It seems that every time you turn on the TV or go to a movie, you can’t help but see product placement throughout the visual experience. From a vehicle that is driven, to the watch a character wears, to the beverage that gets consumed during a scene.

And as much as I believe there is a place for product placement in the media mix, I can’t help but ponder what really works.

• Cultural and Emotional Integration. When a marketer can utilize a cultural event or something that has a strong emotional tie for the audience and the product or service is innately integrated into the actual story line you’ve scored a home run. One that we did was with ABC’s Extreme Homemaker TV show. The team went to New Orleans to assist individuals with rebuilding their lives after the devastation of last year’s hurricane. HP was involved in a 20 minute segment where our products and employees restored family’s photographs that were damaged by the flood waters. This is an example of something that was culturally relevant in the US. And it showed the use of our printers and technology to bring these pictures back to life. Below is a brief 1 minute video that gives you a brief sense of the project.
  
  

  http://www.hp.com/products1/blogs/media/dbe_emhe_cutdown.mov

• Demonstration Integration. Getting a well know figure to “demonstrate” the product to an audience has been one of the tried and true methods. And I believe that this form of placement is still relevant. However, the consumer is much smarter than ever and they can quickly determine the authenticity of such placement. Oprah’s Favorite Things episode still impresses me as great product placement as Oprah shows the product, etc. Unfortunately, you must be chosen as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things by Oprah. This lends itself to an extreme level of credibility to the audience which is why this program is one of the most anticipated of the year.
  
• Window and Set Dressing Integration. Ok, set dressing for movies and programs is one of the areas I’m still trying to value. I understand that having your product being used within a movie or TV program gets the brand name out, shows the logo and might show some unique aspect of the product…but, I’m not entirely sold that the value associated with these opportunities pays off in the long run. I would be sold on set dressing if the product was somehow flawlessly integrated into the actually story line… but that’s a huge challenge for not only marketers but for TV and movie producers as well.

The evolution of Product Placement?

• Interactive Product Placement. How do we effectively integrate products into the interactive and digital space. Gamers love having realism in their games, does this “integration” help the brand awareness? How about product placement on Second Life (www.secondlife.com) the virtual world site that is getting a great deal of attention these days? What about online video – can you effectively integrate a product into a short video?

I would enjoy hearing your thoughts.

Scott