Branding 101: Product Placement and TV Shows
Branding has become such a general term – a catch-all for everything relating to a brand: names, logos, portfolio organization (we call this architecture), advertising, public relations and marketing. In its purest form, branding is defined as “the promoting of a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand.” So, sticking with this black and white definition, we’re going to focus on the evolution of product placement in television shows.
Historically, product placement could be as simple as the use of Reece’s Pieces in the movie “E.T.” (one of the most memorable examples of product placement), or as obvious as Fed-Ex in the movie, “Cast Away.” Television show equivalents are Carrie Bradshaw’s Apple laptop in “Sex in the City” and the recurring iPhone or Chevy presence in “Glee.”
What’s the evolution of this type of branding? Instead of simply placing a product in a show, it’s actually written into the script. When done well, viewers aren’t hit over the head by the placement, but are, instead, quite pleased with its integration into the storyline. Television viewing has become complicated for brands. And, with the emergence of DVRs and streaming options like Netflix and Hulu, a shift to incorporating products into plots is necessary.
Scripted versus Reality
Scripted television shows have gotten pretty creative when it comes to product placement. A few examples are below.
- Possibly the most famous (or infamous, as the case may be) is “Sex and the City.” The show’s primary focus on fashion and NYC style made brands like Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo household names. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg- Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Versace made multiple appearances as well. And, the show’s incredible success eventually led to a myriad of product placements in the first “Sex in the City” movie.
- Throughout its seven season run, “30 Rock” became somewhat synonymous with product placement. Some endorsements were exceptionally funny, e.g., Verizon, while others were a branding cash cow, like Kraft’s sponsorship of “30 Rock’s” Kraft sponsorship storyline. Talk about product placement coming full circle!
- “Revenge” took product placement and sponsorship to an entirely new level in a November 2012 episode. Target and Nieman Marcus were the ONLY sponsors of the show, and the ads featured a storyline that was a subplot of the main episode, and even included the show’s main characters. “It was a whole new level of integration,” said Jeff Jones, Target’s chief marketer.
Reality versus Scripted
Product placement has absolutely exploded in reality television shows. Check out these examples:
- In a single month, “American Idol” has inundated viewers with more than 200 in-show product appearances. The most notorious placements? Coca-Cola, AT&T Wireless and Ford.
- “Biggest Loser” repeatedly incorporates Subway, Extra Sugar Free Gum, Ziploc and Brita into its programming.
- And, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” leveraged brands for rebuilding homes as well as for family vacations. Examples? Sears, Ford and Disney.
Does product placement really build brand awareness?
Reviews are mixed. Psychologically, the mere exposure effect suggests that people feel a preference for things simply because they are familiar. Need proof? Reese’s Pieces experienced a 65 percent increase in sales after its placement in E.T. So, if you subscribe to this belief, then more equals better for your brand, but viewers don’t always agree. There is a very precarious line that brands have to be careful not to cross, or they may lose some of their followers.
Knowing all of this, here are some final points to ponder: Which brands have you noticed in your favorite TV shows? Does your show handle the product placement well, or do you end up rolling your eyes when you see it?
Sources
Merriam-Webster
“’30 Rock’ Satire of Kraft Sponsorship Is Sponsored by Kraft,” New York Times
“Target, Neiman Marcus Look to 'Revenge' to Launch Anticipated Holiday Collection,” Ad Age
“Product Placement Hits High Gear on ‘American Idol,’ Broadcast’s Top Series for Brand Mentions,” Ad Age
“Mere Exposure Effect,” PsychCentral
“Product Placement Can Be A Lot More Powerful Than We Realize,” Psychology Today
The Social Media Games: How Twitter is Affecting the Olympics
Going into this year’s Summer Olympics in London, most people knew that social media was going to play a larger role in the games than it ever had in previous Olympics. Ever since the winter games in Vancouver two years ago the use of social media has boomed around the world. More and more people are using social media as a way to discuss major events in real time, and clearly the Olympics would be no exception. But just a few days into these summer Olympics, no one could have predicted the turn out we’ve seen so far. One social media site in particular, Twitter, is shaking things up for better and for worse.
If you watched the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London then you certainly weren’t alone. An independent study done by Bluefin Labs reported that during the opening ceremonies alone there were 5 million social media comments made about the event, 4.86 million of which ended up being tweets. In fact, so many people are tweeting while watching the games that according to TwitterUK there have been more tweets during London’s first day than the length of the entire 2008 Beijing games! Fans all over the world are using Twitter to keep up with results, athletes, and other fans in real time. Countries are encouraging the use of Twitter as well, hoping that their residents will tweet positive thoughts and messages to their favorite athletes throughout the games. Jamaica for example, although being ranked 141st in the world as far as population, ranks third only behind the United States and Great Britain in terms of the number of tweets they have sent to athletes from their country.
