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.