Product Placement in movies and TV serials 1

Product placement in Movies and TV serials

By

Ashutosk K Kashyap

IBS Hyderabad

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 2

Product placement in Movies and TV serials

ABSTRACT

Product placement is the practice of including a brand name, product, package, sign or other
trademark merchandise within a motion picture, television or other media vehicles for increasing
the memorability of the brand and for instant recognition at the point of purchase. The common
practice has been that advertising has been inserted within breaks, 30 seconds or 10 seconds
commercial, but with increasing number of channels and media clutter, the target audience is not
properly exposed to the message. The tendency of the audience is to change the channel
whenever an advertisement appears. But by subtle placement of products in the settings of the
Movie or a TV serial, the promotional message can be effectively put across the target audience.
The Product Placement can be implicit or explicit or implicit depending on the marketers
requirement and the scene/plot where the Product has been placed. The motive of the Product
Placement can be different for different brand and marketer. Sometimes the medium is used to
launch a new product, sometimes it can be used to demonstrate the long tradition of a brand,
other times it can be used in negatively (by portraying competitors product in a negative context)
and at times the use of a particular product or service in a particular movie reinforces the brand
image or reinforces its positioning message.

The Product Placement is an effective way of advertising as has been found by many researchers.
But the effectiveness is a function of variables like context (of the plot), match of product with
type of movie, audience profile (age, sex, education, literacy, language, religion, culture, access
to technology, media interests, hobbies), emotional appeal, program involvement and liking for a
star.

Product Placement technique is a very effective technique for getting a message through. So it
can be effectively used for positioning and repositioning. Marketers can choose this medium for
positioning their product to larger target customer at a relatively lower cost. The key word is that
the medium is effective.

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 3

INTRODUCTION

Product placement is the practice of including a brand name, product, package, sign or other
trademark merchandise within a motion picture, television or other media vehicles for increasing
the memorability of the brand and for instant recognition at the point of purchase. Common
practice of broadcasting has been that advertising is inserted within breaks in programs. But
today’s audiences have enough choices and new technological advances allow them to ignore
advertised messages by switching to other channels or skipping them altogether. This results in
the proliferation of product placement on television and movies, as exposure of commercial
products is engrained into the entertainment component of the program, maintaining audience
attention. Alternative media vehicles are used by the media planers and brand marketers to reach
to the customers with a distinct message so that the memorability of the message and hence the
brand name increases 1.

A few firms get product placement at no cost by supplying their product to the movie company
(Nike does not pay to be in movies but often supplies shoes, jackets, bags, etc.
Scripts are tailor made for the desired brand so that when they are incorporated they look natural.
It is done through special mention in the programs, placement of logo or may be a shot of that
particular brand. Movies have been used as the most popular platform for product placement.
Showman Subhash Ghai’s Yaadein showcased brands like Pass-pass and coca-cola. But recall
the Rishi Kapoor starrer Karz by the filmmaker, which had an entire song sequence with the
Emami banner at the backdrop. Similarly time and again we have witnessed so many brands like
ICICI, Yamaha, Pepsi, Lays in movies Aakhein, Baghban, Dhoom, Khushi and Krissh
respectively. Product placement, as the numbers suggests is bringing revolutionary change in
entertainment economics.

1
Panda.K.Tapan, “Effectiveness of Product Placement in Indian Films and Its Effects on Brand
Memory and Attitude with special reference to Hindi Films”. Retrieved on 05/012008 from :
http://dspace.iimk.ac.in/handle/2259/175

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 4

HOW DOES IT WORK

Marketer pays to the agency that decides and places specific brands strategically in films/TV
shows. It is the job of the agency to maintain tie ups with prop suppliers/vendors and with set
designers. Suppliers get in touch with the production houses, which also look for props and some
extra money as revenue. Subsequently the script is reviewed and necessary changes are made to
place the brand appropriately to look like a natural phenomenon in the story.

There are three ways product placement can occur:

• The placement simply happens

This placement occurs without any type of formal contractual agreement to place a
particular product or brand. The likely scenario in this instance involves some member of
the cast or crew selecting a product to use in a scene because it will enhance the scene
though the product itself may not be seen or presented in a favorable light.
• The placement is arranged and some of the product serves as compensation.
This type of placement a particular product is shown in the Movie/ Serial and no extra
amount is paid for that. The product itself serves as compensation
• The placement is arranged and there is financial compensation.
In this type of product placement the company has to pay for the placement apart from
the product.

It is very important to expose the product only to the target audience. A good marketer should
first identify the target market based on geographic segmentation and demographic variables or
may be even both. Selection of the target audience is also done keeping the brand profile in
mind. A target audience should also be able to identify with the product. The potential target
audience should be able to identify themselves with the product. For instances products like
Jewelries and Sarees are feminine products and rightly placed in soaps like ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi
kabhi Bahu Thi’ and ‘Kasauti Zindagi Ki’ which has a lot of female viewership. Therefore it’s
absolutely important that the marketer should not pick up the wrong receiver, otherwise results
can be fatal.