Although it’s great to hear how Twitter is being used worldwide to encourage sportsmanship towards athletes and fans all over, many could argue that it has been used to do more harm than good. Before the games even started, Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou was expelled from her Olympic team for tweeting a racist comment mocking African immigrants in Greece. Just a few days into the games, after the Swiss soccer team was defeated by South Korea, a Swiss player was expelled for tweeting that South Korean athletes were “Mongoloids.” There have also been reports that British police arrested a 17 year old after he posted several malicious tweets to a popular British athlete who came in fourth place in his event, making negative comments about his recently deceased father and possibly threatening his life as well.
The social media site has acted as a hub for athletes in the game to air their unhappiness with the marketing rules set in place by the International Olympic Committee. The IOC’s Social Media, Blogging and Internet Guideline’s Rule #40 states that athletes are not allowed to mention their sponsors during the games unless they are official Olympic sponsors. Athletes with little known sponsors are arguing that this is directly affecting their income. These rules haven’t stopped some athletes from posting controversial tweets on the topic however. United States track athlete Lee Manzano was forced to take down a tweet in which he mentioned a lesser known footwear brand that sponsors him. Many athletes have banded together to started a campaign against the rules by using hash tags “#WeDemandChange” and “#Rule40” to directly express their discontent. Dawn Harper, a U.S. 100 meter hurdler, took it a step further when she posted a picture of herself with a piece of tape over her mouth with “Rule 40” written across it.
The IOC isn’t the only organization involved in the Olympics that is catching grief from Twitter users. NBC and their coverage of the games have been under fire since the first day of the games. Thousands of Twitter users have started using the hash tag “#NBCFail” in their tweets complaining about the coverage. A British journalist based out of Los Angeles had his Twitter account suspended after tweeting harsh criticism of the opening ceremonies and the fact that NBC had decided to tape-delay events in the United States. He also posted the e-mail of an NBC executive, asking his followers to e-mail their complaints to him. Twitter stated that posting the e-mail address was a direct violation of their privacy policy and suspended the account. Many are questioning Twitters motives behind the suspension, since NBC and Twitter are official partners for these Olympic Games. Many argue that NBC prompted Twitter to silence their critic and Twitter complied due to their commercial relationship.
Twitter, which is now used by more than 140 million users, has become much more to the Olympics than anyone had originally anticipated. The exponential jump in the use of Twitter since previous Olympic Games is likely due to the advancement of smart phones which users take with them everywhere. But the unexpected nature of Twitter in these games raises the question of just how far the negativity will span. Regardless, social media has become essential to today’s generation by giving them a way to connect with the athletes and feel more included in the games. The idea of banning the use of social media entirely from large events such as the Olympics is almost unimaginable in today’s day and age. Exclusion of Twitter from the Olympics would be the equivalent of losing a large part of the experience.
Contributed By Nicole Juliano
The Situation with Celebrity Endorsement
From credit cards to sneakers, it is not uncommon to see celebrities endorsing a brand. The basic idea of an endorsement is pretty simple: People like celebrities. So, if a celebrity says that he or she likes a particular product, then people will like that product too. But what happens when that celebrity endorsing your brand brings negative associations? Celebrity scandal has resulted in contracts being terminated, but recently clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch proposed a new alternative.
Abercrombie has offered to compensate reality star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (a character on MTV's The Jersey Shore) to stop wearing A&F products.
"We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image," said a statement on the A&F website. "We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans."
Initially this sounds ingenious and yes, pretty funny. But it brings into question just how effective celebrity endorsement is. Can celebrities really transfer their popularity--or in this case, notoriety--from themselves to the brands which they endorse ?
A&F is no stranger to controversy. The company's catalogs have caught heat for scantily clad models and, though they were later dropped, partial nudity in A&F display photos led to obscenity charges in 2008 in Virginia. So, given its semi-scandalous past, is The Situation's endorsement really such a situation?
Brand Endorsement ROI
I’m a Roger Federer fan. I set my alarm to wake up on Sunday (at 9 am) and watch with the hopes of him beating Nadal in the final match of the French Open. Well it wasn’t in the cards this year. But while watching the French Open this past weekend I couldn’t help but notice both Roger and Rafa are Nike men. I’m sure I’ve noticed it before but for some reason this year I was distracted by it and the other brand placements.
Addison Whitney is headquartered in Charlotte, also known as NASCAR headquarters. I think the reason the French Open brand placements were so vivid to me was because I had watched the start of the Coca-Cola 600 the weekend before and was amazed at all of the places a logo could go – behind the steering wheel, all over the cars and on the driver. All I could think of was how is this placement a worthwhile investment? How is the ROI measured and justified? In my head the potential conversation might go like this: Me: “Hi Boss, I’d like to spend $20,000 to put our logo behind Dale Jr’s steering wheel.” Boss: “Beth Anne, no. Get out.”
