Television shows and movies are seen more in the light of realism compared to paid advertisements. People tend to believe that the movie or television actor supports the product, thus, the credibility of the product itself has a multiplied effect on its sales. Moreover, it helps the audience relate itself to real life while increasing the authenticity of the program. Apart from the realistic element which product placement brings about, it also has several advantages for the company selling that good or service.
Product placement reduces advertising costs as there is no need for a separate set to market the product. As the product is somehow blended in the scenario; for instance Sears advertised itself in “Man of Steel” by portraying Superman’s mother as its employee. As this is a popular departmental store chain in America it helped viewers and real life employees to relate themselves to this service. The greatest benefit of an effective product placement is that the viewer does not have an option to skip the commercial as the product is integrated into the whole scene. The brand gets linked to the television character for example; Warby Parker eyewear is associated with Clark Kent’s spectacles and helped the company gain massive exposure. (Goldman, 2013)
Marketers argue that product placement is noticed by the consumers and that this significantly affects their consumer behavior as people are drawn towards brands which they are familiar with rather than completely newer brands. However, critics argue that product placement deceives the consumer by making him/her think that use of the product would make them in some way similar to the movie character that uses the product. However, consumers fail to relate to brands if there is a brand-overload in the movie. For example; Transformers made use of so many brands that none of the brands actually had a lasting effect on consumer behavior.
Marketers even argue that product placement reaches the viewers on a more subconscious level which is illustrated through brand recall rate as the product is already known to them. However, regular users of the product being shown in the program or movie may become more loyal towards the brand as this level of product display reflects positively on the quality of the product.
Works Cited
Goldman, Eric. "Think You Want to be Told About Product Placements In Movies? Think Again ." Forbes 9 July 2013: -. Print.
