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.