(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
The purpose of this research is to study brand recognition that appear as the
“Product Placement” in sitcom drama “Pen Tor”. The result of the study shows that
the samples can recognize brands that are employed product placement in sitcom
drama “Pen Tor” only a few brands. In addition, brands which 60 % of the samples
can recognize are only five brands such as Honda Click, Coca Cola, BRAND’S
Essence of Chicken, Singha Soda Water and Thai Insurance. These brands are wellknown
in Thai society. Familiar brands achieve higher levels of recognition than
unfamiliar brands,even when the recognition scores for familiar brands are adjusted
for the guessing and constructive recognition that may result from inferences
associated with familiar brands.(Ian Brennana & Laurie A. Babinb, 2004) Besides, the
other brands that the samples can recognize more than 50 % will be the brands that the
samples use in every day life and are the familiar products. (Table 4.4)
In sitcom drama “Pen Tor”, there are 38 products and services that use
product placement which is excessive. Therefore, the samples can not recognize all
brands. It depends on the relation between products and plot, and the importance of
the different level of the highlighting and the emphasizing brands in sitcom drama
vary to the value of sponsor. Brand that pays a lot on sponsor will have more changes
to appear on sitcom drama. It also finds that the degree of connection between a brand
and the plot of the show interact to influence memory (Cristel Antonia Russell, 2002).
When analyzing the aspects of watching behavior on sitcom drama, it finds that
mostly the sample will change channel when having ads. (Table 3) Therefore, product
placement is another choice that is interesting. When considering on an overview, it is
obvious that this marketing communication strategy through product placement
appropriates with the product that is well-known in the market. Product placement
will be another way to support and emphasize product more than being the main
marketing communication. Consequently, new brand can not expect too much in
using product placement. According to the result of this study, it illustrates clearly that
number of the sample that can recognize new brand or unwell- known brand is very
little. When analyzing about the relationship between products and services and
sitcom drama “Pen Tor”, it finds that if product can be in scenery or relate with plot’s
sitcom, it will be recognized better than only placing in sitcom. On the other hand, if
product relates with plot’s sitcom very low, brand recognition will be low as well.
In the aspect of media, it finds that other obvious advertising is better than product
placement on making brand recognition because the target group may not know they
are watching ads. Brand presented as billboards may be more readily recalled than
brands presented as product placements because the billboards simply are easier to see
than some product placements (Grigorovici and Constantin, 2004).
Product Placement can be the challenging marketing communication tool that
popular in Thai society nowadays in particularly sitcom drama. It is suitable and
effective to make brand recognition for only a few products and services. It can not
conclude that this is the efficient marketing communication tool for every kind of
products and services. It depends on how to choose technique or create product
placement that can relate between products and services and plot of sitcom drama
properly. This will be effective form the expectation of owner’s product and service.
Although it can not raise sale outcome visibly, at least it can make brand recognition.
In addition, even though product placement’s cost is not as high as the main
advertisement, people who are interested in product placement have to estimate that it
will be worth to invest or not. In addition, researcher considers that this marketing
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