Greg Ponesse — April 3, 2006 — Pop Culture
References: slate
A front-page article in the Wall Street Journal recently cited the on-screen brand choices of two movie stars—Steve Martin driving a Mercedes Benz S-Class sedan in Shopgirl and Matthew Broderick driving one in The Stepford Wives—as empirical evidence that this model of Mercedes "has practically become an icon for corporate chieftains, movie stars and diplomats." Since it was not the movie stars themselves who drive Mercedes but their fictional characters, all the front-page mention demonstrates is how effective product placement can be in the movies.
Trend Themes
1. Product Placement in Movies - Opportunity for brands to gain exposure and create associations with popular movies.
2. Funding Movies Through Product Placement - Potential for movie studios to generate revenue by integrating brands into their films.
3. Rise of Brand Icons in Movies - Increased significance of on-screen brand choices in creating cultural icons.
Industry Implications
1. Advertising - Potential for advertising agencies to negotiate and execute product placement deals on behalf of brands.
2. Film Production - Opportunity for movie studios to explore creative ways of incorporating product placement into their films.
3. Automotive - Demand for automakers to collaborate with movie studios for prominent brand placement in movies.
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