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 5

PRODUCT PLACEMENT STRATEGIES

Implicit Product placement

An implicit Product placement is not expressed formally. The brand name or the name of the
firm appears without a clear demonstration of product benefits. It plays a passive, contextual
role. For instance, in a game show like KBC computers of Lenovo are used. In a movie, some
scenes are shot in Pizza Hut. Thus, in an implicit Product placement the brand, the firm or the
product is present within the program without being expressed.

Integrated explicit Product Placement

In this type of Product placement, the attributes and benefits of the product are clearly
demonstrated: it plays an active role. For instance, in a quiz the questions asked in a series to the
participants concern the sponsor's products; a Pizza Hut pizza is delivered in a scene where
everybody is hungry. Thus in this type of placement the brand or the firm is formally expressed
within the program.

Non integrated explicit Product Placement

In a non integrated product placement the product or the brand is not integrated in the program or
movie. The company/brand name may appear in the beginning of the program (this program is
brought to you by) or the brand ior company name appears on the screen. For instance when ever
a cricket match is in progress, some products are displayed on the screen which has got some
relevance to the match situation. For instance LG vision appears whenever a decision is referred
to the third Umpire.
The three categories of Product Placement are not mutually exclusive; in any given program
there could be multiple types of Product Placements

TYPES OF PRODUCT PLACEMENT

The motive of placing a product in a movie or a TV serial may be different. Sometimes the
medium is used to launch a new product, sometimes it can be used to demonstrate the long
tradition of a brand, other times it can be used in negatively (by portraying competitors product
in a negative context), sometimes the use of a particular product or service in a particular movie
reinforces the brand image or restates its positioning. For instance use of “Allen Solly” as the

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 6

attire for the movie “Corporate” restated it’s positioning as corporate attire. Same is the case
with the use of “Pepe” and “Blackberrys” which were use in the movies “Dhoom-2” and
“Guru” respectively. The different motives are listed in table 1:

Table 1: Types of Product Placement

TYPE
Corporate placement
Generic Placement
MOTIVE
To improve company reputation. Ex Taj Hotels used for grand
parties in movies, Lenovo used in game shows like KBC.
To demonstrate the characteristics of a product without a particular
brand name2. Ex Sunglasses and Shades used in Men in Black.

Service placement To present public or private institution. Showing a

Idea placement
Historic placement
Negative placement
Innovation placement
particular Bank (like ICICI in KBC) or a particular
restaurant in a particular movie
To include facts, opinions or statements in a plot. Discussing
a forthcoming movie like ‘Kuch Toh Hai’ in a television
serial like ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ is an
Indirect promotion for the movie.
To illustrate the long tradition of a brand. For instance
using the Indian postal services in a movie or using
AIR INDIA as a traditional players in the field of mails
and aviation respectively.
To present a competitor’s product in a negative context. It is
generally not intentional. For instance if a particular flight crashes in
a particular plot in the movie, it is not intentional.
To introduce a new product. Ex Swift Car was introduced
in the movie ‘Bunty Aur Babli’.

2
Patrick Rössler , Julia Bacher, “transcultural effect of product placement in movies”
Retrieved on 05/01/2008 from world wide web:
http://hogrefe.de/design/standard/images/zeitschriften/zmp/2002/zmp1403098.pdf?PHPSESSID
=r295m424pm0hilgtnh6k81jfv1

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 7

COMPARISON OF PRODUCT PLACEMENT BETWEEN TELEVISION AND FILMS

High level of media clutter, channel switching behavior are some of the factors responsible for
generating sufficient level of research interest at the practice of brand placements in movies. The
basic objective of permitting product placements in movies is to cover up the possible level of
production cost before the movie is released. There are number of examples of how the product’s
appearance in a movie resulted in an increase in brand performance in Hollywood movies. When
agent James Bond made top secret calls on an Ericsson mobile phone in 1997 in the movie
Tomorrow Never Dies, the Ericsson trademark got a upward boost in visibility and market
share3. Big stars are available at a fraction of cost against the fee they charge for an independent
advertisement. But this does not imply that the small screen stars are inferior to film stars.
Television stars have become favorites with advertisers and enlisted their names for the second
best option as brand endorsers.
There are many other parameters of distinction as well. In-serial brand integration is
relatively cheaper than in-film placement of brands. Television has emerged as one of the largest
medium of mass communication hence offering wide reach and easy accessibility than films.
Target groups are in regular touch with television than films. Frequency of watching a serial is
more than the frequency of watching a film.
In serial brand placement also offers the benefit of flexibility. This means, if a certain brand
placement is not doing well, then the marketer has the liberty to change the strategy. This option
however is not available in case of product placement in cinema.
One can even take an instance of in-serial promotion by the Hindi film industry. Hum Tum, a
Yashraj production, was promoted in Sony TV’s ‘Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin’. The lead star Saif Ali
Khan even did a cameo in one of the episodes.

