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Advertisers looking for more places to show their wares are turning ever more to “product placements,” putting consumer items in TV shows and movies as props. So-called “reality” programming is leading the way, with the Pontiac Aztek sports utility vehicle on Survivor a prime example. “How wild is this thing!” gushed Colby Donaldson when he won an Aztek on the show. A new show, The Runner, promises to take the concept to the extreme. Contestants in the reality/game show hybrid will travel cross-country in certain cars, use certain cell phones, and eat in certain restaurants — if the sponsors pay for it. “We have the opportunity that ... these missions can involve one of our clients’ locations,” admits an ABC television executive. (AP) ...With the [Dr Pepper] proliferation of ads these days [Ford Explorer], viewers probably won’t [Hewlett-Packard Laserjet] even notice.