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Product Placement in
Movies and Songs
12.10.2021
Hemant Sharma
Introduction :
Product Placement is a common phenomena today where the amount of consumption of
movies and videos is intense. Consumption here means the amount of movies and videos
watched by an individual. These days in almost all the social media platforms there is a
feature of sharing videos of longer and shorter duration. If an individual has a social media
account and uses it daily, watching a video or an ad is inevitable. So we can clearly
understand the reason why companies and brands have started practicing placing
products in movies, songs and videos. Product Placement is a marketing strategy. All kinds
of industries have participated in product placement like automobiles, apparel and
accessories, tobacco, consumer electronics and computers, airlines and so on. Almost all
kinds of brands and companies have been shown in movies, videos etc. We will be looking
into the pros and cons of product placement, its impact on companies, brands and
consumers and conclusion.
Product placement Definition and formats :
Brand placement, also called product placement, can be described as inclusion of product
or services in mass media. It is a form of advertising. The brand pays the production
company to promote their product in their movies, songs or any broadcasting media.
Marketers are always trying to find new ways and ideas to to find and develop ways to
interact with consumers and increase in the development of internet, mobile and
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computers. [1] Traditional mass media was limited, did not reach larger number of potential
consumers.[2] Markets are showing interest in non-traditional media advertising strategy.
Product placement is a new form of advertising, the products are placed strategically which
catches the eye of the consumer. Marketers are searching for new venues to present their
products to gain and reach the most amount of consumer.[3] This strategy has been used
for a long time although the number of these placements were comparatively less. Due to
development of technology and fast internet connections the amount of mass media
produced and consumed is the highest now. These product placements attract the younger
generation, provide product knowledge, and reach a higher number of potential
consumers. The term marketing means to attract consumers incorporating knowledge
obtained by studying the market. It the process to identify, anticipate and satisfy
consumer’s needs and wants.
Benefits of Product Placement :
Product Placement can be beneficial for both the company and consumer after all, this is
advertising of the products. Product placement is a useful tool for brands as it is less time
consuming. It is easy for the product's knowledge to reach more customers in less time
and effort. Everyone who uses the internet can have access to the products.
Product placement is very effective for lessening carbon footprint in the advertising
industry. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gasses (including carbon
dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions. For advertisement most common
media are Print Media (newspaper,magazines, journals, yellow pages, handbills, etc),
Electronic Media (T.V, Radio,internet, cell phones, video games, electronic billboards,
telephone, etc), Celebrity Endorsements, product placement in movies (i.e., using storyline
of the film), Events,Direct Mail, and so on.
Mostly in print media a lot of materials are required from paper, plastic, artificial ink etc. It
is quite inevitable for companies to reduce their carbon footprint. These days all the
brands and companies are trying to do their part to control the effects of global warming.
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Time consumption of advertising is lessened by product placement. Rather than thinking of
concepts, platforms and other variables. If a product can be placed in a famous movie or
shown using the protagonist of a music video the impact of the ad will be more effective.
Product knowledge reaches more customers. There is no boundation in this kind of ad
strategy. People of all the countries are eligible to watch movies and videos even if the
product is sold overseas or not. This can help a brand to even spread more franchises, it
opens up new possibilities.
If the product is endorsed by a popular singer or an actor in their movies and videos.
Consumers can feel a sense of belongingness by purchasing the product and using it.
It is a very clever psychological strategy. When an actor is being recognised for their work in
award shows and other platforms. Sales of the product endorsed by the actor also
increases.
Product placement is beneficial for producers as there are a higher number of consumers
reviewing and they create an extra income. Producing a movie or song can be very costly
these paid promotions helps to create extra revenue.[4]
Consumers have a good brand recall of products/brands seen in movies and videos. Thus
product placement is a kind of advertising that creates awareness amongst the people.
Audiences want to identify themselves with certain movies and characters.
In Covid 19 pandemic most people were at home and were encouraged to stay at home by
the government. People were not going to bus stops, stations, riding cars, going out to
restaurants, malls, shopping centers etc. People were stuck at home with online offices and
house chores. People could only entertain themselves by watching movies, shows,
documentaries, videos and listening to songs. Companies and brands innovatively
incorporated product placements in these media to encourage people to buy their
products.
