Product Placement

What is product placement? Product placement can be defined as the use of a brand name product in a television show, movie, or event. Product placement is becoming extremely popular because many feel as though it is not as intrusive as conventional advertisements. Also, people are less likely to change the channel when brands appear in their favorite shows or movies as they might during a typical advertisement.

When watching television I have seen multiple occurrences of product placement. On Law and Order I noticed that Poland Springs water bottles and Kleenex tissues appeared multiple times. Also, on CSI, Ford, Saab, and even You Tube were mentioned specifically many times throughout the hour long program. On The Hills, the girls work for Teen Vogue which is advertising that magazine directly to their target audience of teen girls. I found that American Idol subtly mentions and promotes many brands. On American Idol I have seen the judges drinking Coca Cola, they have creating commercials for Ford using the current contestants, and they have promoted I-Tunes. All of these brands, by placing their products in the show, are reaching millions of potential customers as American Idol is an extremely well-known and regularly viewed televison show. In addition to this, I have noticed product placement in the movie Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump is a three hour long movie and has won several Academy Awards. In this movie Dr. Pepper is mentioned and/or shown is almost every scene. In addition to this, I saw Sony and Nike product placements. If you look closely, you can find product placement in just about every television show, movie, and event.

I think there are many advantages to using product placement. One advantage of product placement is that products being advertised are being used in a natural setting which may help people understand their purpose, how they are used, and why they need that product in their life. Also, if a person sees one of their favorite celebrities using a particular product in a television show or movie, they may be more likely to go out and purchase the product thinking it must be a good product if these people are using it. Furthermore, product placement is unexpected and may catch the eye of people who are irritated by the commercials interrupting their shows.

In addition to there being many advantages, there are also some disadvantages to using product placement. One disadvantage of product placement is that the brand name of the product may go unnoticed as there is a lot going on in movies and television shows as it is. Another disadvantage is that there may not be a match between the product and the movie or its audience. Furthermore, how well the product is noticed and purchased by new customers could depend on whether the movie or television show is a success or a failure.

With these advantages and disadvantages in mind, I think that product placement is a good idea. It is a way for advertisers to get their product noticed in a different way and in a way that people are likely to notice and remember.

Millennial Generation

The Millennial Generation includes those born roughly between 1978 and 1998, although there are many different opinions on the actual years. Being born in 1987, I am right in the middle of the Millennial Generation and I am proud to be there. In the last couple of years the Millennial Generation has become increasingly powerful as more and more are entering college and the workforce. Also, the Millennial Generation will be an important factor in this years upcoming Presidential Election. With Baby Boomers leaving the work force and beginning to collect Social Security, it is up to the Millennial Generation to take their place in the workforce and come up with new and different ideas and technologies.

The Millennial Generation is known by many terms, namely Generation Y, the Baby Boom Echo, and the Internet Age. Millennials are known for an addiction to technology through the ever-expanding Internet, cell phones, and portable computers. We demand new, more, and greater products and services on a daily basis. We not only want the newest technologies available, but we want a wide range of them designed to fit our individual preferences. Competition is fierce as companies attempt to differentiate their products from those of competitors and try to diversify their offerings. I feel as though all of these are accurate assumptions of the Millennial Generation because these days when you walk down the street it is as if the cell phone is permanently attached to ones ears or fingers.

Advertisers have a difficult job to do in that advertisements need to not only represent the intended product well, but also appeal to the varying tastes of the Millennials. Advertisements need to be eye catching and memorable in this fast paced world with Millennials constantly on the go. Some advertisers have started posting advertisements and such on social networking sites in order to reach Millennials, however it has not yet been widely received. In the future, I believe that a great deal of advertisements will be broadcasted on social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace as they are frequented multiple times a day and thus are more likely to be viewed on a daily basis. Posting advertisements on Facebook and Myspace may also generate a greater response to the advertisement in the future as long as they are eye catching and relate to the everyday lives and interests of Millennials as more and more people are logging in to these social networking sites everyday.

I am thrilled to be included in the Millennial Generation as it is known for powerful, intelligent and creative people that work well with one another in discovering new ideas and technologies in this fast paced world.