Product Placement

Product placement is an advertising technique used by companies to subtly promote their products through a non-traditional advertising technique; usually within film, television or other media. Through product placement, companies hope that viewers will take note of the products used by the characters and therefore think more strongly about using the products themselves. Have a look at this clip, which exhibits the number of products placed into one of the famous 'Transformers' movies, and try to analyse whether you would have consciously noticed the products before seeing this. 

There is a growing trend to make product placement less advertorial. The tendency now is to move away from in-your-face ads, where the product is the star, to mini-movies or quasi-documentary vignettes that feature 'real-life scenarios' with the products hovering in the background. Some would argue its sort of 'art imitating life', where ads are imitating the practice of product placement.


Here are a few other examples you may not have consciously noticed whilst watching your favorite movie, tv show or series.

Brand mashups!

TED Talking: Clay Shirky on "how social media can make history"

Who is Clay Shirky?

Clay Shirky is a professor in New York University's graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program, where he teaches a course called "Social Weather". He is also the author of several books, including Here Comes Everybody, Voices from the Net and Cognitive Surplus and an expert on social technologies. He has written and been interviewed extensively on the topic of the Internet since 1996. His columns and writings have appeared in Business 2.0, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired and Harvard Business Review. In 2012 Shirky gave a talk entitled "Why SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is a bad idea" at TED Salon in New York - it received over 1 million views in 48 hours. 

In this TED talk, Shirky describes the crucial role social media is having, and will continue to have, on our lives. As quoted by TED: "Clay Shirky's work focuses on the rising usefulness of networks - using decentralized technologies such as peer-to-peer sharing, wireless, software for social creation, and open-source development. New technologies are enabling new kinds of cooperative structures to flourish as a way of getting things done in business, science, the arts and elsewhere, as an alternative to centralized and institutional structures which he sees as self-limiting. In his writings and speeches he has argued that "a group is its own worst enemy."

[If you would like to see his talk on "Why SOPA is a bad idea", click here.]

MINI - NOT NOR MAL

Iris Worldwide came up with this brilliant activation that served as an extension of Mini's already famous "Not Normal" campaign. If you don't know anything about it, the campaign celebrated the 'not normal' relationship that Mini drivers have with their cars. It started with a range of big billboards situated around the UK that illustrated the passion of Mini drivers when it comes to their cars. This was taken a step further however recently when Mini decided that even the billboards had to be 'not normalized'. 

In this new activation, Mini drivers cruising through London were targeted individually via certain billboards and treated to a number of thrilling brand experiences; from free car washes to complimentary gourmet meals - all in an attempt to be 'saluted' by the brand. How did it work? The company relied on trained human spotters that were positioned close to certain billboards. These spotters identified specific Minis that drove past and relayed signs to their drivers on the billboard that they were approaching. A sample of the individual messages includes, "Hello Blue Mini Driver, How Would You Like a Free Coffee?".

Mini UK international communications manager, Anna Inglese, explains; "Our Not Normal campaign is all about celebrating the unique and inventive spirit of Mini drivers and saluting them". 

Vision Mission

Vission Mission is a CSI initiative that was started by Ster Kinekor, one of South Africa's biggest and most popular cinema chains, which actively and continuously aims to contribute towards the elimination of degenerative eyesight amongst the country's youth. The initiative was launched in 2005 during Eye Care Awareness Month to highlight the issue of low vision as a major public health concern in South Africa. It is currently estimated that, of the three million learners in Grade 1, 2, and 3, one tenth have eye problems which, if left uncorrected, could lead to severe vision impairment in adulthood. 

Since its inception, Vision Mission has screened over 249 000 learners from disadvantaged backgrounds across the country. They have provided glasses to over 10 000 students. This has been made possible by some of the initiative's partnerships and contributions by Spec Savers, the National Department of Health, Edcuation and Social Development, the Nthulisa Foundation, Bonteheuwel Organisation for Youth Development and Pareto Limited. Ster Kinekor has also made consumer donations possible and easy by giving consumers the options of adding R2.50 to their movie ticket at the self-service terminals if they want to contribute. 

Here are three of the brilliant ads that were created by South African film school, AFDA, for Vision Mission. They are a big favorite of mine.