How to use Product Placement in Video Content

Over your lifetime, you would have witnessed and been influenced by countless product placements in movies. A classic example would be Tom Cruise in 1986’s Top Gun featuring Rayban’s iconic sunglasses the Aviators.

Image Credit: Grailed.com

The huge popularity of Aviators during the time was attributed to the film. Aviators experienced a staggering 40% increase in sales after the release of Top Gun. Why? Because the Aviators were part of a storyline and an image that consumers would easily buy into at the time. 

So it’s undeniable that product placement WORKS and it’s still apparent in almost all forms of media, for example, films, tv series, photographs, music videos, and now social media.

According to PQ Media, the US Product Placement Market grew 13.7% $8.78 billion in 2017 and is estimated to have grown to $11.44 billion in 2019. This indicates that the Product Placement Market is growing, and will continue to grow at an accelerating rate into 2020 as companies are looking to effectively market their products through media.

With the rise of podcasts and more in-house produced video content for social content, there’s a huge opportunity to implement strategic product placement.

Take a look at the example above – your typical low-fi interview or conversation-type video. Although the set up seems minimal, you can see that the camera’s central focus is on the bookshelf with multiple brand-related products. This is a more subtle way to introduce the viewer to a brand’s products.

Here’s another with more conspicuous branding involved:

In this image, the frequency or occurrence of branded merchandise appearing in the frame is higher. This is a more in-your-face way to promote your brand and products. However, if not approached correctly, it can seem intrusive and lead to discomfort from the consumer as they may feel they are being pushed into the brand. 

It’s handy to note that your selection of branded merchandise does not always have to be directly related to your industry or even your product or service. You can have fun with it! One-time, novelty produced items can create excitement around the brand and are perfect to include.

If you’ve got ideas about branded products or merchandise, reach out to get one step closer to bringing them to life.