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Consumers have a better understanding of the products. If a product is depicted in a movie
or video. It increases the curiosity so the consumer does research of their own and if they
identify with the brand, find the product of good quality and of their use then they proceed
with the purchase.
Brand placement creates an interdependent relationship of character and product. It adds
layer to a character. Sometimes a character can be distinguished through a product and
vice-versa.[6]
Product placements helps the company to understand the market, what all products are
needed by the consumer, if the product is going to sell or not, what all changes should be
done while advertising on other platforms.
Product placements in the movie A Simple Favor, where Blake Lively the main protagonist
of the movie along with Anna Kendricks drinks martinis. Blake shows her favorite brand of
Gin which is Aviation. Aviation American Gin is a brand which produces gin. Blakde Lively’s
husband Ryan Reynolds acquired a stake in the company, that's why she endorses Aviation
gin. The product placement in the movie was very subtle even though there are many
scenes of the product along with the label. Blake Lively’s character is shown as a
mysterious, strong, independent woman. Drinking strong martini’s build up character in
the movie. That's a good example of product placement.
Another good example of product placement is in Miley Cyrus’s music video where Beats
by Dr. Dre and EOS Lip Balms are shown. It's a party song for young generation people. In
most of the parties songs are played on speakers. Boys and girls of all ages do use lip
balms. These products can be identified very easily in the video. It is not subtle but this
matches the vibe of the video.
Negative effects of Product Placement :
Every strategy has their pros and cons even product placement does too. We have
discussed the benefits of this strategy from both Company’s and consumer’s perspective
now we will look into the negative effects of it.
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Product placement in movies or TV is by no means cheap. Product placement is very costly.
Depending on how famous a chosen movie or TV show is and the terms of agreement, the
price may vary from a few thousand dollars to covering the entire production cost. This
leads to higher product price as selling price includes all expenses incurred while making a
product, advertisement cost is included too.
Product Placement encourages higher expectations from the product and the brand.
Although it's not a bad thing, but when endorsed by bigger celebrities the expectation rises
to an unrealistic level which cannot be fulfilled by companies. This brings ill repute.
This strategy influences younger audiences to buy more and more products. The newer
generation are not satisfied with what they already have; they are always spending money
on similar products just because their favorite character, singer or actor is endorsing it.
When watching a movie or a video if product placement is not subtle it brings discontinuity
in the plotline and also distracts the audience which is quite frustrating to experience. An
individual watches shows, movies or videos to relax, not to buy products. The audience can
feel manipulated.
A movie or show has to be good to actually advertise the product. If a movie or video is
mediocre or boring nobody is going to watch it. It depends on the media itself if nobody
watched the video then the whole point of product placement becomes pointless. The
main disadvantages of product placement in movies is that it can be: distracting, intrusive
and unethical.
Worldwide perspective, all products are perceived differently. Product placement should be
done in regards of the consumer present specifically in that region. Product placement
should be thought out in detail as some things can be acceptable in a part of world but can
be offensive in other.[5]
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In Covid 19 pandemic, people were stuck at home. Many people lost their jobs, many were
on half/nominal pays and some were sick due to it. Some businesses were bankrupt, some
were on the brink of bankruptcy. People were struggling mentally and physically. One of
the few ways to escape reality was watching shows, movies and videos. But these product
placements were encouraging people to purchase products, when the consumers were
struggling to even provide for their basic necessities. This creates a lot of frustrations in an
individual's life where they think they want the products but in actuality they don’t, it's just
marketing and branding that is giving this false sense. This will negatively impact on movies
and videos as people will avoid them as it creates disrupt in their own life.
The celebrity which endorses the product in movies and songs also plays a vital role.
Choosing the right celebrity for the right product is crucial. If a celebrity receives
recognition and awards for their work specially while endorsing the products the brand
flourishes while in vice versa where a certain celebrity starts getting into scandals and
receives bad press due to personal or professional reasons the brand which associated
themselves with the celebrity also receives backlash. The name of the brand or company is
tainted not because of their fault but because of the celebrity associated with it.
Although in todays world most product consumers use the internet or over-the-top media
service. But there are still many people who are not interested in movies and videos which
leads to untapped consumers.
Competitors of the company can easily access the response towards the product. They can
better their own product and present it to consumers in more effective ways. Some movies
and shows include so many different product placements from the same industry that the
effect of the advertising gets canceled out. It moreover confuses the consumer what to buy
and what not to.
