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Product placement is an extraordinary example of marketing, yet a better one. If you want to market your product for a long time, it is one of the best ways. We see its practical implementation in many movies and books. Hence, to help you with the same, we have come up with this article. We will include some of the best product placement examples.
If you are a business owner but still do not understand what product placement is and how it may help you, don’t worry. We will discuss that, too.
At first, we will clarify the concept of product placement advertising. And then, we will proceed with the actual part of the article- the examples.
Hopefully, at the end of the article, you will get some new ideas and find something useful. Let us start with what product placement is.
What is product placement?
Let’s assume that you are a huge fan of movies. And for the same reason, you have watched plenty of movies. In that case, maybe you have noticed that movies sometimes include some branded products.
Most probably, you thought of these products just as a coincidence. But believe me when I say that they are not just a mere coincidence. They were put there intentionally to benefit both the brand and the film.
But that is not all of it. In some cases, you will notice that a particular product from a specific brand is being shown unnecessarily. It may be a can of drinks that the actor is drinking, although there is not much to highlight.
Or sometimes, you will see that the actors are praising something particularly, although very subtle. If you notice closely, you can tell by yourself that it is actually kind of an advertisement.
Now, let’s come to the question. What is product placement? From the previous discussion, maybe you have got a hold of what it is. But let us clarify.
Product placement is one type of advertisement. However, instead of traditional advertising, you just see or read your favorite character with the product.
And ultimately, you get motivated to use that product. Basically, that is how it works. But there are some other benefits and uses, too.
1. Aston Martin and James Bond
If we didn’t mention the James Bond movie series in this article, that would be a serious crime. That is because if you want to define product placement, James Bond is one perfect example that includes products from different brands.
And hence, we cannot but include at least three different examples of product placements from the same movie series in this article. The first one among those examples is Aston Martin.
Aston Martin is seen in so many different scenes of the James Bond movies. From racing scenes to romantic ones, Aston Martin is everywhere. That does not mean that James Bond movies included only Aston Martin cars.
We see some other cars, too, that we will share later. But Aston Martin has got so much associated with Bond that if you name James Bond, Aston Martin comes to your mind automatically. Maybe that is what both brands wanted.
2. Audi and Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark) has gained quite popular playing the Iron Man role in the movie trilogy. But he is not the only one that gained popularity. Yes, you guessed right. Audi cars have also gained some popularity at the same time.
Throughout the three films of Iron Man, we see the uses of different tech products. But if you have noticed, Audi cars are also one of the most used items in this movie.
One of many reasons for that might be the consistent involvement of Audi’s technology in the film. In the trilogy, we have seen massive evolution of Tony’s Iron Man suit.
But cars have also evolved at the same time. Depending on the need of the scenes, the cars changed. And so did the marketing of Audi. Now, if you consider quality tech cars, Audi’s name comes up in your mind, thanks to Iron Man.
3. Starbucks and Fight Club
If you are a coffee-lover, you must know the world-wide famous brand ‘Starbucks’. Maybe you are wondering that how Starbucks is related to the anti-materialistic movie Fight Club. In that case, the statement of the movie’s director might astonish you.
David Fincher, the director of ‘Fight Club’ once said that there is at least one Starbucks cup placed secretly in every frame of the movie. And there are fans of both Starbucks and Fight Club.
They made it their quest to find every Starbucks cup in the film. In the quest to do so, a Tumbler user really tracked down the covert appearance of Starbucks cups in the movie.
But that is not all. There is still the presence of Starbucks left in Fight Club. Near the climax of this movie, Tyler Durden, the anarchistic character played by Brad Pitt, attempted to blow up many buildings and institutions.
If you have noticed, one of the attempted blow up included a coffee shop, none other than the Starbucks. Although the coffee shop was presented in an indiscriminate manner, it was heavily implied to be the global coffee brand, Starbucks.
