Check Out Some HOT Product Placement on MTV’s Inferno 3

Once again, I’m back to reality shows for spotting some good product placement. This time it’s one that appeals to a younger generation, which is actually kind of perfect. The show is MTV’s Inferno 3 which is competition between two teams comprised of past members of MTV’s the Real World and Road Rules shows. It airs Tuesdays at 10pm. The target audience for this show, and most MTV programming, is typically males and females 13-25. I say the target audience for this show is kind of perfect because with the increasing use of DVR, which I’ve mentioned multiple times, and the busy multitasking lifestyles of teens and college students product placement is sometimes the most effective way to market to them.

To start off, the show/competition is set in South Africa. At first I was thinking what kind of branding can you find in South African? Pretty much in the middle of a subtropical and secluded area. My next thought was the only product placement I might find would be placed by MTV and for the MTV network. Well I was half right. The majority of the signage and clothing had either the MTV or the Inferno 3 logos, which was expected. But MTV did a good job of incorporating and placing other brands within the show as well.

The host of the show is BMX champion TJ Lavin which is relevant to the show as most of the challenges are pretty extreme. This brings up an association with BMX dirt jumping and such competitions as the X Games which Lavin currently holds titles in. Next is the T-Mobile Sidekick phone which serves as the players’ sole form of information as to what their next challenge will be. The phone is showed each time the team finds out about a new challenge along with the sound of the T-Mobile signature ring tone, so at least once an episode. Also, the T-Mobile name and logo are always zoomed in on when it is in use. Sometimes members even announce that they “just got a message on their T-Mobile Sidekick phone.”

In this particular episode, the winners of the challenge received a Schwinn motor scooter which was both shown prominently and referred to at the beginning and end of this week’s challenge. Coincidentally, TJ was wearing a t-shirt and a hat with the Schwinn brand name and logo throughout the entire episode.