Why Context Is Everything with Product Placement

Why Consider Product Placement?

There’s a lot to be said for product placement. If you do it right, you can capture the audience of the TV show or film you place your product in; whether it be a cult blockbuster such as Back to the Future or a film with a more mainstream following such as those in the James Bond series. For me, Back to the Future is a classic; I’ve always loved it.

Looking at it through my advertising lens though, I can clearly see that every large company under the sun jumped on that ship with product placement. Every brand from Pepsi to Calvin Klein to AT&T to Nike has very explicit slots in the film, and there’s good reason for it. It has been demonstrated that prominent placements elicited higher recall than did advertisements, which, in turn, outperformed subtle placements. There are, naturally, more factors than recall to consider though.

There's More?

You better believe there's more.

Firstly, by featuring in a film such as Back to the Future, you’re saying that your brand is so good it’s a given that it will last well in to the future and that it will change with the times, the famous self-tying Nike trainers being a prime example.

Secondly, and more importantly, if you have a major place in a film, the odds are that your competitors don’t. Keeping with the Nike example then, they are shown to be futuristic and innovative while their major competitors such as Adidas are non-existent. In this sense, you’re not only telling the audience that you’re brand is ahead of the game, you’re telling them that your brand is the only brand.

This is a powerful message.

However...

Now don’t get me wrong; product placement can also go a little sideways at times.

The most famous instance of product placement in Back to the Future is, of course, the Delorean. While it undoubtedly enjoys the same benefits as the above mentioned brands such as appearing futuristic and innovative, it is also the only brand to be shown in a negative light. In order to maintain the storyline and the nail-biting climactic scenes, the car had to be shown to be unreliable. 

It doesn’t start on several occasions, leading to major frustration for the protagonists as well as amongst audience members. Marty McFly is shown to kick, hit and plead with the car for it to start. Furthermore, the entire plot of Back to the Future III hangs on the Delorean not working.

This is a prime example of context driving perceptions, and why it is crucial to consider all factors before jumping at the chance to have your product feature in a major film.