Study: Product Placement Tolerated

According to a new study from New Media Strategies, product placement is tolerated if not completely accepted by online users. The researchers monitored online conversations to come to their conclusions.

by Kristina Knight

New Media Strategies monitored more than 850 conversations on 43 websites, including entertainment and gaming sites. Nearly 70% of the monitored conversations were neutral or positive, while 32% were negative. Perhaps the most interesting finding was that online users are accepting of product placements and brand messages if the messages are clever and not obvious.

The study indicated that, “Employing subtlety and humor are more effective than blatantly plastering products everywhere," (via MediaPost).

One example of clever placement is the use of the Staples brand in NBC’s The Office. That placement was “funny and consistent” with the show, according to several conversations noted in the study. On the other hand “Casino Royale”, the most recent James Bond film was filled with product placements from Blu-Ray Discs to Virgin Atlantic Airways, and was the most talked about online, garnering many neutral to negative feelings because of the sheer number of placements.

What does this mean to brands? To get the best bang for the product placement buck, you need to be conservative. Don’t plaster the brand all over movies, television and in books. Instead, choose a few specific placements and make sure those placements are placed within the scope of the show or movie to that they don’t stand out as blatant advertising.