The ups and downs of product placement

In a world where we are constantly bombarded by advertisements, both in real life and online, product companies have to find creative ways of putting their products out there and sharing their message. Those of us who fall in the generations of Millennials, Gen-X, and Z are not as prone to succumb to the more blatant attempts of advertising campaigns that stem from billboards, commercials, and social media. Social Media advertising seems a mere inconvenience to our day-to-day scrolling activities. To appeal to this market, advertisers are going to have to be more strategic going forward by reaching us through the things we like which may include movies, shows, and sometimes through our favorite YouTube subscriptions just to name a few. The point is that we like our entertainment and we just do not respond well to straight-forward and/or in-your-face attempts at getting us to spend our money.

Product placement in movies or television programs has long been one of the subtler forms of advertising. Some of the most memorable examples of product placement in film include Reese's Pieces in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Dr. Pepper in Forrest Gump, and Twinkies in Zombieland among others. The idea of product placement is obvious. As consumers, when we see one of these products in film/TV, we subconsciously have an increased awareness and/or liking to that product. Are we going to immediately go out and purchase a bag of Reese's Pieces after watching E.T.? Probably, not. However, being a relatively new candy product when this film was released in 1978, Hershey reported a 65% increase in product sells just a couple of weeks after its release.

Partnerships between product brands and the film industry can be mutually beneficial. In exchange for what is probably a very large fee which will assist in funding the production of a movie/tv show, you could have your product displayed in a way that will increase brand recognition while placing it in a positive light. Oftentimes, the sponsor will, also, agree to promote the production in its own advertising campaigns. Continuing with the E.T. movie (because, why not?), Hershey's also placed advertising of the Extra-Terrestrial on its packaging. It would be plausible to say that this affiliation caught the attention of consumers and contributed the increase in sells.

Though it is common practice to request permission from a company before displaying their products due to legality reason, it is not unheard of for them not to seek that confirmation. Popular Netflix show, Stranger Things, gave us some major 1980s product vibes showcasing Hunt's Pudding (Snack-Packs), Sun-Maid Raisins, and Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup which makes the perfect companion to the Eggo Waffles that has found itself in a recurring role in the hit show. What may come as a surprise to some is that Eggo was not in on this deal, but they milked it for what it was worth by tweeting out stills from every scene that their displayed their product. Why not? It's free advertising that shows their product in a positive light and later led to a partnership between Eggo and Netflix. Being a popular show among the Baby Boomers to the Generation Z's and beyond, I'm sure that many of us were saying "Leggo my Eggo." According to ArtPlusMarketing, while we do not know exactly how much Kellogg made of this starring role, there was a peak in Google searches for "Eggo Waffles" which correlated with the release of seasons 1 and 2 of Stranger Things. I know I got my Eggo on though.

One of the downsides of unauthorized product placement is when it places the product in a negative light to viewers. Let's take, for example, the movie Flight which stars leading man Denzel Washington, who's an alcoholic flight captain. Budweiser and Stoli vodka are two of the well-known products that were displayed in the film without the requested permission from the film maker, Paramount Pictures Corp. Neither brands were too happy about this, and if you have seen the film then you know why. According to The Globe and Mail Inc., Anheuser-Busch reached out to Paramount to ask them to remove its Budweiser brand from the film. William Grant & Sons (producer of Stoli vodka) did make a statement but did not approach the corporation about resolving. Also, it is important to note that it doesn't appear that either brand sought legal action against the film. This is, in large part, due to the fact that it would be on their dime to defend their brand along with the chances of not winning the case. 

Personally, I believe that product placement should be about conveying the message of the movie and not necessarily the product. Stranger Things meticulously tried to use products that were popular to the 80s to give viewers a sense of that time frame. Flight was about an alcoholic pilot who was charged for being under the influence during what could have been a very deadly crash landing. He saved those people but he still went to prison and probably will never be a pilot again, because he broke the law. It was about his story and I feel like people come away from it with the message to not drink and operate heavy machinery. They could have chosen to use Bud Light instead of Budweiser. Consumers, through social media and the like, are easily able to put their opinions out there regardless of these influences from film and TV.  No matter your opinion, product placement is a unique way of getting your brand noticed by generations who are not so easily roused by the buy-me-now traditional advertisement.

Thanks for reading! I hope you will come back for next weeks post where I will be covering a topic on media strategies, crisis, and change.

Everyday leaders create lollipop moments

Leadership is not just about captivating and engaging an audience. Nor is it about being in a position of leadership that requires you to supervise a team of staff members. Great leaders seek to inspire any and every one they come across through positive interactions and by being kind. Many of you, whether you know it or not, have impacted someone's life in a positive way. If you are uncertain then it is likely that that person has not told you yet. This week I was inspired by Drew Dudley's Ted Talk on everyday leadership which emphasized the notion of creating and acknowledging the "lollipop moments." A lollipop moment could be just a simple remark or gesture but to the person on the receiving end it could be just the confirmation he/she needed.

