Géraldine Soulier, CII
Introduction
I have chosen to address
this theme because I think it is an interesting way of marketing a product.
This method is very much used in United States and we may think that it will be
increasingly developed in France in the years to come.
Definition
Product placement occurs when
companies arrange to have a specific brand used in a particular TV show or
film, or by a specific actor.
Marketing placement has been a
popular alternative marketing strategy. The benefit to the marketer is exposure
to a large audience in an environment that is perceived to be objective.
During a time when consumers are
becoming saturated with traditional media advertising, product placement in
films is a method of advertising that reaches consumers in a seemingly indirect
fashion. Often, consumers do not even realize they are being marketed to.
Product placement in movies can generally be arranged in exchange for financial
compensation. Product placement agencies and companies typically arrange these
agreements, which can be costly.
Types of product placement
The most basic form of product
placement is the inclusion of a product name or logo in the foreground or
background of a scene. Payments are based on exposure, including the number of
times the product is shown or mentioned, the duration of that exposure, and the
degree of inclusion of the product in the story line. If the product is actively
used (such as when a leading character can be clearly seen to take a drink from
the bottle or can), placement fees may be higher.
At other times, product usage is
negotiated rather than paid for.
The most common products to be promoted in this way are
automobiles. Frequently, all the important vehicles in a movie or television
serial will be supplied by one manufacturer. For example, The X-Files used Fords. The James Bond films were pioneers of such placement: the 1974 film The Man with the Golden
Gun featured extensive use of AMC cars. At other times, vehicles or other
products take on such key roles in a film that it is as if they were another character. Examples of this practice include
the placement of Audi in I, Robot and The Transporter 2 or the Nokia phone in Cellular.
A variant of product placement is
advertisement placement. In this case an advertisement for the product (rather than the product itself) is seen in the movie or
television series.
Product placement is also used in
books (particularly novels) and video games—where sometimes the economics are
reversed, and video game makers pay for the rights to use real sports teams and
players.
Measurements
Quantification methods track brand
integrations, with both basic quantitative and more demonstrative qualitative
systems used to determine the cost and effective media value of a placement.
Products might be featured but hardly identifiable, clearly identifiable, long
or recurrent in exposure, associated with a main character, verbally mentioned
and/or they may play a key role in the storyline. Media values are also weighed
over time, depending on a specific product’s degree of presence on the market.
Conclusion
Product placement is at the same time a very useful
means to advertise and a very controversial one. Some believe product placement
is out of control and has become too pervasive in today's society. One group
known as Commercial Alert asks for full disclosure of
all product placement arrangements. They feel that most product placements are
deceptive and are not fully or clearly disclosed, advocating notification of
embedded advertisements, before and during a television program. One
justification for this is that it allows greater parental control for children,
who are said to be greatly influenced by product placement.
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