Blog 6 product placement

Even though it may be rather annoying I find product placement in TV shows and movies to be very effective. I know what the advertisers are trying to do and I know the ad is there but just the glance or visual recognition of products, for me, is very effective. If someone is trying to hype up the product by talking about it I find it ineffective because it is so obvious what they are trying to do.

For example: When I watch Step Up, there is a scene when Channing Tatum eats Doritos while playing a video game. No matter what, I always crave Doritos during this scene or when I watch the movie. The recognition of the product is what draws teenagers in because it makes them think about the product and other associations they have with it. When the product is just flashed it makes teenagers acknowledge it and usually is effective in getting them to buy it or consume it just because it caught their attention in a 'not so in your face way.'

On the other hand, when I watch the Biggest Loser, there are obvious product placement ads done by the competitors and the trainers that say yes this product is very useful for such and such. I find these ineffective because the message is very blatant they do not try to disguise it, and they are often horrible actors so that makes it worse.

In my opinion, when advertising to teenagers it is effective to use product placement when it is disguised or just flashed a brand name or certain logo. But when the product placement is very obvious the teenagers reject the fact that someone is trying to get them to do something but when they see an ad they think about the product. It is the teenage mindset to be cynical and the more description and words the advertisers use, the less effective the ads are. Some product placement in TV and Movies is effective but it has to be done the correct way.