Probably these below scenes have come across your eyes before and they didn’t bother you much.
Even then they get to this level of explicitness, it’s ok! We can still handle it!
However, just like many other aspects of the American media, Hollywood has let the corporations gone too far with their intervention. It’s no more just a simply “placement” of the products here and there in the movies, it has actually gotten to the point where the products themselves ARE what the movies are about. Yes, I am talking about Transformer.
When this
this
and this
are all that we watch on the screen for 90 minutes, a question came to my mind, how long more does it take Hollywood to shamelessly present to us movies like “The Coke story”, “GM Cars” or “The sisterhood of the traveling pair of Converse”?
36 comments:
The crazy thing to me, is that product placements are becoming so prevalent that sooner or later, the consumer's mind just disregards the message (much like what has begun to happen with most traditional forms of advertising). It is becoming more and more important for advertisers to tell a story about the product with the placement. I think a great example is the "Got Milk?" segment that was in the biggest loser (sorry I couldn't find the link to it)
The movie that I think of first when I think of serious product placement is Josie and the Pussycats. I was shocked when I saw that movie because it seemed like the whole movie was based around different popular products and it was a constant barrage of advertisements.
I don't mind product placements if they are not obtrusive. James Bond can use all the Sony's he wants and I'll accept it. Just don't make him mention the brand! Most of the videos shown are examples of stuff that is noticeable but doesn't bother me. Transformers was pretty blatant, but anyone familiar with the toys and cartoons knew that. So, a filmmaker must not let the product get in the way of storytelling. Throw the products in there, let your characters use them and if you do your job, the audience will see them and will recognize the brand - I think for many viewers, blatant product placement will repel them from the brand. Sadly, I can't think of an example when this has happened but I know I've seen it. Let me play devils advocate for a second here - sometimes it works. Castaway anyone? Wilson? I wanted to buy a Wilson volleyball for myself after I saw it. The Tivo mentions in Tropic Thunder were also incorporated well with hilarious results. So, if your male protagonist wants to wear a shirt with a big Abercrombie logo while drinking Mountain Dew, let him. If he's cool, I"ll probably think "hmm..I think I want a Dew now.." Don't write in stuff, be careful with name/brand-dropping. It's unavoidable. I just hope its subtle.
I think product placement in movies and TV shows is genius. It doesn't not annoy the consumer and actually makes you want to buy the product. After watching Transformers for example made me think more highly of GM and Chevy brand vehicles. I would actually prefer to see more product placement and less commercials. Because most commercials are stupid and are not as affective.
product placement seems like what we were talking about in class. it creates a lifestyle and shows us how the people we are idolizing (actors, celebrities etc.) are using these products. it helps to orient their band in a light that displays them as "cool" without directly pitching to the consumer.
Truthfully I don't really mind product placement in ads, most of the time I'm more absorbed in the plot of the movie so i don't realize the different brands and objects that are specifically placed in the movie, but even when I do I just shrug it off. When I actually take a step back and think about the sheer amount of product placement it is somewhat shocking, but it isn't at the level of obtrusiveness that it is annoying, that day may be near in the future, but for me it hasn't hit yet.
To be perfectly honest, I don't notice product placement most of the time. I'm not saying it doesn't affect me, but I don't usually care.
Obviously with Transformers it was pretty extreme, but even then I just didn't even think about it. That's not the kind of movie I'm going to take seriously anyways.
This whole thing reminds me of Wayne's World. There's a part when they do some "on-purpose" product placement, it's pretty funny.
It is somewhat shocking that I don't even realize most product placement in tv shows and movies.
A classic example (and a hilarious mockery) of product placement is in Wayne's World... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqv3sUzPg2A
I think product placement's a necessary evil and if that means that I have to see a Cisco logo on Jack Bauer's desktop every now and again then so be it. Without it shows wouldn't have the sizeable budgets that are necessary for keeping me entertained.
I think that sure it would be nice to have plots more concise after streamlining films' product placements, but i don't mind a lengthy film; anything under 2 hrs just isn't giving me my money's worth anymore. Plus sometimes the product placement is the stuff that helps make the movie good (ie: every James Bond movie since Dr. No). But to answer your question I think most product placement is a lot less overt than you think, and if you shaved off the time it takes to display the script-altering products, you'd probably be saving about 5 to 10 minutes anyways.
I have no problem with product placement. It's not annoying and it's a brilliant way to get the consumer to purchase a product or service. More so, the consumer does not really look at it as an ad (even if they might know that it's one)... I have no problem with it. It's actually smarter to do it. I think it's just brilliant.
