If you want to gain new customers, you want your brand, product, or service to be exposed to the public. That’s why, your marketing strategies to advertise your wares are vitally important. One technique is product placement in television and films. It’s been shown that product placements substantially persuade viewers. They will have a positive association with your brand. This heightens brand recognition and directly influences consumer buying choices. However, there’s a fine line between being subtle and oversaturation of your brand. This article will explore product placements and determine if it’s a worthwhile marketing technique.
Product Placements as a Marketing Strategy
This type of advertising blends smoothly into a television program or movie (when done correctly). This lets brands be introduced to many viewers. The audience feels happy about your brand, without being consciously aware of the product placement within the show. It’s a necessary marketing and advertising method for brands wanting to make a long-lasting impact.
What else does this marketing technique do for your brand?
- Increases viewer involvement with your brand.
- Your credibility raises.
- The brand seems more genuine in the eyes of the audience.
- There is lasting brand recognition.
- It’s an efficient and economical choice.
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Good Examples of Product Placement in Movies
The movie Wayne’s World poked fun at product placement in the film by shamelessly promoting products to the viewers. They included Doritos, Pizza Hut, Reebok, Pepsi, and other products. It was so blatant and in your face. This ridiculous and overt way they included the brands only enhanced the comedy.
“The name’s Bond, James Bond.” Such an iconic line from an extremely recognizable character. So, it only would be fitting to be allied with a luxury car befitting such a character. The Aston Martin and the James Bond movies have a long-lasting relationship when it comes to product placement. However, the films have also shown off other brands like Jaguar, BMW, Lotus, Ford, and Bentley. These vehicles saw an increase in sales after the release of the movies.
Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle is all about going to the hamburger chain White Castle. This kind of product placement is quite prominent, but it’s been integrated into the actual storyline of the movie. Where subtlety usually works better for this marketing technique, the opposite applies to this cult hit.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a popular eighties movie. It is heavily associated with the Reese’s Pieces candy. It’s even utilized in the movie to propel the story forward. Originally, M&Ms were asked if they wanted to be included in the movie. They turned down the offer. It was then that Reese’s Pieces accepted it instead. After the release of the film, the peanut butter candy increased their sales by seventy to eighty percent.
The Negatives of Product Placement
Having blatant product placement (when not properly integrated) jeopardizes the artistic credibility of the movie orshow it’s featured in. This can be startling to the viewers. It can disrupt people from concentrating on the story. They will be too distracted by the products to pay proper attention to the show. A good example is the movie Madame Web. Numerous audience members felt like the movie was a big Pepsi commercial rather than a film from the Marvel universe.
You always want your brand to come across as honest and trustworthy. You want people to embrace it. However, your brand authenticity will suffer with an abundance of product placement in a movie or show. It will turn the audience off. This impacts the way they view the movie or show as well.
What makes product placement less persuasive or effective?
- Forced or unnatural placement.
- It doesn’t integrate well with the story.
- Viewers won’t be able to connect to the story (especially during emotional episodes or scenes).
- Too much of your brand will make it feel like commercial content instead of someone’s artistic vision.
If your marketing team or content creators make sure the brand is mixed seamlessly into the show, you will reap the benefits. If your brand seems forced or the audience finds it distracting, it will be a negative experience for all involved. The point is you want product placements to be a positive force when it comes to the perception of your brand.
The Positives of Product Placement
Product placement in movies and television that seem genuine can improve audience engagement. Subtle and natural uses of your brand within the story can make it more real to the audience.
Movie production companies can experience heightened profit margins, and filming expenses can be less because of product placements.
The essence of the movie or television show can represent the character and identity of the brand. The audience can feel happy about the story and then associate your brand (through product placement) with those joyous emotions. This is when brand loyalty improves. Since movies and shows can be viewed repeatedly, product placement is classified as a “long-term marketing investment.” This will also boost brand loyalty over a period.
Using product placement as a marketing tool will open a new way to make profits. It can aid in paying for productions as well as give more opportunities and freedom to moviemakers. Also, the vision and values of the artists involved will not likely be compromised.
In Conclusion
Overall, when done right, product placement is an efficient marketing and advertising technique. This is especially true for brands wanting to influence and attain a bigger audience. The result is improving your reach where people will be more aware of your brand. It’s a more current way to promote your brand versus more traditional ways to advertise your product. Remember, increasing sales and having customers have a positive attitude towards your brand is priceless. The bottom line, it’s an effective method to use product placement as a marketing technique.
