Have you ever been watching a movie, TV show or music video and noticed that the character is munching on a particular brand of chips that you just ate the previous evening, drinking a cold drink you love or wearing a fancy watch that you suddenly feel a burning desire to own? Congratulations, you and pretty much everyone else who has seen a movie or watches TV have been a target of an advertising trick known commonly as 'Product Placement'.
If I had to define Product Placement, I'd say that it is a form of advertising where a branded product or products are placed in a form of media that would usually be devoid of ads, such as a movie, a music video, the scripted or controlled part of a TV show or in a news report. The fact that a product has been placed is more often than not undisclosed, and the advertiser counts on the human subconscious to register the presence of the product and make an association to it, rather than the more direct approach of conventional advertising.
Probably the earliest example of product placement is that Jules Verne was reportedly approached by transport and shipping companies to have them mentioned in his book 'Around The World In Eighty Days'. Whether he was paid for placing the companies in the story line of his book is unknown, though.
Today, product placement actively takes place in all forms of scripted media. Television shows might portray a character drinking Coke while driving a BMW, with both brand logos clearly visible. James Bond drives an Aston Martin and wears an Omega watch. The video games we play feature real-world elements, such as the Nissan you drive, that Burger King outlet you passed or those Bridgestone tires you just bought for your car in Need For Speed. Even sports teams have sponsor logos and distinct kit manufacturers logos clearly visible on their uniforms, while individual players will be wearing the shoes of whichever brand will pay them the most.
The reason product placement is effective is because you're advertising where people least expect it, in the middle of regular entertainment content. The viewer just can't ignore it. It also creates an association with the brand in the customer's mind. The customer might desire a particular product more if they find their favourite film star wearing that brand in a movie, or if their sports team wears a particular brand as their uniform/kit. The customer may not always recognize it as a plug as well, so the negative perception towards advertising that some viewers hold would not even register.
Some examples of product placement:
The film 'I, Robot' made heavy use of product placements for Converse, Audi, FedEx and JVC among others, all of them introduced within the first ten minutes of the film. One particular scene borders into an actual advertisement in which a character compliments Will Smith's character's shoes to which he replies "Converse All-Stars, vintage 2004." (the year of the film's release). Audi invested the most on the film, going so far as to create a special car for the film, the Audi RSQ.
The film 'The Island', directed by Michael Bay, features at least 35 individual products or brands, including cars, bottled water, shoes, credit cards, beer, ice cream, and even a search engine. The film was highly criticized for this. In the movie's DVD Commentary track, Michael Bay claims he added the advertisements for realism purposes.
The video game franchise Need For Speed prominently places and displays real cars, real-world aftermarket automobile products and displayed ads around the virtual world, including plugs for Burger King, Cingular Wireless and many more. Although it can be argued that these placements contribute to the realism of the game, it is no doubt a form of product placement at the end of the day.
