We're no strangers to hot new products being shown off in our favorite new television series and popular movies. We see it all the time. Sometimes it's really noticeable and other times it's not. But the question we're all really asking is does it work?
There are hundreds of websites dedicated to spotting product placement in pop culture but what really is product placement?
Product placement is the promotion of a product or service through paid features in television or a film. Instead of using traditional mediums to advertise, product placement is gaining popularity. Nowadays with the invention of Tivo and our deteriorating attention span consumers don't want to watch commercials. They see them as a nuisance. Product placement is a more subtle way to reach that audience and still be blatant about their product promotion.
The acknowledgment of product placement in pop culture is seen as a source of comedy in that they're not trying to be subtle at all. Sometimes these product placements are blatant and used in comedy shows such as 30 Rock.
Beats and Apple are companies that's the most prevalent in today's pop culture for being the most blatant with their product placement. Every phone is an iPhone and every headphone being used in the movie are Beats. These companies are using pop culture's influence to get consumers to buy their products.
Is it successful? Does it actually work?
Let's take a closer look at the collection of Apple product users. On Twitter, Apple was trending based on their announcement of the iPhone X that it would have facial recognition software. Everyone took to tweeting about it. Theorizing what the iPhone's reaction would be if Beyonce used her face to unlock her phone.
Product placement is an innovation that is new and exciting. It's not proven to be 100% successful but it is influential in getting your product to reach your audience. This is one promotional tool that won't be leaving anytime soon.