I have been noticing so many product placements lately! They are not even trying to be discrete anymore. In America's Best Dance Crew on MTV, before the group goes to practice, they always have to stop and get some dunkin donuts. Then it goes to the commercial break, and guess what!? The show is sponsored by Dunkin Donuts! Shocker. The question is, when we see these oh so obvious ads, are we annoyed by them or interested by them? It is kind of like a little Where's Waldo game trying to find product placement. It can be very intrusive, but is it intrusive in a different and better way than commercials themselves?
Product placement... I think that it is a good enough idea. I mean how many more of us actually know what an Astin Martin is thanks to James Bond...? I'm not going to lie... with out the 007 movies, i would remain ignorant to such an automotive master piece. In fact, I have a friend and former roommate who went out and bought the P99 handgun that Daniel Craig uses in Casino Royal... a little extreme, but I guess it works.
But to end my post, I guess i would like to respond to your video, with another video.
Go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiLtZBnb7LA
I really don't have a problem with this practice as long it's not the focal point. I don't like it when the character mentions non sequitur. We mention product names daily, so why can't movies. Just because it's Dr. Pepper doesn't mean we don't drink it. When within the reasonable realm of usage, I don't see it as a problem.
When product placement is less blatant, I agree that it is a good idea. Frankly, it doesn't bother me, and I never thought much about it until I started taking advertising classes. I don't think that it has quite reached this level yet, but if it does become so "in your face" that it is obnoxious, I think that consumers see right through the tactics.
I feel like product placement is the advertiser's way of subliminal messaging..and it's genius. Take the movie Castaway, for example. FedEx was all over that movie! We also became very familiar with the Wilson brand of volleyballs. I always watch for the Apple laptops in movies. It has been very prevalent as of late. I think product placement is a good way to cement the brand in the consumer's eyes without being too intrusive.
I totally understand why these companies are putting all these things in tv shows. Like you said, tivo has made it possible to skip through all the ads. I think before I got into advertising I wouldn't have noticed the product placement as much, but now I do everytime. I was watching the football game last night between the Chargers and Jets, and there was a ton of product placement in the game as well. From the coaches headsets to the logos on the jerseys. It is a necessary thing for advertisers.
We are surrounded by advertisements everywhere we go. It is no surprise that products are constantly showing up in all of the most popular films. I am sure these companies are paying good money in order for their products to be show to such a large audience. More often than not, these products are ones that are in relation to the audience of the film. This will reinforce the message of the product to the audience, telling them to purchase these product. Even if a purchase is not made, usually the viewer will remember that the main character, for instance, always drank Coke. Since we do not take time to watch commercials anymore, this is a great way to get the message to the audience.
I think product placement is one of the smartest evolutions in advertising yet. It makes products real. Not just a commercial, we can see the product in use in what seems to be like real life. I hope advertisers don't over due it before I get into the work field because I want to be able to do it in my profession.
this is genius, though it seems a bit out of the ordinary. but why wouldn't the american public want to watch something affiliated with what they like brought to them for free by a product?
Many people have replied saying that they don't even notice product placement. I think that product placement is a great tool because even though we may not be consciously aware of it, we are being exposed to these products/brands etc. and the repeated exposure will lead to awareness.
As we see more and more advertisements, we learn to block them out. They then have to think of newer and better ways to show us what they got.Movies are the best place for this because they can spend 2 hrs showing us how the product works, how it looks, how it drives, how it gets the girls. This is so much better and in depth than a 20 sec t.v. spot.
I agree with ryan, I think that product placement is not obstrusive. I actually liked the familiarity of a coke sign in the background of superman. I thought it was so clever and so familiar that it fit. I also agree with brett, in that I don't only accept it, but I esteem it as brilliant advertising. In the example I used about coke, think about what it did for my coke perception. It became familiar and nastagic. It showed that coke is so part of our life that it should be in the background of the movies as well
I completely agree that the product placement in the movies is getting out of control. I have also been noticing that it is getting much more obvious as is pointed out by your examples. I noticed most of the products you pointed out like Sony in James Bond, Chevy in Transformers, but I completely missed the Dr. Pepper and Carlsberg beer in Spiderman. It makes you wonder how many other brands are marketed in movies and even though they are right in front of you in large you are subliminally exposed to them and influenced to use their products.
Product placement can be harmful, but in general, I believe it is innocent. If you're looking for a funny example of product placement, I recommend Wayne's World 2. There is a scene where they blatantly acknowledge some sponsors. It is funny . . . or at least was when I was younger.
