The next new thing: Product placement...in ads?

Update Tues. June 26:  We explore the subject of product placement a little more at MarketingProfs Daily Fix.  Come on over and join in the discussion.

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Got a query from a business reporter at a major daily in Texas, asking ad experts for their thoughts on product placement in ads. 

Seems he saw an ad on TV for a Dodge SUV, and it also showed some guys drinking Pepsi.

I asked one of my my clients, a media agency, about this.  They said, oh, you mean co-branding?  But this doesn't sound Iike co-branding.

Have you seen any ads like this, where two unrelated products from unrelated companies are in the same ad?  Might this be the next thing in product placement -- companies paying to be in someone else's ad.  They spend less than if they were paying the freight alone, but they get the GRPs or circ.  And they might also get some of the glow, if the product they're placing themselves alongside has good cred with the audience they're targeting.

Sound crazy... or just crazy like a fox?

Comments

[Matt Dickman]

David -- This is a very interesting topic. I have to say that I cannot remember an ad (at least traditional ad) that featured a secondary product that I remember. I wonder what that balance needs to be between the featured product and the secondary.

I think this could work really well for some categories though. An ad where a product is delivered (like the new Nike Tiger Woods Father's Day commercial) could easily showcase UPS or FedEx. It's non-competing and I would notice that.

I think this is a very interesting idea and it will surely happen more and more. I think online ads have an even greater potential for this as you have the option to enable more interactivity (read: put more stuff in the same physical space). Great post.

[Matt Dickman]

David -- This is a very interesting topic. I have to say that I cannot remember an ad (at least traditional ad) that featured a secondary product that I remember. I wonder what that balance needs to be between the featured product and the secondary.

I think this could work really well for some categories though. An ad where a product is delivered (like the new Nike Tiger Woods Father's Day commercial) could easily showcase UPS or FedEx. It's non-competing and I would notice that.

I think this is a very interesting idea and it will surely happen more and more. I think online ads have an even greater potential for this as you have the option to enable more interactivity (read: put more stuff in the same physical space). Great post.

[Ryan Karpeles]

David,

I've seen several ads (I think for cars and soft drinks) where iPods were involved. There was never a mention of the iPod, but it was obvious what the device was.

Perhaps they were trying to leverage the fact that their target audience most likely has iPods (?) and would, therefore, be more interested in the product actually being advertised.

There are several pros and several cons when doing something like this (separate-post-o-meter just went off :) and I think it's an interesting space to explore.

Thanks for bringing this up. Interested to see what others have to say...

[Ryan Karpeles]

David,

I've seen several ads (I think for cars and soft drinks) where iPods were involved. There was never a mention of the iPod, but it was obvious what the device was.

Perhaps they were trying to leverage the fact that their target audience most likely has iPods (?) and would, therefore, be more interested in the product actually being advertised.

There are several pros and several cons when doing something like this (separate-post-o-meter just went off :) and I think it's an interesting space to explore.

Thanks for bringing this up. Interested to see what others have to say...

[Bob Glaza]

Not sure if this is exactly what you mean, David. But it caught my eye. Coke pretty much saturates the movie houses aka theaters in my neck of the woods. But Pepsi is placed in a lot of the movies. Most recently - and its not too recent - was Dream Girls. Makes me wonder if its Pepsi's intent or questionable editing?

[David Reich]

Matt and Ryan, thanks for the comments. I'm quoting both of you in a post at Daily Fix next week.

Bob, you raise a good point about product placement in films, where a film promotes a product competing with what's being sold in the theater. I suppose if seeing Beyonce drinking Pepsi is going to make me thirsty for a cola during the movie and all the theater has is Coke, I'd probably buy the Coke. And if I were the Coke sales manager, I'd say, thank you Pepsi.