4. Krispy Kreme and Power Rangers
Maybe you all know about Krispy Kreme. It is a global brand for selling doughnuts. And if you are a teenager or young adult, you must have liked the latest power rangers movie.
Well, if you are wondering what Krispy Kreme has to do with Power Rangers, you are not the only one. But you know, we are talking about product placement, and it is a perfect example of product placement marketing.
Throughout the movie, there has been much use of Krispy Kreme boxes. And what is more, a whole plot was framed at a Krispy Kreme location. Maybe you are now thinking about the overuse of product placement.
Well, if you really are, there is something more for you. Rita Repulsa, the villain in the movie, while pursuing world domination, actually stops to eat a doughnut. If that is not what you call product placement, I don’t know what is.
5. Bulgari and The Bulgari Connection
We have talked about many movies. Now it is time for a placement marketing example in books. Maybe you haven’t thought that product placements can also be in books. Well, it began with books and then reached movies.
Here, we will talk about a book that we cannot be was commercially very effective, but it became notorious for its commercial tie-in. As you can see from the title, the book’s title itself is one kind of advertisement for Bulgari.
The author, Fay Weldon, even wore jewelry products from the same company in the launching program of the book. It is said that Weldon had a contract with Bulgari to mention their jewelry items at least 12 times.
Well, 34 mentions throughout the book expose how much the author exceeded the expected remarks. Maybe that is why instead of a subtle marketing technique, it became a blatant example of brand placement.
6. Hershey’s Kisses Subtraction Book
The main thing about product placement in books is that the author can easily blend the demand into the reader’s mind. Sometimes we don’t even understand, whether it is product placement or just for the narrative purpose of the story plot.
Especially when it comes to children, there are many ways to make them learn. This book is another example of that. Jerry Pallotta, the author and educator, taught children basic subtraction in this book. But with the tasty-look of Hershey’s Kisses chocolate, the learning becomes more attractive.
The same author has some different books with the same purpose- teach children with fun. The Hershey’s Kisses Addition Book, The Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Multiplication Book, the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Fractions Book are some more examples.
But that doesn’t mean these books are only for advertisement purposes. Their primary purpose is education, and when that becomes attractive, you need no more. And who doesn’t love chocolate, not to mention the children?
7. IHOP and Man of Steel
It is time we included a superhero movie. And guess what? It is from none other than DCEU. In the movie ‘Man of Steel,’ the advertising of IHOP (International House of Pancakes) is eye-catching.
You find these normal people talking in a restaurant, and they are praising the pancakes there. Well, in the next scene we know, there is a fighting scene that takes place in there.
You don’t need to be very concentrating to catch the IHOP logo in that scene. And guess what? And the pancakes that the people were praising about are no other than the pancakes of IHOP.
That is some cool product placement you will find in movies. Even if you want to turn a blind eye to that, you cannot; that is how crucial product placement advertising they have done.
8. Converse and I, Robot
If you are a movie enthusiast, you surely know and must like Will Smith. Well, with his outstanding acting performance, everybody will like him. So what happens when you get Will Smith to advertise for you? That is what we are going to talk about.
If you have watched the movie, ‘I, Robot,’ the use of technology products and robots might have amazed you. The other thing that surely amazed you was the attitude of the bad-ass detective played by Will Smith.
In the movie, we see the placement of Converse All-stars several times. Will Smith even opened a brand new pair of the shoe out of the box at one point. Well, I can surely tell you were thinking about buying that pair of shoes for yourself then. Didn’t you?
That is what brand placement is. Especially when a well-known, respected actor wears it, it becomes the product everyone wants to use. And ‘I, Robot’ is one of the best examples in this aspect of marketing.
9. The M&M’s Brand Counting Book
By the title, you already understand what product placement has occurred here. And who does not know M&Ms? As chocolates are the most favorite to children, they can be used as an educational tool.
We found a profound example of that with previous Hershey’s chocolate books. Similarly, the author Barbara Barbieri McGrath has come with M&Ms to teach children basic counting, colors, and primary shapes.
