I'm back!

Well it has definitely been way too long since I've written something on here! So by now I have so much to say, I'll start with a product placement that I noticed in an episode of Rizzoli & Isles (p.s. I LOVE this show!). It went along with a statement by the character Dr. Maura Isles. She advised another woman to "just put these in your shoes, I'm able to wear heels all day with them".

Before you take the leap.....

I was watching The Bachelor yesterday and noticed  that the Honda CRV was strategically placed in the show during one of the dates. It was a group date, where the girls were all invited to "cross something off of our leap list", and ended up skiing in the streets of San Fransisco.

The cars were easy to spot, but I also noticed that the placement tied right in with the current Honda CRV campaign. The current campaign features couples that are discussing taking the next 'leap' in their lives - for example getting married or having a baby. They mention all of the things that they want to do first, and of course the Honda CRV can get them going.

Check out one of the Honda commercials below, and the group date footage from The Bachelor (you only need to watch about a minute to see the product placement). And go make a leap list of your own! If you need help visit leaplist.honda.com

Stevia Please

If you watch TNT's hit show Rizzoli & Isles, you may have noticed a product placement for Stevia in the latest epsiode. Stevia is the new trend in sweetners, that claims to be healthier than other sweetners, especially sugar.

In the episode, a woman who was later revealed to be a yoga instructor claimed that she only used Stevia in her tea because "it is an all natural herbal sweeter". The placement was short and sweet - no pun intended - and fit within the script of the program.

There are several brands of Stevia sweeteners but overall this is an excellent way of gaining product awareness!

Angels Love The iPad

I am so happy to see that Charlie's Angels is back on abc! I was afraid that it had been canceled, and I definitely missed those girls...and their cool gadgets.

They use only the very latest technology, even some that I'm not sure exists to the general public. So of course, each of the Angel's has to have her very own iPad to carry around, in case she needs to do some investigating while shes away. You'll also notice that they use iPhones as well, and even the iPhone that they confiscated from a suspect in this week's episode was prominently featured.

I think this is a great placement! Charlie's Angels has always been a program that shows the most modern and unconventional technology, Apple is a great, and obvious, matchup because they have a very modern and cutting edge brand personality. Overall I think it is great to see that this re-make is not stuck in the 70's.

Kutcher Sneaks Placements on Two and a half Men

By now you have probably seen (or at least heard about) Charlie Sheen's replacement on the new season of Two and a Half Men. (If you haven't then you obviously live under a rock) So did you notice the sneaky placement in this weeks episode?

It appears in the episode while Ashton Kutcher's character 'Walden' is sitting on the couch with his lap top. The computer is plastered with stickers for various companies that Kutcher is invested in. The companies include Foursquare, Chegg and Hipmunk, among others.

Of course, by now we all know that seeing this type of product placement is not unusual....however the sneaky part is that the placements were not paid for! That's right, Kutcher managed to sneak them past the directors, gaining tons of free and very valuable publicity for the companies.

If you are interested in seeing the placements, you will have to look online, though. CBS is unhappy with the placements, because they were not paid for - and placements on that program are sold for a pretty penny. So the brands will be blurred in any future episodes where they are present. I think its great that he got those brands in there, even it it was just once, he obviously knows the value of product placement, way to go Ashton!

Running With Product Placement

One new show that I have had my eye on this season is Take The Money And Run. Its a new reality show on ABC where two people hide a briefcase of money and try to keep it a secret while they are in a holding cell for 48 hours.

After a few shows, I noticed that more product placement was seeping into it. One that was very blunt was OnStar. In the beginning of the show they have one hour to hide the money and then they must pull their vehicle over and get arrested. In the last episode, all of a sudden OnStar came on in the vehicle and stated that the same technology that they use to stop stolen vehicles was being engaged to slow their vehicle to a stop as well.

Overall the product placement fits, but in a new show it was a little blunt. This combined with the sudden arrival of the placement could be a little unsettling to viewers. However, as a viewer, I learned a little more about what OnStar can do, and it is definitely impressive!

