Ever wondered if you developed interest in a product while watching a movie! Don’t you re-watch a James Bond movie for the luxury car 007 drives?
Remember Rohit’s Bournvita in Koi Mil Gaya. He loved it so much that he passed it down to his son Krrish as well.
We often come across various brands like cars, clothes, food, or beauty products on our movie screens. It is an effective form of marketing, and these brands profit from it.
Product placement (also known as embedded marketing) in movies can occur without any sort of disclosure that an advertiser paid for the product to appear.
These days any movie or entertainment is so well designed that products are literally scripted and weaved-in, where characters mention or display products by name.
A win-win situation for all
To reach out to new audiences, brands are these days hiring product placement agencies which promise to leverage industry connections to make brands stand out.
In fact, there is immense potential for commercial brands in today’s world of the digital revolution.
This form of advertising began in the 19th century. It is said that transport and shipping companies lined to be named in Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days.
With the rise of the entertainment industry, advertising became easier as films reach a mass audience. The products are weaved into the storyline of films to advertise them.
One might think that brands pay hefty amounts to advertise their products. While it is true in some cases, but in the majority of the cases, it is a mutual exchange of benefits.
Benefits of product placement
– It increases the visibility of the product and the interest of the audience.
– It leads to a rise in brand awareness. If an audience is not aware of a particular brand, it may fail to remember the product name.
– It creates an instant recognition of the product and the brand.
– It brings the desired change in the attitude of consumers and overall evaluations of the brand.
– It promotes a positive attitude towards the practice of advertisement across media types.
Is product placement a form of manipulation?
According to a report in Hollywood Branded, ‘India has the largest audience, consisting of 1.2 billion viewers, but there are another 167 million fans of Bollywood in Pakistan, 3.3 million in the United States, and 2.3 million in the United Kingdom.’
Other foreign nations taking interest in the globalization of Indian cinema, include Germany, Russia, China, and Turkey.
It has been observed that products see an impressive rise in sales after appearing in Bollywood movies.
Also Read: Brand integration in movies
Did you buy a product after watching it in a movie? Did you feel the pride of owning a product while seeing it on screen?
Was Babu Bhaiya from Phir Hera Pheri really passionate about getting the Domino’s pizza delivered to him within 30 minutes?
Did Arjun from Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara find his courage before skydiving by drinking Mountain Dew and saying ‘Darr ke aage jeet hai?’
Such product placements play an important role in influencing consumer behaviour. In India, celebrities are worshipped and their association with a brand automatically draws large crowds to its products.
Although it may seem that such brand placements are manipulating us into buying their products, it is a persuasive manipulation.
Studies have shown that people of different ages react positively to product placements. People are aware that brand placement is a promotional strategy and find it acceptable.
When mainstream advertising is losing its credibility, innovative strategies like in-film product placement is proving beneficial for brands.
We need to stop and think, Are we making a conscious choice to buy a product or getting manipulated into buying it?
