences will accept it and funny videos will become inundated with blatant product placements. (Perhaps, next time we watch Charlie bite his brother’s finger, we will hear an off-camera voice shout, “Put a Band-Aid TM on that!”) Personally, I think it’s smart to be funny for money, as long as the money doesn’t mess with the funny.

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