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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
IMC PERSPECTIVE 13-1
452
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
Product Placements Invade New Media
Can you think of the last time you watched a movie and
didn’t see a product placement—that is, a branded
product displayed in the scene? While product placements
have been around for quite some time, there has
been a tremendous increase in their usage in the past
few years. And now, they are invading television programs
as well.
Exactly when product placements originated is hard
to determine, but most marketers agree that the frequency
of their use increased significantly with the
placement of Reese’s Pieces in the movie E.T. over 20
years ago. Since that time, placements have become so
common that some advertisers are concerned that the
novelty of the brand exposures has worn off, leading
them to be less effective, or—even worse—that they are
so common and so obvious that viewers are getting
turned off by them. The recent James Bond and Austin
Powers movies have so many placements in them that
one has to wonder if such movies are created just to
promote products.
But instead of cutting back on placements, the
advertising industry has now turned to other mediums
to get its products shown. For example, the novel The
Bulgari Connection, by Fay Weldon, was actually sonamed
(at least in part) because an “undisclosed sum”
of money was paid to the author by the Italian Bulgari
jewelry company. Television has also seen a marked
increase in the number of placements. Junior Mints,
Calvin Klein, Kenny Roger’s Roasted Chicken, and
numerous cereals are just a few of the many brands
that have appeared in Seinfeld, with many other products
appearing in other shows as well. Budweiser,
Mountain Dew, and Doritos have all been in Survivor,
Pottery Barn was integrated into the plot in Friends,
and Procter & Gamble products are all over Sex and the
City. When Unilever launched Cheese Creations
sauces, a major promotional effort was expended on
radio DJ parties to get the jockeys talking about the
products on the air. Nivea did the same thing with its
wrinkle-control cream targeted to women, P&G did it
with its Downy Wrinkle Releaser spray, and so has
Compaq computers. Jeep Wrangler and Liberty are
prominently displayed throughout Tony Hawk’s Pro
Skater 3 video game, which is extremely popular with
males in their 20s.
Is it possible that product placements have gone
too far—maybe even bordering on deception? A number
of critics think so, arguing that the lines have
blurred between content and promotions. They cite the
new TV show No Boundaries, a reality-based show in
which the contestants drive Ford Boundaries. Ford,
whose campaign slogan is “No Boundaries,” helped pay
for the show’s production costs. Gary Ruskin, execu-
13. Support Media © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
tive director of Commercial Alert, a nonprofit advertising
watchdog group, notes that today’s movies are
“being corrupted by commercialization that has mushroomed
beyond mere product placement to include
script doctoring and related sins.” Ruskin goes on to
note: “In movies like Minority Report, you have a bunch
of ads with a couple of scenes thrown in, with artistic
concerns taking a back seat.” He is particularly perturbed
by a film to be released under the title Food
Fight, which features brands as characters such as Mr.
Clean, Mr. Pringle, and Twinkie the Kid. Even some people
in the product placement industry itself are concerned
that viewers will see the placements as
commercial, infringing on their pleasure of watching.
Others are not so concerned, however. Citing the
growth of TiVo, the increase in commercial zipping and
zapping, and the increasing number of advertisers vying
for more time through regular television commercials,
they argue that this may be the only way to have one’s
product or brand shown in the future. Those assuming
this position suggest that you will see even more placements
in even more media in the future. So the next time
you turn on HBO to get away from the commercials on
network TV, pay attention. Who knows, you may see a
product placement on Sex and the City (Jabra cell-phone
earpieces) or on The Sopranos (Gateway computers)—
and maybe you’ll notice and maybe you won’t. Either way,
the placement may still work, as some research indicates
that products that you do not actually notice may
have a greater impact than those that you do.
Sources: Jennifer Davies, “Where Do Films Start, Ads Stop?” San
Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 3, 2002, p. C1; T. L. Stanley, “Brand X:
Ready on . . .,” Brandweek, May 13, 2002, pp. 34–40; Joann Muller,
“Chrysler’s Wink-Wink, Nudge-Nudge Campaign,” BusinessWeek,
Dec. 17, 2001, p. 114; Betsy Spethmann, “Hot Air,” Promo Magazine,
September 2001, pp. 37–40; Laura Shanahan, “Designated
Shopper,” Brandweek, Sept. 24, 2001, p. 38.