iTVX

 Product placement: What UK can learn from the US

In-show advertising needn’t be so blatant that it risks turning off viewers, says Frank Zazza

  Broadcast, www.broadcastnow.co.uk, February 26, 2010

News Image As the CEO of iTVX, a firm that measures the exposure value of product placement, I’ve learned a lot since the early days of promoting Reese’s Pieces with E.T. and working on Seinfeld. Regulation may be different in the US to what is likely to come into force in the UK – but the premise of successful product placement is the same. It’s a real world with real products in our refrigerators, on billboards or anything that touches our senses. We don’t expect to open our refrigerator and only see Coke cans and bottles. The best placements are subtle: opening a refrigerator that is filled with many products and then choosing Coke is organic and seamless.

For viewers, less is more. The advertiser should provide the production with key words that are part of the brand’s advertising campaign, and producers and broadcasters should try to incorporate these into scenes without the logo or a verbal mention for the product. On American Idol, for example, the Coke cup may not be in view, yet value is generated as Randy tells the contestants to “Keep it Real” – Coke’s tagline.

If the placement is followed by a commercial, there is a 20% additional recall, according to a recent study by Nielsen. The advertiser should negotiate a “brought to you by…” message at the beginning of the programme. And as part of fulldisclosure rules, advertisers should request end credits with other brands that participate in the programme. The best viewer recall is from placements that incorporate all these elements.

Product placement is not a silo; it should be part of an advertising campaign that includes the brand’s marketing objectives – whether it’s a new launch, repositioning or just reinforcement. It’s important to incorporate a single message across all media platforms including web, print and point-of-purchase. Brands can capitalise on the placement with social media and cross-promotions.

In this challenging media economy, there’s a senior management refrain that goes: “only what gets measured gets bought”.

Product placement is evolving based on research data and insight into what has been done and how to do it better. Measurement should be applied along all touch-points of a brand’s campaign. This insight helps generate a return on the marketer’s objectives, up to and including the ultimate measure: sales.

Europe and other regions that are currently lifting the productplacement ban will be looking at the UK as the model to emulate – so the UK is in an excellent position to be a student teacher. As product placement progresses, use a bit of your Brit humour by making brands a character rather than a static prop. Jerry Seinfeld did it and it worked – everyone remembered the Junior Mints episode and no one was offended.

Product placement in itself is not a revenue-generator. However, it is a catalyst or centre hub that can generate new revenue for individuals and companies that become part of broader ad and marketing campaigns.

I applaud Ben Bradshaw’s positive, yet cautious, position. By working together, the UK industry can set standards and best practices that will provide naysayers with optimism to overcome their unfounded fears.