More big screen product placements

Brandweek has published an article highlighting Orbitz as a product placement in Blades of Glory. The movie stars Will Ferrell and Jon Heder as rival figure skaters that are banned from the sport of singles' figure skating. They discover a loophole in which the two set aside their hatred of each other and become the first male/male figure skating pair in history.

Orbitz is featured as the sponsor of the Montreal Winter Sports Games. The online travel agency gets camera time during the "telecast" of the games and also receives a mention from one of the anchors.

But Orbitz isn't the only product placement throughout the movie. Blades of Glory features more product placements than I can count on my fingers and toes. If you happen to see the movie, opening this weekend, see how many product placements you can catch out of the following brands: Orbitz, Skittles, Capri Sun, Captain Morgan rum, XBox360, Subway, Crest, Verizon, Trim Spa, Foot Locker, Nationwide, Robeks, Philips, Puma, adidas, Dunkin Donuts, Kellogg's, 7-Eleven, Google, Trojan and Posturepedic.

It'll be a challenge, but see how many you can spot!

I think this movie has gone a little far. People are going to start getting annoyed with the way marketers are shoving their brands in their faces. Movies are supposed to be a way to escape the outside world, but product placements bring that world and all the pressures of the media back in. I think it'll be fine as long as movies don't get carried away as Blades of Glory may have done.

What are your opinions? Do you think product placements have gone overboard in the movie?

Place*Values: new tool from Nielsen

Nielsen, the company that brings you television ratings, has introduced a new tool. This tool, known as Place*Values, helps advertisers analyze product placements in advertising, according to this arcticle by Media Buyer Planner. The tool allows advertisers to evaluate past product placements and new placement opportunities. This evaluation will be based on performance indicators, including brand recognition, brand attitude and purchase interest.

Place*Values sounds really cool. They allow clients to test different ways to place products, including testing the use of brand mentions. I think this tool is going to catch on and really heat up product placements. Users of the tool, so far, include: A&E, Court TV, the Weather Channel, Discovery Networks, CBS, Fox, Magna Global, Mediacom, OMD, PHD, Sprint Nextel, Twentieth TV and Zenith Media.

I think these users really hold an advantage over those that are not users. They may be the trendsetters because I'm sure other will follow in the use of this amazing tool. The tool actually gets it's finding from Nielsen's Product Placement Valuation Study. Nielsen is a company that consumers and advertisers have grown to trust with television ratings and I think it's wonderful that they are expanding and have introduced such an innovative tool.



This is the future of product placement!

Europe and Asia... growing markets for product placement

The United States may be on overload with product placements, but the market is going strong in Europe and Asia. According to this article published on bizreport.com by Kristina Knight, product placement grew 37% in 2006 to $3.36 billion and is expected to grow another 30.3% this year.
The article highlights the fact that traditional advertising is becoming less effective on consumers. Product placement is an attempt to make a more emotional connection with consumers. It reaches them in a non-traditional way and is therefore more effective. As the article states, Patrick Quinn, CEO of PQ Media says, "Media companies are searching for new revenue streams as traditional advertising methods suffer from negative perceptions. As a result, product placement has emerged from a novel marketing tactic just a few years ago to a key marketing strategy worldwide."
America has been a big leader is product placement spending. This spending will probably reach a plateau in the near future. Europe and Asia, primarily in China, are beginning to see growth in product placements. These markets will continue to grow over the next few years.

If Pinkberry were in Second Life...

This posting may be a little off topic, but is an assignment for class. The questions is, if Pinkberry where to come into Second Life, what would I tell them?

I would tell Pinkberry to create an island using the color scheme of white, pink and green throughout to give the island an over all theme. I would suggest a virtual Pinkberry store, where SL avatars can purchase Pinkberry frozen yogurt. And I would make the frozen yogurt customizable, just like at the stores. The overall feel should be professional, yet casual and simple. Complicated islands get confusing and avatars can get lost. They should provide a seating area both inside the store and out so avatars can hang out. A link to the web page is a must. I would let Pinkberry know that SL is a great opportunity to market their product and find out what consumers think and feel and what they would like to see change. They should also have an employee avatar on the island to answer an questions and take these suggestions. SL has proved to be an excellent marketing tool for other companies and I think Pinkberry should grasp the opportunity at hand.
You can check out the Pinkberry website at: www.pinkberry.com
You can also check out Second Life at: www.secondlife.com

Have fun, amigos!

musical products

I spent a lot of time in the car in the past few days on my way to Florida for Spring Break. During this time, I listened to a lot of radio. I didn't realize how many songs contained product placements as part of their lyrics. These brands are getting major exposure. Here are a few examples from the land of pop music (lyrics from www.azlyrics.com):

"...And I know it sounds so old
But cupid got me in a chokehold
And I'm afraid I might give in
Towels on the mat my white flag is wavin'

I mean she even cooks me pancakes
And Alka Seltzer when my tummy aches
If that ain't love then I don't know what love is

We even got a secret handshake
And she loves the music that my band makes
I know I'm young but if I had to choose her or the sun
I'd be one nocturnal son of a gun..."
-an exerpt from "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes

"I still go to Taco Bell
Drive through, raw as hell
I don't care, I'm still real
No matter how many records I sell
After the show or after the Grammies
I like to go cool out with the family
Sippin', reminiscing on days when I had a Mustang..."
-an exerpt from "Glamorous" by Fergie

These to songs are great examples of product placements within music. Writing a blog about product placement, I've learned to listen and look for product placements in any medium, but if you aren't looking for them then you're just singing along. People all over are singing along to these songs on the radio, or in clubs. The exposure of these brands is amazing. They're so obvious, yet are going to get to the audience without them really noticing or minding. I think music is an excellent medium for product placements. As long as the products are worked into the song, I think that consumers are going to accept them. This may be the new 'it' medium for product placement.

Honda hydrogen car

Celebrity endorsements are a big way to reach consumers. We want what celebrities have. Noting this, Honda has given the first hydrogen powered car to a 17 year old actress by the name of Q'orianka Kilcher. She starred in 2005's "The New World."

This car, known as the Honda FCX, is the car of the future. It is powered by hydrogen and has zero emissions. It's good for the environment and doesn't run on petroleum... YAY!
According to the article by Jeff Greenfield from Hollywood Product Placement News, this is what Kilcher had to say: "As a young person today, I feel it is important to take initiative toward seeking positive solutions and stepping up the quest toward clean energy and environmental preservation. When I first started pursuing my dream of a zero emissions vehicle as my first car, it seemed like a pretty unrealistic dream. With Honda's innovation and support, my dream of helping the environment became a reality!" Like most celebrities, you can catch Q'orianka Kilcher driving her new car around Hollywood. This is a great product introduction that is definitely going to draw some attention. Not only because Honda gave the car to the actress, but because it is such an innovation.

I want one. Gifts are gladly accepted :)