Mercedes Stars on Two and a Half Men

A new season of Two and a Half Men is starting soon, featuring Ashton Kutcher as a new star, but in the excitement of the new season, I wanted to point out another star of the show. That star is Mercedes-Bendz.

Charlie Harper, played by Charlie Sheen, has been driving a Mercedes on the show for a long time. Occasionally the plot line of the episode even highlights the vehicle. For example in one episode Alan takes Charlie's car to the Mercedes-Bendz dealership for an oil change, where he picks up a woman who later ends up stealing the car. In another episode, Charlie is worried about parking his Mercedes on the street at his girlfriends house because of the sap that drips from trees. And one episode even shows Jake, Charlie's nephew, bugging Charlie to let him practice his driving on his Mercedes, and of course he eventually gets his way through trickery.

I like this product placement because it really matches the character. Charlie Harper is a character with money, but he does not buy anything that is overly flashy. He lives in a nice Malibu beach house, has a nice but average wardrobe, and always complains that his brother is too cheap. I think a character like this would drive a Mercedes, instead of an Aston Martin, Ferrari, etc. Overall I think the placement is great, and realistic.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith Drive a Dodge Caravan

I recently watched Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I haven't seen this movie in years, and this time I noticed a lot of product placements. In one scene they are blowing holes through the walls of their house while attacking each other, however their Sub Zero refrigerator works well as a shield for Brad Pitt's character. My favorite product placement in this movie though was the Dodge Caravan.

While trying to escape from the assassins that are hunting them, Mr. & Mrs. Smith 'borrow' their neighbors Dodge Caravan minivan and end up in a high speed shoot out on the highway. It is amazing that even while they are being attacked by three cars of assassins, they manage to feature the Caravan's easy seat removal, as well as the amount of cargo that can be held in the trunk. They also show the automatic trunk and side door open/close buttons on the roof between the front seats.

My favorite part, though, is when the feature the dual sliding side doors and Mr. Smith catches an enemy jumping into the van through one of the side doors and smoothly pushes him out the other side. And get this. . .he says "the doors are handy". . .haha I LOVE IT!

Sexy Shoes in the City

Sex and the City is a show known for is glamorous fashion and exciting portrayal of the city life. Naturally, the show is full of product placements. Especially fashion brand product placements, including shoes. And anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE shoes!

High end brands such as Louboutins and Manolo Blahniks are shown quite often. One episode is even centered around Carrie having her Manolos stolen at a party and the hostess lecturing Carrie on buying shoes that cost around $500.

In the first movie, there is another small plot line surrounding a different pair of Manolos. When Carrie leaves her new shoes at the apartment that she and Mr. Big are selling after their breakup she has to go back before she loses them. She runs into Mr. Big there, who then proposes to her using one of the shoes. With a character like Carrie who is very fashion oriented, the shoe placements add a reality to the show. Of course in real life, I am not sure that a writer could afford so many pairs of $500 shoes. . .but that is why this isn't a reality show.

Staples and The Office

One of my favorite television shows is The Office. I'm sure everyone has at least heard of this show, and it as a huge fan base. The show is about an office of employees that work for a paper company, and their daily struggle with their crazy boss.

While the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company is a fictional business, their main competition is a company that we see quite often; Staples. This is a great product placement, because they are always shown competing with Staples for business. In one episode a salesman, Dwight, even goes to work at Staples, eventually coming back to Dunder-Mifflin though. The picture above shows a scene from this episode, other product placements that you can see are EPSON, Kodak, and Canon.

This is a great example of how product placement can make a program seem more realistic to the viewers. By adding a real life competitor, viewers can better understand the type and size of the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company.

Ford Product Placements Target Young Market

I noticed some product placements for Ford on my favorite fall and winter television shows. First I saw the Ford Fiesta appear on Vampire Diaries, driven by Caroline. They also integrated television commercials, digital and print advertising in the campaign, using the show's name and characters. Next I saw the Ford Focus given away as a prize on America's Next Top Model.

