Product Placement

By definition, product placement is the purposeful incorporation of a brand into an entertainment vehicle. (Reichert, 2008) The textbook calls this strategic placement of products in TV shows, movies, and other entertainment vehicles, a hybrid of traditional advertising. This suggests that not only is the product being promoted, but it is done in such a way that the audience may not even realize they are being sold to. It has been said to “epitomize the blurring of the lines between advertising and entertainment”. (Reichert, 2008). Some may few this as being unethical or an unfair way to promote different products, however, I believe product placement is nothing but effective. While there are several differences between traditional advertising and product placement, they are both essentially doing the same thing; paid communication of a product in a mass medium. The main differences include the fact that the FCC regulates advertising while product placement is not regulated at all. Another key example of the difference in the two is that while advertisements try to promote product attributes or functionality, product placement simply shows the product in every day use. Most advertising professionals who favor traditional media selection would claim that this is a serious disadvantage to spending millions of dollars on product placement, though many others would state that seeing the product in use is a far better promotion than any advertisement, especially if it is in use by the audience’s favorite TV characters or movie stars. I think this method of promotion (product placement) is relevant to what the audience may actually being experiencing in their day to day life, and adding the featured product may be what is missing from their day. According to one research study done by Jay Newell, an assistant professor at Iowa State University, the earliest product placement began in the late 1800s, long before popular radio sponsorships, in