1. Professor and Director, Digital AV & Web Learning Center
Product Placement
Dr. Niann-Chung Tsai
Professor and Director,
Digital AV & Web Learning Center
Shih Hsin University

2. Topic & Issues Definition of Product Placement
Product Placements in Television and Film
Product Placement VS. Concept Placement
What kind of communication effect does product (concept) placement have?
What do viewers really think about product (concept) placement?

3. Definition of Product Placement
Product placement is a promotional tactic used by marketers in which characters in a fictional play, movie, television series, or book use a real commercial product. Typically either the product or logo is shown or favourable qualities of the product are mentioned.

4. Generally, product placement involves placing a product in highly visible situations. The most common form is movie and television placements.
Fedex in “Cast Away”
Apple PowerBook in “24 Hours”

5. Product Placements in Television and Film
While watching television, do you often ignore your television or zap the commercials during commercial breaks to avoid advertisements? If you are one of the millions of viewers who purposely avoid advertisements. The placement designers are catching on to you！

6. Observations from TV and Film
You are being influenced by advertisements that are so carefully integrated into television shows and movies that you are unaware that their presence is a form of advertising.
民視電視公司 美鳳有約
Formosa Television

7. Rather than advertising a product in a commercial, advertising owners have their products incorporated into television programs and films
Advertising owners hope that by placing their product within a program or film, they will effectively increase the overall awareness of their product with the audience targeted by the filmmakers and television producers.
三立電視公司 鳥來伯與十三姨
Sanlih E-Television

8. Types of product placement
There are three main types of product placements that are used today which are visual placement, auditory placement, and plot connection.

9. Visual Placement (螢幕畫面置入):
This occurs when a product, service, or logo can be simply observed within the setting of a television show or film. For example, during a television program you may notice that a can of Coca-Cola is sitting on a table.
Coke-Cola American Idol

10. Effects of Visual Placement
The effect that the placement has on consumer’s brand attitudes cannot be measured to this day but research has shown that the number of appearances on the screen may increase recognition.
But most marketers believe that showing a product repeatedly during a highly rated program will increase consumer recognition of the product.
This tactic can be a dangerous one because overexposure to a product during a program or film can lead to the suspicion of whether or not the product is being shown for advertising reasons.

11. Characters of Visual Placement
Products that are visually presented and not discussed, and are not as effective because the visual channel is often used to display products without discussing them. Sometimes the items are used as part of the background scenery and tend to go unnoticed by viewers because they are listening rather than observing the set.
美鳳有約 櫻花牌廚具
Formosa Television

12. “Reese’s Pieces” in “E. T
“Reese’s Pieces” in “E.T.” in 1982 remain one of the best examples of product placement, Reese’s increased sales for years. At that time, M&M’s turned down the placement.
E.T. Reese’s Pieces

13. Auditory Placement (腳本台詞置入):
This occurs when a character verbally refers to a product or service that is scripted within the program. The effect of an auditory placement depends on three factors：
The context in which the concept is mentioned
The frequency that the concept is mentioned
The emphasis placed on the concept
007 OMEGA

14. Characters of Auditory Placement
  Auditory information has a greater effect than visual placement on viewers because they can process the information even when they are not looking at the television or movie screen. People tend to pay more attention to what is being said by characters, especially during programs in which the viewer is highly involved.

15. 007 is a milestone in the history of moviemaking
007 is a milestone in the history of moviemaking. The films have become a way for advertising agencies and corporations to associate their product with 007, and so get the media attention they’re seeking.
Golden Eye
BMW

16. Plot Connection (戲劇情節置入):
This type of placement occurs most often and usually has the greatest impact on viewers. Plot connection occurs when a brand makes a low or high-level contribution to a storyline.
民視電視公司 親戚不計較
Formosa Television

17. For instance, suppose that the cast of Mr. A and Mr
For instance, suppose that the cast of Mr.A and Mr.B did an episode that involved the purchase of a new Honda for one of the characters. The brand is integrated into the story because the characters will deal with the product throughout the episode.
Plot connection usually involves the physical handling of products and can have the greatest impact on viewers when the brand is highly connected to the plot.

18. The Truman Show's depiction of the way product placement is woven into Truman's life is an effective satire on the commercialization of our own lives.
The Truman Show
Chef’s Pal
Mococa

19. Why is product placement so popular during television programs?
Product placement is not used to replace the marketing strategy of a company; it is used to enhance it.
Another reason for the rising popularity of product placement is due to the fact that many marketers see growing technologies as a threat.

20. Today digital recorders make it even easier for viewers to zip through commercials or to avoid them altogether. With over half a million households using personal video recorders such as TiVO, viewers tend to skip commercials all the time.
TiVO Digital Recorder

21. Rethinking on Product Placement VS. Concept Placement
What is the difference between product placement and concept placement?
What is the better way to deal with product and concept placement?
Is it wrong when the government uses of concept placement ?
民視電視公司 美鳳有約
Formosa Television
三立電視公司 鳥來伯與十三姨
Sanlih E-Television

22. What kind of communication effect does product (concept) placement have?
In the past, most marketing researchers tried to calculate the success of a product placement based upon the length of time that their product appeared on the screen and its context within the program.
As a communication researcher, I always emphasize the effects of communication no matter how the communication take place in different ways.

23. Government may strategically use the popularity of TV dramas in appropriate situation, so that public policy and announcement can be exposed in the drama plot when the populace are viewed
民視電視公司 親戚不計較
Formosa Television
三立電視公司 鳥來伯與十三姨
Sanlih Television

24. What do viewers really think about product (concept) placement?
Consumers are much more skeptical today than in the past and many find that placing products in television shows and movies takes away from the entertainment value of the program.
However, the consumers mostly would be delightful to view something new product placement on the media if the tactic is smart or delicate.

25. Conclusion
Product or concept placement is considered as one of the persuasive communication skills. For different ways of making use of product or concept placement, we can not say its way of approach is wrong or correct. It would be better to consider the product or concept placement as a way of information delivery. Therefore, as a way of information delivery there is only with delicate approach or awkward approach.
Why are there so many arguments in today’s product placement on mass media? Most arguments are due to political issues since the political ideology should not get involved in the product or concept placement.