3
Zeime, G, Bonds Mission Successful retrieved Dec 30th, 2007 from the web site ,
www.Ericsson.com/infocenter/publications/contact/Bond.htm

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 8

PRODUCT PLACEMENT AND POSITIONING

Positioning is the act of designing company’s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in
the mind of the target market4.

Subtle product placement can be very effective in positioning a product. A careful selection of a
movie or a TV serial to place a product will help in reaching the target audience. For instance
Krrish targeted children, Dil chahta hai targeted youth, Vivah targeted audience of small cities,
products like Jewelries and Sarees are feminine products and rightly placed in soaps like ‘Kyunki
Saas Bhi kabhi Bahu Thi’ and ‘Kasauti Zindagi Ki’ which has a lot of female viewership. Once
the target market is accessed the next step is designing the message to position the brand. The
message can be effectively delivered through movies and TV serials. This is because the Brand
recall, message recall, brand familiarity is higher with Product Placement technique. When a
person goes for a movie, he makes a voluntary choice for viewing (exposure) at a cost (financial,
time and opportunity cost) for the purpose of entertainment. So he is more receptive to the
information provided to him in the movie. If he finds product in the settings of the movie, the
product recall are supposed to be higher. Furthermore, retention is enhanced if the products are
fitted to the genre of the movie.

Marketers can take a cue from this. Product Placement in Movies and TV serials provides them
with the right kind of target audience to get their message through. The objective of positioning
is to occupy a distinctive place in the minds of the target market. Product placement has shown
better product/brand recall. There is a positive relationship between those Product Placements’5
recalled and product category / brand familiarity.
NewZealand as a destination was positioned well in the movie ‘Kaho Na Pyar Hai’. In
fact such was the impact it became a popular holiday destination after that. Previously it was not
widely spoken of or considered as potential location among the film makers or tourists from
India. Now it is being considered by students for higher studies and also by low skilled job
seekers. The place is now being looked at by new perspective among Indians.

4
Kotler Philip & Keller Kevin Lane, “Marketing Management”, 11e, 2003. P 308
5
Jane Scott & Margaret Craig-Lees “Audience Characteristics And Product Placement Effects” retrieved
from world wide web on 05/01/2008.
smib.vuw.ac.nz:8081/WWW/ANZMAC2003/papers/ADV10_scottj.pdf

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 9

CONCLUSION
Product placement is being done successfully now in the Indian films and the small screen. The
marketers and brand endorsers are largely benefiting from this. The success of in-serial and film
product placement depends upon the involvement of consumers in the serial as well as its
popularity. From Georgio Armani’s to Raymonds, ICICI Bank to Central Bank, BMW to Maruti
or Coke to Pepsi everybody has realized the need of harnessing the power of the Big and the
Small screen.

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 10

REFERENCES

1. Levitt. Theodre, “Marketing success through differentiation of anything” Harvard

Business Review, Jan-Feb80, Vol 58, Issue1
2. Levitt. Theodre, “Exploit the PLC” Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec’1965, Vol.43,
Issue 6, Pg81,14p.
3. Belch .E. George & Belch A. Michael, “Advertising & Promotion”,5e
4. Kotler Philip & Keller Kevin Lane, “Marketing Management”, 11e, 2003. P 308
5. Kotler Philip & Keller Kevin Lane, “Marketing Management”, 12e, 2006
6. Panda. K. Tapan, “Effectiveness of Product Placement in Indian Films and Its Effects on
Brand Memory and Attitude with special reference to Hindi Fims”.
7. http://www.r.lib.sfu.ca/retrieve/4157/etd2572.pdf
8. http://www.science.uniserve.edu.au/pubs/callab/vol6/vol6.pdf
9. http://www.hogrefe.de/design/standard/images/zeitschriften/zmp/2002/zmp1403098.pdf
10. Jane Scott & Margaret Craig-Lees “Audience Characteristics And Product Placement
Effects” retrieved from world wide web on 05/01/2008.
smib.vuw.ac.nz:8081/WWW/ANZMAC2003/papers/ADV10_scottj.pdf
11. Zeime, G, Bonds Mission Successful retrieved Dec 30th, 2007 from the web site ,
www.Ericsson.com/infocenter/publications/contact/Bond.htm

12. Patrick Rössler , Julia Bacher, “transcultural effect of product placement in movies”
Retrieved on 05/01/2008 from world wide web:
http://hogrefe.de/design/standard/images/zeitschriften/zmp/2002/zmp1403098.pdf?PHPS
ESSID=r295m424pm0hilgtnh6k81jfv1

__________________________________End of Article________________________________

Jan 2008
 Product Placement in movies and TV serials 11

Jan 2008