Vespa, Wrigley’s, and National Geographic: Where Product Placement REALLY Started

Feb 25

Many consider product placement in films and TV shows to be a new phenomenon. You may be surprised to learn then that it actually dates back to around the end of the 19^th century.

We mentioned a few posts back that the first paid-for product placement advertising appeared in a 1919 silent film starring Fatty Arbuckle. But the fact is, the starting point pre-dates even this example.

The Earliest Days of Product Placement

In 1896 French film directors the Lumière brothers collaborated with Swiss businessman François-Henri Lavanchy-Clarke on a short film called ‘Défilé du 8eme Bataillon’ (‘Parade of the 8^th Battallion’). Lavanchy-Clarke agreed to publicise and distribute the film in exchange for advertising space. The logo of one of his products, Sunlight Soap, briefly appears in the film on the side of a wheelbarrow; an example of product placement as old as cinema itself.

As cinema progressed, so did brand placement. In 1931, Fritz Lang’s famously dark offering ‘M’ prominently featured an ad for Wrigley’s PK chewing gum. The ad is in shot for around thirty seconds and stands in sharp contrast to the sinister tones of the picture – although it’s certainly not something any viewer could forget!

National Geographic Profits from Brand Placement

Into the 1940s and It’s a Wonderful Life made history with its life-affirming story, now widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. Lesser known is its use of product placement. In a scene where the younger version of Jimmy Stewart’s character talks of wanting to become an explorer, he’s seen holding a copy of National Geographic magazine. The magazine did very well from its placement in the heart-warming and memorable film: a truly great moment in product placement history.

‘New Age’ Product Placement

America’s first full-length cinematic foray into Italy came with 1953’s Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn having a whale of a time on her Piaggio Vespa scooter. The product placement proved very lucrative for the brand, with 100,000 sales for the Vespa scooter resulting.

But it was the highest grossing film of the 1950s – The Greatest Show on Earth – that really held the front page when it came to brand placement. The film was set entirely within the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The use of the circus was pivotal to the plot, with numerous instances of the name cropping up during the film. And this some thirty years before E.T. which many refer to as ‘early’ product placement!

Product placement has blurred the lines between story and advertisement in popular films for over a hundred years. From its beginnings in the earliest examples of cinema, all the way through to modern pictures, the story of embedded advertising continues to this day and will be one to watch to see how it develops into the next decade.

Product Placement in Movies: A Brief History

Jan 17

Product placement advertising is incredibly commonplace in movies, on TV and in music videos these days, but did you know the phenomenon that is considered such a modern-day marketing initiative actually dates back to the early 1900s? 

Oliver Noble’s video, ‘A Brief History of Conspicuous Product Placement in Movies’ runs a timeline on embedded advertising from its debut in a silent movie through to 47-brand-placing Transformers, and makes an interesting, if not slightly cynical, coffee-break watch. 

Fatty Arbuckle film first to use paid-for Product Placement 

The video reveals that the first documented, paid-for product placement advertisement appeared in a silent movie starring Fatty Arbuckle back in 1919. And that Hershey’s Chocolate used product placement in 1927 in ‘Wings’ – the first ever film to win an Academy Award for best picture. Even the Marx Brothers got involved in 1932 picture ‘Horse Feathers’ where Life Saver’s Candy made a timely appearance. 

And who could forget E.T.’s craving for Hershey’s Reece’s Pieces in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 blockbuster? Their £1million investment reportedly boosted sales by 65%, a memory Mars – who were given first refusal, and took it – would no doubt rather forget. 

The Future Backs Brands 

Mac and Me, The Wizard and Back to the Future in the late 1980s are considered by Noble as some of the first movies to have gone too far with product placement and cites, as does the rest of the world, Adam Sandler as the Oscar-winner when it comes to embedded advertising. 

Into the 21^st Century, and Noble’s video explains we’re seeing more brands than ever per movie; in 2005 a total of 35 brands were placed in The Island, from Cadillac to Xbox. And in 2009, this record was blown out of the water when a staggering 47 brand owners took advantage of the opportunity to feature in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

“Creating a Positive Emotional Association with the Viewer” 

Noble may be slightly cynical in his coverage of a subject that clearly has its audience divided, but it is an interesting piece to watch nevertheless. Other spectators reporting their views on his video have voted in favour of product placement advertising, with one saying, “Watching a movie’s hero quench his thirst with a Dr. Pepper not only promotes brand recognition but it manipulatively tries to create a positive emotional association with the viewer.” (Political Remix Video.)