Can Product Placement Negatively Impact My Brand Development? By Ian McQueen

We've all heard the the saying "Bad press is good press, as long as you are being covered in the press." Does that mean that bad product placement is good, as long as your brand is receiving product placement exposure?

Since I don't agree that "all press is good," I feel exactly the same way about product placement. The fact is, product placement can negatively affect your brand development if consumers consistently believe that your product is not organic to the story line and/or your company paid for the exposure. Although product placement and brand integration have become integral parts of overall advertising plans, consumers are sensitive to brands that are awkwardly integrated into entertainment properties. I absolutely agree with the general consumer on this point. If you want to make a commercial, develop your own content and pay for the production. Speaking of commercials, Jack In The Box's spoof on product placement placement in their latest ad is hilarious: 

So how do you make sure your product placement doesn't negatively affect your brand development? My suggestion is that either your marketing team or an entertainment marketing agency carefully reviews each and every product placement opportunity to make sure the end result will help move the brand forward.