Product Placement in Films

Just when you thought you would watch a movie to get away from the world that bombards you with advertisements and products, the movie you watch has real-world products that seem to be shoved in your face for you to buy. The film industry is arguably the most popular form of entertainment, making it a mass media platform. Many companies pay producers or directors of films to have their products used or at least seen in a movie. This is often a strategic marketing move for companies because millions of people are likely to view the movies with their products, and regardless of how discrete or obvious the placements are, the companies’ names will be put into people’s heads, which is the goal of advertising. Listed below are four examples of product placement in popular films.

1. Cast Away

The 2000 blockbuster hit starring Tom Hanks was not only a massive success but also a massive advertisement. In the film, Hanks’s character finds himself stranded on a deserted island while items from his plane crash slowly trickle in, one of which being a Wilson brand volleyball. This specific volleyball is a key item to the plot as the main character personifies it and actually refers to it as “Wilson.” Wilson Sporting Goods had a notable increase in sales after the release of the movie. The sporting goods company even sold replicas of the volleyball with the hand blood stain from the movie for a short time after its release.

2. Ian Flemming’s James Bond

Since the early 1960’s, British spy James Bond (007) has ridden in nothing but style. The most iconic vehicle brand to be associated with the franchise’s protagonist is Aston Martin. The first Aston Martin Bond drives is the Aston Marin DB5 in the film “Goldfinger.” In 2006, the beloved spy debuted the Aston Martin DB5 V12 in “Casin Royale.” Other car brands included in James Bond films over the years include Jaguar, Lotus, Ford, Bentley, and BMW. Each company reports a spike in sales around the time of each movies’ release with their vehicle in it.

3. Wayne’s World

This comedy starring Mike Meyers takes a humorous spin on product placement in its storyline. Instead of trying to discretely place the sponsors’ products in the film, the producers include a scene where Meyers’s character shamelessly advertises products like Pizza Hut pizza, Doritos chips, Pepsi soda, and a few popular products. The ironic part of this is that Meyers is advertising these products while simultaneously verbally scorning the concept of product placement in his show.

4. Transformers

Though the fighting robots that can change into vehicles are super cool on the big screen, they are all basically walking, talking advertisements for their respective vehicles’ companies. Car companies knew that the popular franchise of the 80’s would be a hit as a live-action movie, so naturally, many fought for their vehicles to be in the movie. GM had the upper hand in product placement because the majority of cars seen in the films have all been branches of the company (Chevrolet, Pontiac, GMC, Cadillac, Corvette). Other vehicle brands include Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ford, Volkswagen, and BMW.