And then I remembered Michael Jordan and Nike. Who didn’t want to be just like Mike? (Do you remember the Gatorade song? “I wanna be, I wanna be like Mike.”) I won’t lie. Young Beth Anne was decked out in Nike and Chicago Bulls gear despite living in Atlanta.
Are today’s athletes really so influential that they can influence brand preference? NASCAR fans are loyal. But do Denny Hamlin fans only use FedEx as opposed to UPS because he endorses it? Again, I love Roger Federer, but I’m not going to seek out Nike or Gillette over other brands because of his endorsement (in all fairness, I am a woman, not a man so I don’t know if that makes a difference).
What do you think about athlete endorsements and the value? Do these endorsements really make a strong impact on a brand or are they just a means to increase awareness?
And don’t worry your pretty little head Roger, you’ll get him next year at Roland Garros (and hopefully next month at Wimbledon).
Oprah's Last Show
As Tom Hanks said on an Oprah show earlier this season, the phrase “Did you see Oprah today?” is going to be removed from our vocabulary after today. Today marks the end of the 25 year run of The Oprah Show.
Let’s take a moment to relive some of our favorite moments. You get a car and you get a car. Tom Cruise jumping on the sofa. Johnnnnn Traaaaavollltaaaa. Oprah’s Book Club (who read A Million Little Pieces and loved it as much as I did?). Mattie and his poems. Oprah in Texas. Oprah and Tina. Dieting Oprah who made us all feel better about our struggles. The a-ha moments. Oprah’s hair through the years. The ugly cries, especially when Mary Tyler Moore surprised her.
In 25 years, it is not just the show that evolved but also her brand. The Oprah show initially was a little risqué and reminiscent of what became the Ricki Lake show. Slowly over the years, it evolved into a self-help, mentally stimulating, celebratory show. The Oprah brand launched the careers of personalities like Dr. Phil, Nate Berkus, Bob Greene and Dr. Oz. Her endorsement is the golden touch. Marketers strove for just one mention of their brand on the air to have sales explode.
Love her or hate her, you must recognize the impact she’s had on the world. Oprah is a big part of everyday culture (Did you see that on Oprah? Did you read that in her magazine? Did you watch OWN last night?). She used her brand to successfully launch both a magazine and a network at a time when many were struggling to stay afloat. She made topics once considered taboo easy to talk about with friends and family. She told great stories by asking provocative questions. She had the knack of presenting topics or guests in a way that helped people think about them a little differently.
As someone who has grown up watching Oprah, my life has been impacted in a few small ways. I didn’t sleep for a year after watching a show about ghosts when I was younger. I DVRed the Favorite Things episodes so that when I have a bad day I can see the crazy excitement in other people’s faces. I realized (at a young age) that my actions impact the world around me. I can choose for that impact to be positive or negative. And my favorite lesson, “No is a complete sentence.”
No one but Ms. Winfrey knows what her next move will be, but there are millions of people out there eagerly waiting for it. How do you think Brand Oprah will evolve?
Use the comments section to tell us your favorite memories from The Oprah Show.
The Big "O"
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Picture this. It's been 69 days since the accident. TV viewers are waiting patiently to see the first rescued miner’s face. He reaches the surface. The rescue capsule is opened. Audiences worldwide look to see his expression and can’t escape the “O.”
If you’ve missed the story on the Chile Miners rescue, check out the details here. This story and the facts about the rescue are remarkable, but what’s really fascinating from a brander’s perspective is the opportunity that Oakley took to illustrated product placement at its finest.
After being underground for such an unimaginably long period of time, the miners needed protection from ultraviolet light when they reached the surface. Conveniently, a Chilean journalist recommended Oakley to the Chilean private health insurer, and the rest is history.
Oakley donated 35 pairs of sunglasses (listed for $180 each on Oakley’s website) to the Chile miners. As a result of their strategic generosity, CNBC reported that the company has received $41 million in equivalent advertising time through the news media coverage of the rescue... Talk about a return on investment.
Oakley has hit gold for their brand image. It’s a win-win. To consumers, the brand comes off as charitable for donating and dependable for being a brand that Chile officials trusted to fully protect the miners. For Oakley, the amount of exposure and revenue from this perfectly positioned helping hand effort will be immeasurable.
Contributed by: Ashley Hollingsworth
A Plethora of Product Placement
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Did you know that Rock Hudson's character in the 1964 movie Man's Favorite Sport worked at Abercrombie & Fitch? Did you even know that A&F has been around since 1964?! Well, I didn't and was surprised to research that it was founded in 1892. But I digress.
