5 Tips To Implement A Successful Marketing Strategy Using Product Placement
Have you ever seen a product, like a car or a soft drink, featured in a movie or TV show? That’s what we call product placement. It’s when companies pay to have their products featured in a piece of content. And it can be an incredibly powerful tool for marketing. Product placement is becoming increasingly common, and it could help your business get the attention it needs to succeed. Let’s take a closer look at how product placement works, with two examples, and why you should use it in your marketing strategy.
How Product Placement Works
Product placement can be a unique way for companies to get their products in front of many people without knowing the underlying purpose of gaining awareness. Most consumers are actually more likely to trust content featuring products than traditional ads because they feel that it is more authentic and genuine—not just an advertisement trying to sell them something.
You need to consider a few things when using product placement as part of your marketing plan. First, you need to make sure that the content about your product makes sense and fits with your brand’s image. You also want the content itself—whether it’s a film, TV show, web series, etc.—to have high production value and appeal to your target audience. Lastly, you should ensure that your product is shown in a way that makes it easy for people to see and recognize it.
Examples of Product Placement
You might have seen the Michelob ULTRA and Netflix “ULTRA Club | Full Swing Gossip” documentary ad if you watched previous Super Bowls. This was technically a form of joint venture marketing since we see two companies coming together in one commercial. But they took it a step further by also including product placement.
So, while you might be focused on their business, as you watch the commercial, you may notice a few other reputable brands, such as Puma, Mercedes, and Polo. In some cases, it can be done quietly and nonchalantly, while others are more obvious. You might not have even noticed any of these three brands when you initially watched it during the Super Bowl, but watch the ad again below. You can even see Puma and Mercades in the video preview shot. Do you see the product placement?
Product placement is probably more common than you realize, as we’ve seen it in some of our favorite television shows that you watch on Hulu, music videos on MTV or VH1, and movies on Amazon Prime or Disney Plus. In 2023 and 2024, newer to the game are YouTube videos or Podcasts, while music streaming platforms like Spotify have music with lyrics including your favorite brands.
For example, Beyonce’s latest album, Renaissance, has a song called “Summer Renaissance,” where she says, “This Telfar bag imported/Birkins, them shit in storage.” Vogue Business wrote about its impact: “Views of Telfar items on resale platform TheRealReal spiked 85 percent globally on the day Beyoncé’s album was released, compared with the day before”.
Product placement can be done discreetly, where an individual is simply wearing or using the item in the background, but it isn’t the main focus of the content. We’ve seen this in countless movies, such as Back to The Future with NIKE’s self-lacing shoes, and relatively new shows, including Ozark, The Walking Dead, or even the 2023 February 17th episode of “Welcome to the Last Dance” with Addidas.
Why You Should Use Product Placement
Product placement offers businesses several advantages over traditional advertising methods, such as increased exposure and brand awareness, improved credibility among consumers, and long-term benefits due to its “evergreen” nature (i.e., once the content featuring your product is out there, it will stay out there). Also, more people are turning away from traditional advertising methods because of ad-blockers and other technologies. And the numbers don’t lie, as global spending rises to $26.2 billion in 2022. Product placement allows businesses to reach new markets without annoying ads that might turn off potential customers.
5 Tips To Implement A Successful Marketing Strategy Using Product Placement
1) Research the types of content where your target audience spends time (e.g., streaming platforms like Netflix or Hulu or even specific YouTube channels) so that you can find appropriate opportunities for product placement. One way to do this is by going on YouTube and finding smaller YouTube channels that speak to your target audience. So, for example, if you have a homeowner’s service, find a channel with DIY home repair tips and tricks. Or maybe your company makes marketing or project management software for small businesses and consultants. Again, search for a series, channel, or brand that makes content for that particular audience.
2) Make sure that any content featuring your product makes sense and is relevant.
3) Ensure that the production value of the content (and thus the quality of exposure) meets high standards.
4) Aim for prominent placements so viewers can easily recognize your product.
5) After the content has been released, use analytics tools like Google Analytics to track performance metrics like website visits or sales conversions.
*Bonus Tip – As you begin strategizing around ideas and possible businesses, content creators, producers, or artists, consider using project management software such as ClickUp to help develop your plan and stay organized.
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Product placement has many advantages over traditional advertising methods, including more exposure and brand recognition. This makes it a good choice for businesses that want to get their name out without annoying ads or other obvious marketing methods. By following these tips when implementing your product placement marketing plan, small business owners and entrepreneurs can make the most of this powerful strategy to improve brand recognition and awareness.
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