Product PlacementProduct placement advertisements are promotional ads placed by marketers using real commercial products and services in a feature film, television program, or other medium not typically perceived to be an advertising medium.
Imagine this scene in a movie: The hero is drinking a bottle of soda as the bad guys drive by disguised as delivery men. The hero leaps into his sports car and a chase ensues. The bad guys finally crash their delivery truck into a coffee house and surrender to the hero.
There is a reason why the hero was drinking Pepsi, the bad guys were driving a Brand X truck and the crash scene was a Brand Y coffee shop. That reason is called product placement, and it is more prevalent than one might suspect. Product placement is an advertising technique in which companies pay a fee or provide services in exchange for a prominent display of their products. It is primarily used in connection with the movie industry.
One infamous example of product placement occurred in Steven Spielberg's movie ET. Originally the alien creature was supposed to be lured out of hiding by following a trail of M&M chocolate candies. The company which produces M&Ms, however, did not wish to have their product associated with an unproven and potentially unmarketable movie. A rival company agreed to provide a similar candy called Reese's Pieces. The movie became a huge financial success, and the product placement boosted sales of Reese's Pieces substantially.
Take a minute to comb through your movie memories. You'll probably recall at least a few of these now-famous product placements:
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