Product Placement - Extra Credit

Brand placement in movies
Product placement is more frequent than ever. As consumers we are constantly bombarded with advertisements and promotions. It is a way that marketers can have their brands viewed in a positive light, without the obvious intent to advertise a product. It is a way Marketers and Manufacturers can expose the brand to the consumers without them feeling that they are being marketed to. A great example of this strategy is Cast Away starring Tom Hanks who plays a FedEx worker. The movie revolves around Tom Hanks’ character being stranded on a desert island with a FedEx package. The point: this movies is practically a two hour FedEx commercial, it is hard to talk about the plot of the movie without mentioning the brand. Another movie that has exceptional product placement is Blades of Glory it features over 37 brands, among these include: Pepsi, Google, Adidas and Budweiser. Product placement not only affects adult movies it is also a prominent feature of animated films targeted at young children. For example Bee Movie includes the brands: Vogue, Cinnabon, Timberland, Polo Ralph Lauren and the Emmy Awards. As previously mentioned it is a great way for manufactures to get their brands viewed by many in a non pressure or sale oriented manner.