I'm talking about product placement. Or "brand integration". Or blatant advertisments for products that show up during my favorite tv show that in no way seems to be just happenstance. I wonder if A&F's sales were boosted because of Rock's employment? Does any product placement actually boost the brand's sales or is it just a way for the entertainment industry to pay expenses? I cannot speak for all, but I did have a hankering for the peanut buttery, chocolatey goodness that is Reese's Pieces after watching E.T. Another oldie is Back to the Future 2. Pepsi, Nike & the DeLorean all had call outs throughout the entire movie. What about Castaway? I mean, Wilson was a main character without really being a character! I hear there is a game that Bond enthusiasts play while viewing any James Bond movie where they try to count as many product placement ads as possible; Aston Martin, Rolex, Omega & Coke Zero to name a few.
Music lyrics and videos aren't immune either. Lady Gaga receives calls from Beyonce on her Virgin Mobile LG Rumor2 in the "Telephone" video. Run DMC didn't just wear all things Adidas, they weren't about to trade their Adidas "for no beat up Bally's" in their song "My Adidas". And I will never be able to stretch during the 7th inning and not wonder if Jack Norworth got paid to give a shout out to Cracker Jacks when he penned "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in 1908.
And still more in prime time television! Who hasn't watched "American Idol" and seen the judges with their ginormous red cups emblazened with the Coke logo? Jack Bauer of "24" fame drives a Ford Expedition. Who could forget KITT, the sleek Pontiac Trans Am partner to Michael Knight? Even the "good ol' boy" Duke cousins of Hazzard County, GA drove a custom 1969 Dodge Charger.
Alas, there are lots of examples of artists, movies or t.v. shows that feature product placement but receive no compensation. There was a recent episode of "Modern Family" that was based solely around the search for an Apple iPad. Producers and Apple alike state that no money exchanged hands for the use of the Apple brand. And I'm almost positive Janis Joplin didn't get a car when she co-wrote and sang "Mercedes Benz". Correct me if I'm wrong.
Are featured brands getting more business by product placement or are they just sponsors for your favorite movies, t.v. shows, musical artists and video games? Is it brand integration or celebrity endorsement? Would you ever NOT purchase a brand because of its product placement in the entertainment industry? Does it help the overall brand marketing? What other examples have you seen and heard?
Excuse me. I have a call coming in on my Sprint HTC EVO.
Contributed by: Jennifer Rodden
Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!
It was a slogan made popular in the '90s by our favorite paper-bag head cartoon, Bart Simpson. Whether it was Nelson the bully, Homer, or a chocolate-craving high school student that will remain nameless, everyone wanted his crispety, crunchety, peanut buttery Butterfinger! Bart went to extreme measures to assure that no one swiped it but sadly, Bart and his iconic slogan were swipped from television in 2001.
Nestle Butterfinger has brought the slogan back in full force. You can now "train" with the Butterfinger Defense League to make certain no one is swiping your favorite peanut butter bar. Sir Mix-A-Lot serenades you with "I Like Big Butterfingers" while the League, comprised of Lou Ferrigno, Erik Estrada & Charisma Carpenter teach you how to defend yourself from muggers that might make off with your confectionary treats.
Campy? Yes. Do I have to go out immediately and buy a Butterfinger? Maybe. Good for at least one laugh out loud moment? Most definitely.
Contributed by: Jennifer Rodden
New Kotex Commercials
Need a good laugh? Be sure to check out the latest Kotex commercials. If you've already been caught off guard by them, you are not alone! The commercials mock feminine product commercials of the past that have typically featured women "practicing yoga in white spandex, riding white horses along the beach, or airborne in cheerleader outfits," according to New York Times writer Andrew Newman. The commercials feature women who ridicule the history of feminine product advertising, ironically including material from their own ad archives.
Kotex hopes this re-branding effort will help separate them from other feminine products. They recently launched their youth-driven U by Kotex line which features new black packaging and bright colors, signifying a revolution in feminine care. Their new slogan, "Time to break the cycle" enhances the humorous route they are taking to extend the brand's reach.
Contributed by: Ashley Popham
TV Show About Jobs
Apple is an amazing brand. And in its fanatics’ mind, nothing is more on-brand than Steve Jobs. He is mysterious, smart, passionate, innovative and wears a mean black turtleneck. And, unlike other great brands’ CEOs, he is so interesting that a TV show mirroring his life is in the works. Yep, a TV show.
You may have seen the show Undercover Boss which takes strides to show the human side of CEOs of companies like White Castle, Waste Management and 7-Eleven. And other CEOs like Tony Hseih of Zappos.com have taken to Twitter to engage fans. In fact, as of today, Tony has more than 1.6 million followers. But a sitcom, now that’s a whole new level of love for (or fascination of) a CEO.
I wonder if it’s a show Jobs would watch (on his iPhone or iPad of course). Would you check it out?