With the invention of Tivo and the reality that consumers were fast forwarding and/or deleting commercials before viewing their favorite program, America’s favorite brands and Hollywood productions agreed something had to be done. Traditional product placements are still very valuable to Corporate America, but brands have come to realize that significant brand integration in a movie or television show can have a tremendous amount of impact with today’s consumers.
Brand integration in entertainment properties goes beyond traditional on-camera exposure for your product or service. The legendary sitcom Seinfeld popularized product placement in the 90’s, from the Mac SE on Jerry’s desk to the Klein Bicycle hanging in his hallway (ok, I personally had a hand in both of those placements). Where Brand Integration goes a step further is organically integrating your product or service into the story line. Organically?! No, I don’t mean with pesticides and chemicals! OK, sort of… In order for these Brand Integrations to be effective, products must not be forced into the story line or onto the consumer. Although this isn’t rocket science, brands need to be careful that consumers do not end up with a negative impression of their product or service due to excessive exposure connected with a film or television show.
At the end of the day, studios and brands want to create “win, win” situations when it comes to Brand Integration. The studios benefit from the marketing support brands provide while adding realism to their productions. Brands have the opportunity to leverage high profile entertainment properties through these co-marketing efforts, ultimately leading to incremental consumer sales.
America is a country built on branding. A brand is an experience that is developed and shaped in response to culture, a culture that is heavily influenced by Hollywood entertainment properties.
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