Does Product Placement Work?

18 Jan

We live in a time where TV shows and movies can be watched on demand. Installing ad blockers has become a priority, and fingers itch to press “skip ad” as quickly as possible. While traditional advertising still exists in this digital age, advertisers always find their way to shove their brands and products into people’s minds.

One way that’s been tried, tested and overused is through the magic (and by magic we mean paying the big bucks) of product placement. Let’s look at some movie product placements from the slightly obvious ones to the ultimate smack-bang-in-your-face-please-make-it-stop product placements.

Slightly subtle product placement.

Jurassic World – Starbucks

Good on you, Starbucks! Sort of. It’s only during this final battle scene when you can see ye olde Starbucks logo with its mermaid oh so many times. To be fair, there are also other brands in the mix like Pandora and Brookstone but coffee comes first every time, right?

Kingsman: Secret Service – McDonald’s

You’d think they’d be served food for the gods because of who these characters are supposed to be but what do you know, it’s Maccas!

Justice League – Mercedes

Batman’s superpowers are finally revealed! “I’m rich." And since he's rich, he drives a Mercedes. Why don’t you?

Well that was a bit of a stretch.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Pizza Hut

Ahhh yes. Turtles who eat pizza. As long as it was given a purpose in the beginning of the film, right? But hey, there’s no hate whatsoever here. Everyone should be able to eat pizza freely!

iRobot – Converse All-Stars

For a movie whose setting is in the year 2035, Converse’s placement definitely stood out. “Converse All Stars, vintage 2004.” Well played, Converse. Well played.

Get off my face please.

The Internship – Google

Need I say more? The entire movie was a two-hour long commercial for Google. I’m guessing Google was feeling lucky with this one.

You just had to, didn’t you?

Too Many to Mention – Coca Cola

Hi Coca-Cola. We all know you. Most if not all of us know how bad you are for us. But you’re damn good at branding. So the question now is, do you actually need all these product placements?

We have a winner! The Ultimate Product Placement Whore: Michael Bay

Michael Bay films – 555 Product Placements in total.

We’re not the only ones who've noticed. We see right through you Michael Bay! Not sure if that deserves a pat on the back or a plea to get on with the storylines.

At the end of it all, advertisers think we all exist to consume their messages. They will always advertise by any means necessary – even if it costs a minimum of 250,000 USD for a second’s worth of screen time.

Try as you might, you can’t just ad block your way through life.

Kei Serrano

Kei is a young marketer who specializes in social media and is currently handling various online business accounts. She has been performing on stage since the age of 3, has written many poems and short stories, and even drew comics in primary school.

Kei has discovered that marketing is the closest field in business that allows her to express her artistic side. Kei has varied experience, from health care to pre-school to the performing arts. She now takes on art forms such as photography and videography to fill her artsy hunger and contributes blog posts to various websites, all done while enjoying her one true love - coffee.