A great example of smart product placement is the movie I, Robot starring Will Smith and directed by Alex Proyas. A story about a technophobic police officer featured an on-screen representation of such brands as FedEx, Converse, Audi, and JVC (Proyas, 2004). Some of the smaller companies were not as evident throughout the movie, such as Ivory dishwashing liquid or Tecate beer. According to Lewis (2022), Audi’s portrayal in the movie was rather skillful, as a manually driven car in a futuristic world established a sense of connection between the main character and the audience. The director of I, Robot utilized all of the product placement opportunities perfectly and created a virtual environment where potential consumers could become interested in purchasing certain goods because Will Smith’s character approved of them. Thus, it was a case of native advertising that generated a strong bond between the audience and the products used by the main characters throughout the movie.
After an analysis of the process and the outcomes of product placement in I, Robot, it can be claimed that most manufacturers significantly benefited from heavy premiums and a strong appeal to the audience. Audi’s sales in the US increased drastically after the movie’s release, hinting at the fact that lots of viewers became confident in the quality and durability of Audi cars (Lewis, 2022). Product placement is a valuable add-on to any given movie, but only in the case where the message appeals to the audience and the frequency of brands being displayed on the screen does not irritate the viewer’s eye. Thus, when a technophobic police officer chose an Audi as his preferred car, it had a long-lasting impression on the audience with no negative consequences because the screenwriters made Will Smith’s character likable enough. Without a believable movie script, product placement would never work as expected.
References
Lewis, S. (2022). Primed for success? Maybe not, and here’s what marketers should know. lit.edu. Web.
Proyas, A. (2004). I, Robot [Film]. United States; 20th Century.