It’s In the Bible: Video About Product Placement in Movies
This is a fascinating 10-minute documentary on just how prevalent product placement is, within popular Hollywood movies. Right off the bat, there are some staggering numbers: Pampers paid $50,000 to appear in Three Men and a Baby, and Exxon paid $300,000 to appear in Days of Thunder.
There is some interesting commentary on how movie directors and producers have turned to advertisers to help offset movie costs. And the types of product placement varies a lot: from the products appearing in the background, all the way to the main character eating/using the product or even referencing it by name.
Additionally, there’s a neat take on how products (when use in movies set in the past, or set in the sci-fi future) can influence our perception of the product. References like these then suggest to us a certain inevitability, and that the products always were or always will be, around.
Really eye opening stuff, and the numerous examples that are shown in this video are a little overwhelming. I knew product placement was big business, and has been happening for a while now… but it didn’t dawn on me just how pervasive it really was.
[via Coudal]
Related:
What Tina Fey Would Do for a SoyJoy: Product Placement in Movies and TV
When I worked at Wilson Sporting Goods one of the ways I got people who weren’t familiar with the company to remember who they were was to remind them of the giant role that a Wilson volleyball played in the film Cast Away. Interestingly enough Wilson the company didn’t pay a dime to be featured. It was in fact the producers who sought Wilson out and asked for some free volleyballs. So of course Wilson obliged not really knowing just how significant of a role their volleyball would play. One of the actual balls that was shot in the film did sit in the presidents office at HQ.
Justin Siddons (May 25, 2010 at 9:52 am)Looking back, I’m surprised that the whole Wilson thing wasn’t a paid endorsement. That’s crazy! That movie was a HUGE plug for Wilson. Given all the money and numbers thrown around for some of these (older) movies, that’s pretty amazing it was all done free.
avoision (May 25, 2010 at 10:26 pm)