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In the previous post I discussed the cardinal rule of product placement. Here is an example of what happens when the cardinal rule is broken. The video is a little overkill :-). However, it does serve very well to prove the point.
I would love to hear your comments on this video.
There is only one cardinal rule for product placement.
The moment we deviate from this rule, the product has intruded into the story, and there is a risk of negative perception.
I have seen and heard other people make their own rules of product placement and interestingly, they all flow from the Cardinal rule.
For example, these are some rules that I have observed people follow in the industry :
If you observe carefully, you notice that all the above 4 rules are different expressions of the Cardinal Rule - “Never be Intrusive. Flow with the story.”
Why all the hype over product placement? Because its a win-win situation.
When done well, product placements provide:
1. The ad industry with a powerful medium to showcase their product & illustrate the different use case scenarios of the product. Displaying the product and demonstrating its use case scenarios, is a powerful combination to introduce and promote a product.
2. The media/content creators now have an additional source of revenue that they can tap into. All kinds of producers from amateur content creators to hollywood producers stand to benefit from the extra cash that product placement brings in.
3. The viewers are entertained without interruptions and intrusions. This is great for the viewers. At the same time, they are aware of the cool products that were featured in the movie. When the entertainment is enjoyable, a well placed product has high brand retention.
Anyway you look at it, product placement is a win-win situation for both the viewers and the ad industry.
Ofcourse, this argument holds only when the product is placed well in a non-intrusive non-annoying way. Done recklessly product placement could be as much or more annoying and intrusive than the 30 second ad spot.
Such a valuable ad medium has to be protected and used correctly. Ad companies and media creators shoot themselves in the foot when they recklessly do product placement. They should become aware of this and preserve this ad medium so this entire ecosystem of ad industry, content creators and viewers continue to do sensible business and expand the ecosystem.
Can you please not interrupt me with the Doritos commercial when I am intently watching 24? Please…?..
Jack Bauer is racing against time to defuse the nuclear bomb and you had to choose this moment to show me a pack of Doritos!! Do not get me wrong. I like Doritos. But I dont want to see them now. Not when Jack is trying to save the world. If you keep doing this I might even start hating Doritos for interrupting my favorite show on TV. Are you trying to promote the brand or kill it?
Advertising does not have to be so annoying and intrusive. Product Placement and Brand Integration can be the answer to the annoying 30 second ad spot. This is the future of advertisement. If done well, Product Placement can be non-intrusive, non-annoying and an integral part of the story. I am glad that the Palm Treo is helping out Jack by downloading all the satellite imagery he needs and that the CISCO network phone is helping the entire team at CTU teleconference and be connected. Heck, I might even buy the Palm Treo because my hero uses it. I might also recommend the CISCO network phone at work!!
See the difference?