When I was in my junior year of college at Troy University, I met a young lady who was in her final years of high school. I was working part-time as a test proctor for the university at the time and she was there visiting with her grandmother. She was interested in hearing about my experiences at the university and what the classes were like. Though I do not recall too much about the conversation itself, what I do remember is her enthusiasm for learning. I did not realize it at that time, but that conversation inspired her and made her want to be a TROY Trojan. I never saw her again after that. However, a few days later, I was sent an email from the girl's grandmother, who happened to be a faculty member of the university.  The message was sent as a thank you for talking with her granddaughter and to share that she is now considering Troy University. I share this story with you because I do not and did not consider myself a leader in any sense, yet because of that acknowledgement I know that I have, at the very least, inspired one person in my lifetime to go after something great.

In my senior year at TROY, I found myself being inspired by one of my professor's, Dr. Robert Moore. See, I really didn't have any plans to continue on to grad school and didn't really want to. I have always been my toughest critic and would second guess myself on certain assignments even though I have always done pretty well in school. Plus, I was just ready to be done. I had met with him to discuss my final paper, which I had made a high B on. As we were talking, he had shared with me that out of all his students that I was one of the few who he could see going on to be successful in graduate school and that I had a lot of potential. Right then and there sparks fired and I knew that I would not stop there. Dr. Moore's belief in me was inspiring and it gave me the confirmation I needed to keep going in my pursuit of knowledge and professional development. I do not believe that I ever had the chance to thank him, but, perhaps, one day he will see this and he will know the impact he made on me. Thank you, Dr. Moore!

These seemingly small moments can lead to some pretty amazing things and can also inspire others to pay it forward. I have been in the presence of some pretty great speakers in my life who know how to engage an audience and inspire others to pave their own way. I have, also, been fortunate enough to be under a great leadership team that motivates and supports each other to meet their goals. However, as I reflect upon my own lollipop moments I realize that these were the moments that led me to where I am today. We are all leaders in our own right to somebody.

Thanks for reading! What are your most memorable lollipop moments? Feel free to share them in the comment section below. Until next time.

Are you even listening? The value of being present

Have you ever been in mid-conversation with someone who obviously wasn't listening? Call them out on it and they will be quick to say "I'm listening", right? But, then they cannot recall what you said and ask you to repeat something. Perhaps, he or she was responding to an important email or text, or even paying a bill. Or, perhaps, just checking a notification or playing a game. It often has something to do with a person's phone or device. Let me ask you this, have you ever been that person? I know I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion. My older sister was actually the one who called me out on it. She often calls it selective hearing. Whatever the reason, this occurrence is a sign of poor listening skills and one that we see every day. If you are not actively listening and trying to understand and interpret the messages you are receiving from others, then, in retrospect, are you even present in that dialogue? Or, are you just staring off into the digital space?

(Wow, A star!)

For one of my other assignments this week, we were assigned a book by Dr. John Kline titled Effective Listening. Though it was published in 1996, I couldn't help but consider how our society's obsession with technology and how our smartphones have added another barrier to active listening. We are constantly multi-tasking between work, life, family, phone (and all that involves), and communicating with various people through our personal and professional relationships. Yet, out of all the communication skills we were taught in school (reading, writing, speaking), very few have had any formal instruction in listening according to Dr. Kline. As such, there are not many who practice the skills needed to be an effective listener. This is, likely, because most people consider themselves good listeners.

Whether we realize it or not, our attention can be easily diverted by a combination of external and internal stimuli. We, ultimately, choose what we allow to thwart our attention from attending to an open email message, listening to a guest speaker at a networking event, or being a listening ear for a friend. Dr. Kline's book provides a lot of helpful tips that can help anyone hone in on some effective listening skills. The best place to start would be by recognizing the barriers that keep you from being attentive whenever you are listening to a speaker or receiving a message through email or text. Awareness is key. Rick Goodman, in his blog post, provides five common barriers that prevent us from being active listeners in our exchanges with others:

1. Trying to be a mind-reader: Do you try to deduce what someone is trying to say before they get their point across?

2. Judging prematurely: Kind of speaks for itself.

3. Filtering: Are you filtering out information that you do not want to hear?

4. Jumping in with advise: Are you quick to jump in with suggestions or solutions?

5. Correcting: Are you a fact checker?

In my professional life, I consider myself to be an effective communicator, but as I recognize some of these barriers in myself in my exchanges with others I, too, realize that my active listening skills are not quite up to par. Do any of these behaviors seem familiar to you? If, so then you and I are in the same boat and could probably go for a little of Listening Skills 101. Most of us listen to react and we do not often wait to gather all the information before responding.

For anyone looking to learn more about effective listening, I would definitely recommend Dr. Kline's book. But, when in doubt, follow his golden rule, which I will leave you with here: Be the kind of listener you want others to be when you are talking.