Brands have been appearing in movies and television shows for decades, but now that the EU has relaxed the rules for product placement across the region, more advertisers are expected to jump on board. But with product placement there’s much more to consider than the brand’s once passive use as prop to enhance the realism of a story. Today brands can play an active role that strengthens communication with an audience beyond the associative and implicit, as the brief dialogue between Vesper and 007 demonstrates.
Vesper 'Beautiful watch. Rolex?'
Bond 'No, Omega.'
There are three major factors involved in achieving successful brand integration: fit, focus and fame.
First and foremost, a brand needs to have ‘fit’ – to be of relevance to the target audience, and also to the content of the TV show, movie or game, adding to the story in a relevant and tangible way. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that some products are more interesting than others. The sight of a flashy new mobile phone used by a character in a movie is going to attract more attention than a household cleaners. Low-interest brands need to work harder to create a compelling fit with content.
A
study conducted by Millward Brown compared one brand’s placement in two
different TV programmes. Where the brand was making a difference in
people’s lives, viewers gained a greater perception of fit than the
programme using the brand in a more typical entertainment context; and
stronger perceptions of fit resulted in higher consideration of the
brand.
Focus is also critical – the degree to which integration and attention
is focused on the brand. Getting the balance right between integration
and the degree of attention is tricky. If integration is seamless,
people may be too caught up in the action to appreciate the role played
by the brand. And if the brand integration is clearly superfluous,
people may rebel against what they perceive as an attempt to ‘pitch’
them.
The best fitting, most focused brand placement is enhanced by (or indeed enhances) other campaign elements. This means making the most of other campaign activity to prime viewers’ attention and to amplify and disseminate integrations, helping to make the brand famous. Omega reinforced its appearance in Casino Royale with dual-branded print and TV ads, and a special section on its brand website.
Having your stylish watch on the wrist of the worlds most famous stylish secret agent seems like an excellent fit. And the script certainly created a focus on the watch. And although Bond’s Persol sunglasses may be in view more often than his Omega watch – because they are identified only by the steel Supreme arrow on the temples, they are unlikely to be recognised by anyone other than existing brand aficionados.
In the face of ever increasing media fragmentation, ad clutter and consumer control, the use of brands in entertainment will continue to grow. Getting product placement right requires insight into consumer perceptions of the brand and the TV programme or video game. With the right fit, focus and use of fame, you can maximise the potential of your brand to engage with consumers, and avoid making costly mistakes. Success is more than just showing up.
Gordon Pincott is executive vice president of global development at market research company Millward Brown.
www.millwardbrown.com
