With the development of media technology, product advertising has become particularly important, either implicitly or explicitly. When watching videos, movies, shows, audiovisual content, and any other form of media, viewers, and listeners may encounter product placement (Kenton, 2020). Product placement is a specific type of marketing in which a brand’s product or service is shown as part of a narrated story to increase brand awareness, build loyalty, and spread influence. For example, the use of Apple appliances by movie characters, the choice of Coca-Cola as drinks, or the protagonists listening to music on Spotify are examples of product placements that have quite measurable marketing functions.
There are several types of product placement as an embedded marketing system that depend on the implementation of specific ideas. For example, if the product or brand being advertised is narrated visually, this refers to OnScreen product placement (BP, 2021). On the other hand, ads can be embedded in character dialogues, that is, narrated only verbally. For example, in season 27 of the animated series The Simpsons, Homer Simpson says, “For Carl, a French Coca-Cola,” which is an example of verbal product placement (Groening, 2016). The third type of this marketing is location-based, where brand advertising appears directly in the frame through billboards, signs, or posters. Finally, the brand can be placed in the story and become an essential part of it.
Since the lifestyles of most characters in movies and shows in which product placement is implemented are similar to those of the audience, the products placed must be appropriate. It will not be effective if the middle socioeconomic status character the audience associates themselves with uses luxury accessories and cars. Therefore, for most films in which the protagonists are average, ordinary products are used: well-known foods, famous brands, and mass-market products.
References
BP. (2021). Types of product placements. Branded Placement. Web.
Groening, M. (Creator). (1989-2022). The Simpsons [TV series]. 20th Television.
Kenton, W. (2020). Product placement. Investopedia. Web.