Placing brands in movies is as old as the medium itself. In the early movies of the Lumiere Brothers, pioneers of the film industry, the Lever Soap brand was visible.
For just over a century, moviegoers have enjoyed emotional associations with movies and movie stars. They’ve imagined themselves driving an Aston Martin like James Bond or to be the first to own a new Nokia touch screen phone, previewed in ‘The Dark Knight’, to have Anne Hathaway’s character’s job in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and have ready access to those designer clothes or to drive an Audi like Jason Statham’s character in Transporter 3. Movies, by definition, tap into and even define popular culture. They allow brands, by association, to build relevance and through use, demonstrate emotional or rational product benefits. The relationship links have generated strong desire and sales. In 1982 when Elliott used Reese’s Pieces to tempt E.T up the stairs to hide him in his bedroom, sales of this Hershey product soared immediately. Likewise, when Pierce Brosnan drove the new BMW Z3 in Golden Eye, over 25,000 orders were taken in the USA. Aside from that, in 1934, sales of undershirts, an article worn underneath a shirt, among American men dropped alarmingly when, in the movie, ‘It Happened One Night’ Clark Gable took off his shirt to reveal that he wasn’t wearing an undershirt. The US Garment Industry Union eventually asked the Production Company to delete the scene. Some brands are a ‘must have’ by filmmakers. If there’s a motorcycle to be used, Harley Davidson is the brand. Other brands are fashionably important, like an Apple Computer or an iPod. Brands can become integrated into movies for a number of reasons. To demonstrate, let’s say the script calls for the actor to drive a luxury European car in an action movie.
- The brand as an integral part of the script and the leading talent
Audi has been very successful in re-positioning their brand to young professionals, against other luxury vehicles. As a result of this, Audi has appeared in a number of movies where action scenes demonstrate design features of the vehicle. Interestingly, in Transporter 3, a gleaming black Audi driven by the hero is chased by an equally gleaming black Mercedes Benz, driven by the villains. - To ease production
budgets Car manufacturers like Audi supply a number of vehicles, replacing those which are damaged, making a substantial saving on the film production budget. - To generate incremental revenue for the production company Audi would allocate marketing budgets to leverage involvement of their vehicles and generate sales and dealer support in their key markets.
- To secure corporate partnerships with brand owners that assist in promoting a movie during the period leading up to a theatrical release thereby maximising box office revenue. In this example, Audi would benefit from the positive association with the movie and could run marketing campaigns to generate dealer forecourt traffic
vehicle sales. Though we may see brands making appearances in movies, negotiating product placement is not as easy as it may appear. There are a number of issues to consider at the planning stage.
l Does the movie’s target demographic match that of the product or brand’s target markets?
l Does the brand to be placed fit with the scene(s) within the movie? Will the director agree that the product be used without compromising the script or talent? l Is the brand or product in use shown in a way that shows a relevant feature or benefit?
l What is the quality and duration of the placement? Is the brand clearly visible in a number of scenes, like the MSN emails used by Renee Zelwegger and Hugh Grant in “Bridget Jones Diary”?
l 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.
l Most importantly, will the placement actually appear in the final movie? Whilst all care can be taken, including having 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. Digital placements are a new option which guarantees placements and relationships with brand partners.