Is placing products on TV Shows, Movies and Music Videos an effective way of advertising?
When working on print ads in Copywriting 101 the instructor always urged us (the students) to get the readers to believe that the ad is just another article in the magazine. That way, she would assure us, the reader will see and read the ad without skipping a beat.
In television, movies and music videos there is a way to do the same exact thing. It’s called product placement.
Benefits and drawbacks to product placement
We have all seen product placement in one form or another; whether we were aware of it or not.
During a normal commercial many people change the channel or tune out the message. But with product placement you are exposed to thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people who are paying close attention. It’s great for getting your name out to a massive audience quickly and uninterrupted.
Another benefit? Well, if people are already watching the show/movie/game/gameshow there is a certain amount of trust they give to the characters and personas they watch. This adds a certain amount of clout to your product similar to the way an endorsement might with certain demographics.
The downside to product placement is the lack of a call to action if the movie, show or video is not scripted to show off the benefits of your product. Also depending on the placement it can get pricey.
Also, very important: if you choose to pay for product placement, make sure you have control over how your product is presented. You don’t want to turn off your perfect customer by botched product placement. An example you say? Here are two, both from Days of Our Lives. Be warned, you will cringe.
Days of Our Lives product placement horror #1:
Days of Our Lives product placement horror #2:
Author bio: Sam Zargari is a copywriter, and has over 15 years in sales and advertising experience.