Please explain 'product placement ' and evaluate the effectiveness of Essay

Please explain 'product placement ' and evaluate the effectiveness of product placement in moveis and online games - Essay Example Nowadays product placement has been expanded and included into program TV programme. It has also been included in an array of different media like video games, novels etc. Moreover the role of the product placement has been shifted from being a background prop to now being an important part of a movie. There are many films like Castaways in 2002 where Tom Hanks who was a FedEx employee was left to drift alone after a plane accident with many FedEx packages. It helped him survive on the deserted island alone. Similarly there are many instances in games like Burnout Paradise where political ads of Obama were shown. This shows that product placement is an important strategy for the marketers in the present time. This report will take a look at the effectiveness of product placement in the movies and games. Product placement is defined as the paid inclusion of a branded products or brand identifiers within a mass media program through visual or audio means. This kind of strategy is adapted by the marketers to increase the brand familiarity and sales of the brand. It helps to capture more eyeballs for the marketer. Basically it increases the product presence among the customers more than ever before1. There are many advantages to product placements. These include overcoming the problem of zapping. Zapping occurs which when people switches between the channels. Because of product placement people are unlikely to engage in zapping because the brand appears in their favourite movie or video games which they can’t change. Hence they watch the product while watching the movie. In addition to this in such films the product is endorsed by a celebrity which h appears to have significant influence on the attitudes of the consumer towards the product. Further through product placement the advertisers are able to target very specific audiences since the demographics of those who attend the kind of movie can well be understood at prior. Product