One of the major challenges to traditional forms of advertising are new technologies such as TIVO digital recorders that record television programs which audiences then watch and fastforward the ads. This means that advertisers are looking for new, more indirect ways to promote products within the content itself. One of these strategies involves shorter ads that are more difficult to skip, as well as product placements in films or television programs in which people or characters are consuming these products. The constant display of products in films serves to further promote the representation of society as a consumer culture.

An analysis of Mighty Ducks 2 made in 1994 found that it not only included promotions of hockey brand name equipment (“Easton gloves, shoulder pads, and sticks; CCM helmets, skates, and shirts; Koho sticks; Jofa helmets; Champion clothing; Cooper pucks; Itech masks; Takla parnts, Christian sticks; Bauer skates; Vaughn goalie pads; and Hendricks hockey apparel,” but also “Bubblicious gum, Zubas, Dove, Greyhound, Gatorade, General Cinema, Diet Coke, Little Caesar’s pizza, Delta, and even Duck Head clothing. The zenith, however, making the cover of the Wheaties box!” (Fuller, 1997).

This also includes promotion of media texts themselves. Given the increased media conglomeration, products created by a company owned by the company producing the media text will often cross-promote their own product. A network television news broadcast or talk show will include promotions for films or TV programs owned by that network. And, products themselves may contain references to media texts as when McDonald’s uses images from popular movies or television shows.

One study conducted by Mediaedge found that about half of audiences notice brands associated with product placements.

The study finds that 60 percent of those consumers are willing to try the brands advertised, with the percentages a little higher for TV than movies…Product placement can't hold a candle to traditional television advertising, which the Mediaedge:cia study said was still the most effective form of advertising. TV advertising bested product placement when measuring consumers' recall of brands and willingness to try products. Joe Abruzzo, director of the MediaLab/Ohal, said Tuesday afternoon that product placements are really a brand exposure, not a well-constructed message that would come through in traditional advertising…Forty percent of consumers ages 15-34 don't want to see brands in films, compared to 59 percent of adults over 55….The study found that product placement boosted brand recognition by 40 percent to 100 percent.

Gough, P. (2004, April 22). Consumers Respond Favorably To Product Placement Of Brands In TV, Movies. Media Daily.

Feature This: a product placement business:
methods of doing product placements in Hollywood films

The Blob Factor: Ubiquity in Product Placement

Product placement in computer games

Webquest: Subliminal Persuasion Assignment

For further reading:

Segrave, K. (2004). Product Placement in Hollywood Films: A History. New York: MacFarland.

Module 6: Word document

A Broader Definition of Advertising Instruction

Advertising Drives Content

Why Study Ads?

Application of Semiotic Analysis to Ads

Rhetorical/Audience Analysis of Ads

Critical Discourse Analysis of Ads

Advertising as Propaganda: Public Relations Ads

Advertising and Idealized Gender Images

Advertising on the Web

Marketing in Schools

Advertising and Alcohol/Tobacco

Advertising and the Pharmaceutical Industry

Political Advertising

Product Placements

Creating or Parodying Ads

References

Teaching Activities