If a product placement ad fails in a movie or song it cannot be edited or taken back. Other
types of advertisements like brochures, banners, advertisements on tv etc. can be
discontinued and people would also forget about it rather quickly. But product placement
in movies, videos and songs cannot be removed quickly, once it is released it's probably
impossible to take out. People would remember the failure for a longer period of time.
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In the James Bond movies, it was depicted that the main character “James Bond” drinks
martini in a very specific way that is shaken not stirred, throughout the whole franchise.
However, in Skyfall (2011) the movie James Bond starts drinking Heineken beer. This
product placement failed because it disrupted a well known character trait of a famous
character. Also it confused the character’s personality. James Bond is a powerful, male
character suddenly changing his mind for a choice of drink is quite strange. This is an
example of not so thought out product placement.
In No Brainer music by DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo, there is not
one or two products. There were six different brands present which are Belaire,
Kandypens, Bumbu, Ciroc, Fashion Nova, D&G. Most of the brands listed are alcohol
making brands. This video seems like an advertisement rather than a song video. They
have over populated the video with several items. Consumers cannot focus on one
product. The strategy here should have been to promote two or three brands or products.
Conclusion :
Product Placement has both negative and positive impacts on both the producers and
consumers. One of the major strategies to promote products and brands in an effective
and efficient way. This trend is not going to slow down. In fact we can see that product
placements in movies and songs are increasing. One single video can consist of more than
three products. It is also quite effective for brands to advertise their products. In Psy’s
Gangnam Style music video Mercedes Benz and Adidas brands are integrated, this music
video itself has 4.16 billion views. In Roar music video Nokia brands mobiles are integrated
it currently has 3.4 billion views. Netflix’s one of the most famous original shows is Stranger
things, it consists of product placement from companies like Coke, KFC, Eggo waffles,
Burger King, the Gap etc. And in the show OBX: Outer Banks, Wakesetter 24 MXZ Malibu
boats was mentioned which was obviously product placement. It is a great marketing
strategy. Its effects are both conspicuous vs inconspicuous. Purposeful positioning of the
products is crucial, in what light the product is being shown is important. This strategy
should obviously be used by the companies as people are online, almost all day.
Companies must grab the opportunity. Product placement should not be like literal ads in
between the story but should be subtly integrated in the products used by characters. The
balance between too much and not much is very important.
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All kinds of product placements are encouraged in today's market but I believe more
brands and companies which make biodegradable, animal cruelty free, vegan, good clean
products should be represented more in front of consumers as we all know the harsh
realities of global warming and pollutions. If celebrities truly start advocating for good clean
products I believe this strategy could help the environment and newer generations. More
gender neutral, natural products should be advertised as this would create more customer
awareness. Also consumers will be motivated to support a good cause.
This strategy can be developed into a very effective tool for advertising the products if
product placements are planned in a creative, innovative and enjoyable manner. This can
help to create a distinct memorable impression on the mind of the consumer.
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References :
1. Van Der Waldt D.L.R., Du Preez, L.D., Williams, S. (2008a). Recognition and Recall of
Product Placements in Films and Broadcast Programmes. Innovar, 18(31), 19-28.
Retrieved from the institutional repository of University of Pretoria.
2. Percy, L. (2006). Are Product placements Effective? International Journal of Advertising,
25(1), 112-114. Retrieved from WARC World Advertising Research Centre
3. Van Der Waldt, D.L.R., Nunes, V., Stroebel, J. (2008b). Product Placement: Exploring the
effects of Product Usage by Principal Actors. African Journal of Business Management,
2(6), 111-118. Retrieved from the institutional repository of the University of Pretoria.
4. Meyer J., Song R., and Ha, K. (2016) ‘The effect of product placements on the evaluation of
movies’, European Journal of Marketing, (3/4), p. 530–549. doi: 10.1108/EJM-12-2014-
0758.
5. Mckechnie, S. A. and Thou, J. (2003) ‘Product Placement in Movies: A Comparison of
Chinese and American Consumers’ Attitudes’, International Journal of Advertising, 22(3),
pp. 349–374. doi: 10.1080/02650487.2003.11072858.
6. Daniel Hooper (2021) Product Placement: Marketing That Isn’t as Obvious,
https://medium.com/illumination-curated/product-placement-marketing-that-isnt-as-
obvious-2e2e87b9de73
