WITH the expansion of communication mediums throughout the World, marketers continue to look for economic and measurable ways to showcase their brands to the ever increasing numbers of fickle and promiscuous customers.
One area of mass communication which continues to tempt marketers by its strong aspirational bonds with target audiences of all demographics, is Movies.
Many marketers have captured some of that implied star association for their products, by integrating their brands into Movies, known also as Product Placement.
Negotiating Product Placement is not as easy as it may appear. There are a number of issues to consider.
- Does the brand to be placed fit with the scene/s within the Movie script. Will the Director agree that the product would be used without compromising the script.
- What is the quality and duration of the placement. Is the brand clearly visible in a scene, like the MSN emails used by Renee Zelwegger and Hugh Grant in “Bridget Jones Diary”.
- Using footage of an Actor wearing a Dress as part of their role in the Movie, in a Marketer’s Cross Promotion, will need permission by the Actor.
- Most importantly, will the placement actually appear in the final Movie ? Whilst all care can be taken, including having our staff on the set, there is no guarantee that the placement will be executed in the agreed form.
If the product doesn’t appear, the Marketer won’t be charged, but any Cross Promotion planned by that marketer to leverage the placement, will be at risk.
There is however, another opportunity emerging in the Movie Industry which can now guarantee product placement: Digitising a brand into a Movie at post production, known also as ‘Product Plugging”.
Australian Wool Innovation, peak body for Australia’s wool production industry, has a responsibility to market Australian Merino Wool in key global markets.
Having acquired the Woolmark brand in 2008, the Company was about to relaunch a revitalised Woolmark globally. One challenge facing them was to bring the Woolmark into the 21st Century and make it relevant to a new, younger and hip audience. They saw that a placement for the Woolmark logo in the right Movie would give them this strong, relevant presence during the theatrical release, as well as bonus residual visibility in all of their markets as the movie moved through into DVD’s, Cable release and FTA for years to come.
Paramount had just completed filming of the Movie, “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People”. The storyline has been compared to a male version of “The Devil Wears Prada”. It stars Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox and Jeff Bridges. Stylish, contemporary and urban – values the Woolmark was pursuing. In the movie, there was a scene where the character Sophie Maes, played by actress Megan Fox, appeared in an animated form on an outdoor billboard, blowing a kiss to Sidney Young (Simon Peet).
A decision was made to digitise the Woolmark logo and the lines “Sophie Maes trusts Woolmark” at post-production into the billboard. To ensure maximum cinema presence, the Production Company paintboxed a complete new building into the scene, into which the hero billboard was finally placed. This gave the brand the key attributes it was looking for, a strong visual cue on style, and an emotional connection to the audience at a high engagement point in the storyline.
Marketers looking to extend their visibility in a relevant and affordable way should consider this type of contemporary placement. Not only are movies once more at the centre of popular consumptions, they provide strong audiences and in many cases highly cost effective brand association opportunities.
Where to start in this area of Product Placement, whether Traditional or Digital? Some tips:
- Source a shortlist of Movies by theme and planned release, at least 12-18 months out.
- Work with a Placement Company to ensure there is a brand fit.
- Before negotiations start, make sure the Cross Promotion for the placement, offers strong Promotion for the Movie.
By Mike Da Silva