With these new placements it appears that Ford is targeting a younger market for these two models. By choosing these two shows to showcase their cars, they are targeting a teen to young adult market, instead of the mature adult market that many cars are marketed toward.

State & Main

This is a scene from the 2000 movie State and Main. The scene shows the director (William H. Macy) and his partner (David Paymer) considering adding a product placement to their movie because they need the money. The particularly funny part of this is that the brand is a .com and the movie takes place in the 1800's. Eventually they include the brand and get their money.

My dad gets a real kick out of this plot in the movie. He is very aware of product placements, with a daughter like me he has to be! However, with all of his product placement knowledge, I can still guarantee that if you mention product placement to him, this movie will be among the first examples that he brings up.

I like this example as well because it shows that product placement is not as easy as some might assume. It is not simply throwing products into movies and television shows. Product placement is a carefully thought out process of matching the products with the target markets of the programs and integrating them in a realistic and subtle way. Adding Bazoomer.com to an 1800's movie is not what I would call a carefully considered product placement, but it does make for a funny plot line!

Bud Light Tries Product Placement

 

This commercial made its premier during the Superbowl this year. I think it is a funny and creative parody of product placements. It also shows how aware our culture is becoming of product placements. This form of advertising has been around for decades, yet it seems that more attention is being drawn to it recently. This may be due to what consumers perceive as excessive product placements. For example, in 2008 The Biggest Loser took the spot for most product placements on television with 6, 804 brands.

The increase in television product placement is most likely due to the increase in television technology. With the invention of DVR and the creation of online television, consumers are seeing less advertisements during programing and therefore advertisers are pushing more product placements. It will be interesting to see how the product placement industry develops in the next few years, and how television advertising handles new technology. . . in the mean time check out the clip above and have a good laugh!

Product Placement on Chilean Miners

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/chilean-miners-get-sunglasses

It is a beautiful day today here in Flint. All of this sun reminded me of one of my favorite product placements. You probably remember last year when a group of miners in Chile got trapped inside their mine.

Did anyone notice what they were wearing when they were rescued? Oakley sunglasses!

Because they were in the mine for so long, their eyes had become accustomed to the darkness and needed protection as they adjusted to the light again.

I loved this product placement / pr effort! The reason that I think I love it so much is because I really don't know if I would have thought of this opportunity on my own.

As it turns out...Oakley didn't think of it either. They were approached by a journalist who suggested that they help out the rescue team. Of course they jumped on the chance for this type of publicity and donated 35 pairs of specially designed sunglasses. There were two different models of sunglasses and each one retails for $180. In the end, Oakley was able to take advantage of a great product placement opportunity and also help a few people in need.

http://brandsandfilms.com/2010/10/chilean-miners-wear-oakley-sunglasses/

Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

    "Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" is directed by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me). The movie is about advertising and product placement, and is paid for completely by advertising and product placement. I think everyone in the advertising or pr industry has to have a sense of humor about things like this documentary. I hope to be in that industry someday very very soon and I find this concept hilarious.
     We've all heard someone say "everything in moderation". This documentary is proof that whoever told you that was right! Product placement in movies and television, when done right, should be subtle and add to the reality of the program. It should not distract from the plot line, or in this case hijack the plot line and run with it. Anyways, the documentary is available now on dvd, so rent it or add it to your netflix queue!

Coffee Maker First Product Placement on British TV

I found this article the other day. . .
     On Monday, February 28, 2011 British television began allowing product placements. The first product to make it on TV? A coffee maker on a morning television show. Considering the world's dependence on coffee these days, I think its quite appropriate. What do you think?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/feb/28/product-placement-on-british-tv

Welcome to ad girl!

Hey there!

     Thanks for visiting my blog. My name is Maureen and I am an advertising and pr fanatic! I especially have a strong passion for product placement. I have decided to start this blog to show everyone some of the product placements and advertisements that catch my eye each day.

     Please let me know what you think by commenting!

Maureen :)