I remember watching Iron Man this summer and really enjoying it. But then there was the huge Burger King product placement right in the middle of it, and blatant product placement kind of makes me queasy. Of course there were other product placements and there have been since the beginning of Hollywood, but I think too much product placement or obvious product placement in films diminishes the quality of the film. In the end, I think it's a disadvantage to both the product and the film, but still, it does sell a lot of stuff.
product placement bothers me so much! i've been noticing a lot more in the past few years than ever before. i think it's because i've taken too many communications classes. but really, i think it's getting to an extreme. on the other hand, i love when name brands are HIDDEN, like on every cooking show on the food network, even though we all know what it really is. i so wish they'd do that more often in movies/tv!
I would agree product placement is everywhere. This class is full of advertising majors and because of that we all know that any kind of product in a film is not coincidence. We may notice it, and we may not. We know who sponsored Transformers, James bond, and Batman. The products are shown throughout the movie especially through the cars. But who really cares? Like I said we might notice it, but do we even care? If anything, it just makes the movie more real when a character is drinking the same diet coke I drink, or when they drive the same Bentley Coupe as my next door neighbor. Let advertisers have their fun with it, as long as it doesn't interrupt my movie!
This makes me think the tv show 30 Rock. Besides the fact that the whole show is kind of an advertisement for GE, there is one episode where they "inconspicuously" advertise Snapple. I like it because you can tell they are making fun of the whole concept of product placement in movies, television, etc.
Product PLacement i love it. I think its genuis and it even makes the movies and media more relevant to our time. Instead of seeing Will Smith drink some unmarked soda can he drinks A coke, you can identify with that making the movie come to Life. Its all about making money too, and thats a good way.
how could a world of consumer be void of advertising. what's wrong with product placement? i think it's a creative way to advertise. also, i find it weird to have a realistic movie without a products that we use everyday.
It is strange to not put the products into a film if it is set in the real world.
But sometimes it is really annoying. All the Transformers were General Motors Cars?
But I had to giggle when playing an Oddworld video game and my weird green alien could drink a SoBe to regain health.
Product placement is never going to go away. How can film makers create real-life portrayals if they leave out the everyday products that we use. If all the advertising that is present in our lives was left out of a movie, it would be hard to connect to that movie as being potentially-realistic.
As for Transformers, I don't think that movie was made just to advertise and sell cars. Transformers have been around for a long time and you can't make a movie about them without having cars. Obviously, trying to get your manufactured cars in the movie is something every company wants, but I don't think that it is the other way around. Movie are made for the directors purpose, and products are placed in those movies. It is not the other way around, products don't make the movies.
Product placement is a great way to sell a company's products. Transformers is a perfect example. On Friends, if Central Perk, the coffee shop they all hang out at, was a Starbucks, I think Starbucks would be even more popular. All kinds of automobiles like Ferrari's, Fords, Land Rover, Bettles and BMW's were used in Get Smart when I saw it. People don't like to watch commercials these days, so advertisers use movies to sell their products, or at least keep them in consumer's minds, and get entertained at the same time.
I'm really not one to get offended at product placement in movies/tv shows etc. Movies are expensive to produce as it is, so if by bringing in external sponsors the movie is higher quality and gets out faster, I'm all for it. I've only noticed product placement a couple of times when not specifically looking for it, and it makes me laugh more than anything else, because a lot of the occurrences are pretty shameless. They're not really trying to be sly anymore. If the product's there, it's intended to be noticed.
Product placement, like commercials on network television, have come to be expected.
I don't think it's shameless to make movies that are big long commercials if the producer is open about the reason for making the film is money.
No film maker who is making a film for film's sake (or art's sake) would use product placement as a way to finance the film. So we don't have to worry about product placement ruining the best of artistic film.
- Michael Williams
I totally agree with Kevin- advertising is most beneficial when we don't know it is advertising- but now that we see it so often- I think advertisers will have to start coming up with new, creative and alternative ideas. I saw such an idea at the "New York City Marathon" recently. I saw 'athletes' 'finishing' the marathon, they were all wearing an orange shirt with a company logo on, but they were all weird in some way or other. One was paraplegic, one was super-over weight, the other had an insane limp- and there was a midget thrown into the mix! they did not run the whole way but merely jumped into the race with 2 km to go and ran in-front of millions of confused yet interested fans?! Crazy, unethical, ingenious or the future of advertising- not just product placement but human placement!!
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