A couple weeks late I know, but the fact that I had time to catch a movie at all is a wonder, particularly this time of year with 100 end-of-the-semester projects to work on. Anyways, this past weekend I was able to see “Blades of Glory,” where Will Ferrell and Jon Heder play two rivals in the world of professional figure skating. After getting into a fight at the world championships, the two are banned from men’s figure skating, but then return as a pairs team. You probably remember Heder best as the socially awkward Napoleon Dynomite. And ofcourse we all know Will Ferrell from everything from SNL to my favorite, Old School, to the product-placement-smothered Talladega Nights released last year.
“Blades of Glory” certainly comes in as a close second when it come to brand placement in a feature film. First and foremost, Orbitz premiered for the first time in theatres as it sponsored the sporting event where Ferrell and Heder made its first appearance as a pair: The Orbitz Winter Sports Games in Montreal. Aside from the sponsorship, Orbitz appeared in signage, screen text, and references by commentators. Other instances of brand placement using signage in sporting venues includes Xbox 360, Subway, Crest Whitestrips, Verizon, TrimSpa, Footlocker and Nationwide insurance. More tangible placements were of Skittles candy, CapriSun juice pouches, Captain Morgan’s rum, Froot Loops cereal, Google and Trojan condoms. Perhaps it’s the whole sports sponsorship scenario, but both Talladega Nights and Blades of Glory are two examples of relevant and effective product placement, even though it wasn’t particularly subtle. While Blades seems up to par in terms of product placement, comedy-wise it still has a lot to live up to compared to the legendary Old School.
No comments:
Post a Comment