Movies

In movies we are constantly being plagued with all sorts of product placement! Whether it be Spider Man trying to grab a can of Dr. Pepper with his web, or You've Got Mail showing the old school AOL, it is everywhere!  I'm pretty sure the only way to escape it would be to hide under a rock forever, but then you still probably see it walking by on clothing and such!!

Have you ever been watching a movie and suddenly you crave a certain type of food or drink, because you saw the main character enjoying it? Or have you ever bought a certain brand of clothing or shoe because your favorite movie star made it look cool?  OK that sounded pretty corny but you get the point.  The media isn't doing that on accident, it is very much on purpose!  Just as Lindsey said before, with all of the new technologies out there the advertisers are needing to be more creative to get us to actually see the product or service.  Now a days commercials only go so far!

In the book it even goes so far as to call it "...plot placement, brand entertainment, or product integration..." Meaning that in some shows, not only is the product being promoted, but it is some how part of the plot of the show.  I can't really think of any shows that have that the product involved in the plot, but I do not doubt it!  Before I knew much about product placement, I was surprised at what I saw, I thought the movie was being illegal for having a product displayed, but it turns up it is just a great way for us to be influenced even more!

Product placement is a really ingenious idea, as long as they keep it looking natural and not in your face.  For coming up with a great idea like that, they can try and influence me anytime they like... its kind of fun and entertaining to pick out.  And now that I know more about it, I find myself picking it out more and more. The only problem I see is what is happening to TV, more commercial than show.  I think as long as they stay away from that, they should be golden!! HAPPY PRODUCT WATCHING!

Here is one of my favorite placements I found on youtube! Who knew Harry Potter was all about the Chucks... Converses that is!

Product Placement in Harry Potter

Sports

Advertisers are trying to get our attention in the hope when we're looking for new equipment, we'll make sure to remember their brand and buy their product. Everyone is looking to project the image that their equipment is the newest and has the best technology; improve your game and make you the best player anyone's ever seen. They're decorating the players, the caddies, the fans, and even the field.

At the Auburn vs. Louisiana State football game on September 16, 2006, computer generated ads for Ruby Tuesday were shown on the 1st down line for viewers. Many complained about the interruption.

In 2004, Columbia Pictures said it would cover Major League Baseball (MLB) bases with promotions of it's upcoming Spider-Man II logos. Fans voted against the ad on AOL.com and EPSN.com. The studio ended up dumping that idea.

In researching advertising in sports, I stumbled upon some intriguing statistics. Out of the approximately 95 national ads that were shown during the Super Bowl this year, only 43 of those ads had women in them. That's not even the number of ads that were directed towards women. (Mostly, the women in these ads were used in the background, a promise that the product would make bombshell women flock around guy when he used/bought specific product.) The real kicker of this is that 38% of viewers were women. The $7 trillion they spend a year was, for the most part, ignored.

During the Olympics, Visa came out with an inspiring commercial that focused on the international spectrum of the Olympics, rather than just the American side of it all. See for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V22PebTiik

Advertising in the world of sports is a vibrant side and one that many advertisers are getting into; watching sports now days isn't just for the game. It's also for the entertainment. Think how big the Super Bowl is and how much money is spent to reach that audience. It is only just a matter of time until the world is covered in slogans and logos. Wait...it's practically there already.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2006-10-10-ad-nauseum-usat_x.htm
http://www.aef.com/industry/news/data/2009/9004

BYU-Idaho Product Placement

Product placement exposes us to more advertisements

than we are aware of. We took a field trip through campus

to see how many ads are placed in front of us everyday.

Television

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36wUmJGzvA

This is a video from the show 30 Rock advertising Verizon phones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_uXNzhc3Hs

Here is an example on Rachel Ray where she advertises Snyders Pretzels.

The average american is exposed to about 3000 advertising messages a day. 50 percent of american homes have at least three tv's or more! Also, the average american watches 8 hours of T.V a day. With this amount of exposer are we really aware of all the the advertisements being thrown at us?

My husband and I love to look for product placement in shows that we watch. They are everywhere, even sometimes when they didn't mean to. As I am studying advertising right now, I am learning how hard it is to catch the average american's attention, even with all the media we incorporate into our lives. Commercials can be fastforwarded and print ads are often flipped past. Advertisers have really tried to be creative with selling their product. I don't believe it is manipulative. It is tactful. We cannot say that advertsements rob us of our freewill. We always have the right to choose.

In the bible, Joshua 24:15 it states " choose you this day whom ye will serve." We have the control. There are ads out there that have subliminal messages that if followed can be harmful. We know right from wrong, and to say that ads decided our choices for us is to say that we are merely puppets. We have the right and the responsibility to choose that which is good and wholesome and filter out the rest.

I believe product placement is a fun way to keep us on our toes. It encourages us to be aware of our surroundings. It teaches us that things are not always what they seem.