The Influence Of Product Placement

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After the use of Reese’s Pieces in the movie E.T. product placement has risen to extreme heights. Some ask the question if product placement was around before the popular use of it in E.T. Research has proven that this form of advertisement has been around and used since the beginning of cinema, Ben Kozary states “the first reported product placement occurred in 1896, with the deliberate integration of Sunlight Soap by Unilever into several Lumière films” (2) from his paper “The Influence of Product Placement Prominence on Consumer Attitudes and Intentions: A Theoretical Framework.” This makes product placement one of the longest running uses of advertisement around. Product placement in movies and television shows, while unethical in some situations, is the most preferred and effective form of advertisement today.
According to Liew Chee Kit in “The Effectiveness of Product placement: The Influence of Product Placement towards Consumer Behavior of the Millennial Generation,” Product Placement is “defined as placing a brand in media content to affect consumer behavior” (138). This means companies pay for their brand names to be put in movies and television shows for a certain amount of time. This give a positive light to the brand name and makes people happy or think fondly when presented with that brand name. Some examples of product placement in television shows are: American Idol, Friends, Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives, and House. Coca-Cola endorses American Idol with cups on the table of the judges; Oreos and Budweiser had engulfed Friends; Sex and the City has a whole episode about Absolute Vodka; Cast members of Desperate Housewife’s are given Buick vehicles to drive; and House shows off Apple’s MacBook.
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... names are popular and well known. Charlotte Krapp points out in her paper “Brand Recognition and Confusion during Brand Placement” that the “risk of consumer brand confusion increases when the brand name is only presented for a few seconds or the advertising message is unclear” (4). Product placement is a win-win for both the company and movie studio, but makes more sense to show items the public is already familiar with.
Product placement is one of the most effective and preferred methods of advertisement around. Both consumers and advertisement companies look at it with a positive light, proving the test of time and lasting over 110 years in the market today. While there are some problems, it in no way slows down the increase of product placement in movie and television shows, or decreases its effectiveness. Product placement really is a great way to advertise.

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