10. Coca-Cola and Superman
Who does not like Superman? Well, despite a few critics, almost everyone loves it. And can you believe that Coca-Cola was the product placement in Superman? You probably remember the classic scene where Superman spins General Zod and tosses him into a sign of Coca-Cola. It is one of the most memorable examples of product placement.
If you still cannot remember, let me remind you. Superman tosses General Zod into a big sign that says ‘Enjoy Coca-Cola.’ Well, if that is not some sort of product placement marketing, I don’t know what is. The sign explicitly says that Coca-Cola is something enjoyable. And surely, that is the marketing every business would look for.
11. Heineken and Skyfall
Let’s get back to product placement examples in movies. But at first, let me remind you of the famous dialogue, ‘shaken, not stirred.’ Where have you heard it?
Well, maybe you remember now. You have heard it in many movies of James Bond 007. As we already told, James Bond movies are the perfect examples of product placement.
From cars to beers, you will find product placement everywhere. We mentioned one car already and will mention another one later. But now, we will talk about two different beers that have been a part of brand publicity.
In most James Bond movies, we see that the character, most of the times Daniel Craig, asks for Martini. But that is not the attractive part. The attractive part is the next dialogue, where he says that it should be shaken, not stirred.
Now, that is another essential feature of product placement advertising. You don’t highlight the product, but you associate it with something highlighted. So whenever you think about the dialogue, it automatically reminds you of Martini.
Let’s come to another beer, which is another product placement example from the same movies. This time, the movie is Skyfall. In this James Bond movie, when he goes for beer, we don’t hear the usual ‘shaken, not stirred.’ Instead, we see him opt for a Heineken beer.
Well, maybe the franchise changed or any other reason. But whatever the reason is, we can say for sure that the product placement advertisement was successful. And even if it wasn’t, it at least saved the movie, which was said to have the budget and studio problems.
12. Clinique and How to Be Popular
If you have noticed, most product placement examples are from skincare, cosmetics, and beauty products. Well, here comes another example of product placement of the same genre. In the book ‘How to Be Popular,’ there have been profound mentions from the brand ‘Clinique.’
As the title goes, it will easily attract the readers, which helps it get more attention. After all, who doesn’t want to be popular? And with a brand like ‘Clinique,’ the procedure got much easier. Hence, that has become some pure, successful marketing strategy.
13. Ray-Ban and Top Gun
The evergreen actor Tom Cruise also has a part in this article. Yes, we are talking about his ‘80s famous, Top Gun. In the movie, we have seen Tom Cruise wear aviator sunglasses almost in every scene. And guess what the brand was? It was Ray-Ban. Following this movie, the company had a massive boost in its sales.
One can easily guess the reason. When you advertise with product placement with such an actor, it does not take much time to boost that brand’s sales. And the result was unimaginable, too. From little kids to their grandmothers, everyone wanted to have those branded sunglasses. And that is the product placement we have been talking about.
14. Prada and The Devil Wears Prada
A perfect example of product placement is this novel by Lauren Weisberger. The movie with the same name was produced later based on the novel. The author herself is an advertising example as well.
When the novel was out, fashion-lovers responded to it without any delay. The fame of the author and the brand name played a vital role in this aspect. When the placement was in the movie later, the fans were eager to watch it.
15. Omega and James Bond
We have talked a lot about products and product placements. Now, we have come to the end of our examples of brand placements. Let us end with what we started first. Yes, that is the James Bond movies.
We have already included three different products from 007 movies. One of these branded products was a car, and the other two were beers. Well, it is time we talked about a totally different product- Omega watches.
James Bond spends vacations at luxury places in movies. Among his luxury are top cars from different models, expensive beers, and finally, the Omega watches. In different movies of James Bond, we see indistinguishable placements of products like the Omega-branded watches.
If you want to see proper product placement examples for marketing your brand, you should watch the James Bond movies. And maybe that is why we also have included no less than 3 examples of product placement from these movies.
