Often it happens while you are watching a movie, you notice your favorite character using or operating a product which is well-recognized. To be precise, such products are placed there for a reason. It is there to distract the attention of audience in very subtle way towards a product or a brand. In management term the technique is called product placement.
Product placement or embedded marketing is a marketing technique in which allusion of a specific product or brand is integrated into a different work, such as movie or a television program with a specific promotional intent.
The 3 main functions of such placements are:
- Make consumers aware about a product that exists
- Creating the idea by influencing product or brand, with their favorite character
- Position the product in Consumers mind
Marketers use this technique to influence consumer’s psychological perception or to create a belief towards a product or a brand. It creates the awareness and promotes the product.
Product placements in television shows, movies etc can be very powerful than we realize, making us implicitly prefer products even if we don’t explicitly prefer them. It affects subconsciously on two major physiological attitudes or behavior:
Implicit Attitude – Implicit attitude is occurred by unknowingly associating ourselves with the other objects attitude. Example; attitude toward a film becomes unknowingly associated with products placed in that TV program or film.
Implicit self identification – It is automatically associating yourself with a product or brand, for example, when we watch a liked personality use a product or brand, we start to automatically identify the brand or product pertaining to be in characters life.
In India, Bollywood is touted as one religion by many, celebrities has a huge fan base and brands never leave an option to reach their target audience. Promotion of a product or a brand in such films, is an ideal and simplest way to convey the utility. Most of the audience always notice their favorite character using the product and it influences them to purchase or retain the product shown. The art of placing a product is so subtle that almost all the times it feels like, it is a part of the frame or story. Check out below shown various frames of some famous Bollywood movies which showcases the product in movie with the character.
Bournvita
Very clever and subtle product placement of Bournvita in movie Krishh, A super hero consuming bournvita, it attracts the right target audience. i.e. kids.
Royal Enfield Motorbikes –
Royal Enfield motorcycle could be the most famous example for product placement. The bike has gained huge popularity after the release of ‘Zindigi Na Milegi Doobara’ in which Katrina was seen riding the bike. Also, there is endorsement of few other brands like Mountain dew, Land rover, Opium eye-wear.
There are other famous examples in other film industry.
FedEx –
Hanks plays a FedEx employee stranded on an uninhabited island, in movie Castaway (2000)
Sears –
Sears is an American multi chain departmental store, gained a huge consumer base and attraction after its presence in a superman movie.
Ray Ban Wayfarer –
Movie that launched Tom Cruise’s career and saved Ray-Ban’s Wayfarer sunglasses. Resulted in selling out 360,000 pairs that year. Ray-Ban’s sunglasses were into 60 different films and TV shows in the next 5 years.
With such promotion techniques it affects the consumer’s behavior by:
• Long term Brand recall
• Reassures Purchase Intention
• Influence on attitude and Brand choice
• Create belief
• Influence Positive perception
