A myriad of big brands clamour to capitalise on the vast audiences films can draw in, and this has lead to product placement. Instead of enticing in new customers, though, it's a process which has annoyed many cinema goers, as any routine scan online will show. Clearly something about product placement makes it a dubious practice, with increased incidences of moral outrage growing in recent years.
It is interesting to consider why this is the case as movies are all about escapism, although the objections might come from the fact we are going to watch a movie for fun, and to be truly entertained by a film we have to suspend our disbelief, devote ourselves to the story, and identify with the characters. As soon as a flagrant example of product placement appears, a person’s belief is shattered as we’re reminded we’re in a cinema. It’s also somewhat cynical to be levelled with advertising from brands whilst watching a film to begin with – the increasingly lengthy movie “build-up” provides plenty of opportunity for such advetisements. Altogether it remains a dubious, and unwanted, form of advertising... but brands are still queuing up to apply, courtesy of huge viewing figures.
Included below are ten examples of the most famous product placements in recent movie history. It’s a pertinent reminder of advertising practices, and whether a brand is willing to push the limit of acceptability for added exposure. Every business around the globe has to consider this possibility -- how far would you be willing to push the boundaries of good taste?
1.Cast Away (2000) - FedEx
For this role Tom Hanks played a dedicated FedEx employee who is stranded on an island, and his fight for survival and escape commences. FedEx naturally appears everywhere for the duration, yet apparently the company didn’t pay a penny for product placement – it was simply chosen as a believable global courier. They certainly weren’t complaining – it increased awareness in their brand, especially in the Asia region where they were little known before the film. However, many modern reappraisals of the film cite the constant reminder of FedEx to be something of a dampener to its believability.
The now legendary Wilson also makes an appearance (Hank's character uses the ball as a source of socialising), which is a Wilson Volleyball. The firm, again, paid no money for this product placement and benefited enormously from it. Hank's relationship with his imaginary friends clearly hit a nerve with the public - there are even Wilson volleyballs available on Amazon with the Cast Away hand print.
2. I, Robot (2004) - Converse
For no apparent reason the camera lingers on Will Smith pensively untying his Converse All Stars (vintage 2004), and then the audience is treated to a close-up of him lacing them up. Later on, two other references are made to the brand of his footwear. Although the film is not particularly memorable, the product placements have gone down as legendarily cynical attempts to woo in customers through a big name actor. Not at all wise.
3. GoldenEye (1995) - BMW
BMW paid $3 million for the opportunity to display their BMW on the latest Bond film. Being mentioned in the same breath as Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus, and Rolls Royce certainly won’t do your brand any harm. No secret was made of the arrangement, and BMW had nothing to apologise for, making it a pretty neat placement.
4. The Italian Job (2003) - BMW
Without doubt, the Mini Cooper S was as much a star of the 1969 crime caper as were Caine and Coward, and when The Italian Job was remade in 2003 it was obvious minis would make a return. As a marketing campaign it was also useful.
By 2003, Minis were being manufactured by BMW, so it was they who would reap the rewards if the film was a success. The film was relatively successful, critically and commercially, and WSJ film critic Joe Morgenstein called it the "best car commercial ever”.
5. Wayne’s World (1992) - Pizza Hut, Pepsi, Reebok, Doritos…
There’s a scene where Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) are being encouraged to engage in marketing by TV executive Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe). Wayne absolutely refuses to back down on his ethical stance on placement while eating at Pizza Hut and/or Doritos, popping Nuprin headache tablets, and drinking Pepsi. Garth, dressed head to toe in Reebok, agrees. Given the facetious nature of the film it is all done to lampoon other films of the time, which certainly helped all involved up their "cool factor".
6. Sex and the City 1 and 2 (2006 and 2010) - Everything
Sex and the City is based on a group of image/fashion obsessed New York high-flyers. The television show has enormously popular, and it warranted two (equally commercially successful) films, which warranted a vast selection of product placements. Literally everything they eat, drink, wear, read, and use is clearly branded. The list is simply too vast to write down verbatim here, but you can see it over at Vanity Fair. Essentially the films were two giant adverts for a countless number of brands.
7. Transformers (2007) - Mountain Dew
When we finally are invaded by alien robots, we will have to suspect everything, even the Mountain Dew drinks machines, because, you guessed it, they are robots in disguise. Needless to say, kids can also buy Mountain Dew Decepticon toys. It all comes across as a bit suspect – Mountain Dew is a PepsiCo brand, so we can be pretty sure the machine wasn’t chosen for its aesthetic appeal and nutritional benefits.
8. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - Pepsi One
This 1999 hit starring Rene Russo and Pierce Brosnan was a stylishly provocative version of a 1968 crime film. Brosnan plays a high-class art thief who commits the crime due to his love of art, and we know this despite an astonishing moment of blatant advertising. Russo downs a can of Pepsi One in such an unnatural way the can becomes the focus of your attention, which perhaps highlights one of the problems with product placement. It can appear so enforced and unnatural it ruins the actual film.
9. Independence Day (1996) – Coca Cola and Apple
There are two major issues with this otherwise wholly believable doomsday/alien invasion epic; Jeff Goldblum’s character David provides both. Firstly he has a habit, throughout the film, of waving cans of Coca Cola around, standing by coke vending machines, being near characters who also wield cans of the fizzy drink, and ordering an army official to actually shoot the can. This gives one solitary can of Coca Cola several seconds of screen time to itself, in one of the biggest films of the 1990s.
The second issue occurs towards the dramatic finale, when David realises he can destroy the invading alien fleet by sending them a computer virus - all he needs is a wonderful computer to do it with. Luckily he’s got his Mackintosh PowerBook.
10. Toy Story 1, 2, & 3 (1995 - 2010) – Buzz Lightyear
A very popular and well-received series this may be, but it does serve to constantly remind you of your childhood, as well as being a handy reminder for many young children to pester their parents to purchase some toys. Buzz Lightyear dolls (craved fervently in the first film) did become real toys to purchase, consequently meaning subsequent titles were self-promotional tools in their own right! Thankfully the trilogy is regarded as one of Hollywood's finest moments, so at least it's all been in the name of quality.
