Modern Advertising: The Commercial Substitute
The advertising world is constantly coming up with new ways to promote their products in a fresh and persuasive fashion. But in our modern world where we can skip commercials after a few seconds on Youtube, scroll past them on Facebook, and pay for ad-free streaming services like Hulu, how can businesses market their products to consumers today? Two words: product placement.
The Beginning
The concept of product placement is not new. Apple is a great example of someone who, almost by chance, got into the game early. For over a decade, Apple products have been featured in movies and TV shows. Though years ago Apple claimed they did not pay for their product placement, their products nevertheless appeared in nearly 900 TV shows back in the year 2011 alone.
Apple was a trend setter here, setting the stage for the power of this advertising strategy now popular today. Although the way product placement works has evolved over the last decade, it has only grown exponentially as a powerful advertising strategy.
How it Works
Consumers today may skip commercials or pay for ad-free TV, but they are still consuming content and watching their favorite shows and movies. What better place to put your products than where you know your customer will be watching?
Typically, companies will partner with an agency who navigates the deal to be in favor for both parties. This is a mutually beneficial exchange, as brands want a place to promote their products, and productions are always looking for ways to grow their budget. The agency reviews both brand and production and speaks with both parties to find the right moment for promotion and work out the details of the deal.
Not all Product Placement is Good
Of course, not all product placement is created equal. Product placement can easily work against you instead of for you. It’s more than just paying for your bag of chips to be the one the star of the show is eating, or getting your pest service logo on a van that the camera is focusing on. As the advertiser, you must understand the connotation your product will have. How is it viewed in light of the story?
For example, does the main character get criticized for eating chips and toss them in the trash, announcing that they need a healthier snack? Not exactly how you want your customers to think about you. Is the pest control van involved in a crime or owned by a rude character? Also not the reputation you want viewers to walk away with.
Product placement can be a make it or break it situation. With your company commercial, you control the narrative. In a product placement, you have to understand the narrative you’re walking into and whether or not it will be a good fit for you.
Does it Work?
Product placement is a great marketing tool today, and can increase brand awareness by 20%. When done well, they can increase a customer’s opinion of your product or company as a whole. Product placements spark conversation and lead to increased online traffic for the company or product. As long as a company is successful at getting their product on a show or movie viewed from a positive angle, product placement is a great marketing strategy for today and the future.
The Future of Advertising
The ease with which consumers today can avoid advertisements is making product placement an increasingly popular and trending marketing strategy. As it continues to grow in popularity, expect to find the process more refined and defined. As well as more expensive, as shows and movies also recognize the position advertisers are in and the value their show can bring to them. This trend will only continue to grow as advertising is easy to skip and marketers look for new ways to keep consumers’ attention.
