


Another major point that I liked to touch upon were the recent trends surrounding product placement. The one I mentioned like a broken record was ofcourse DVR: my love of it, and the need for more integrated marketing such as product placement because of it. Then there was reverse product placement like Bubba Gump shrimp from Forrest Gump and Wonka candy which began as brands within the movie and soon enough became real brands. Also, Nielsen launched their new PP ratings system, and companies like VideoAnalytica are developing technologies for “dynamic product placement” which will allow marketers and content owners to switch brands in certain placement slots. Video games have become a popular vehicle for product placement, especially to reach the young adult male market. Companies like Ford, Nike, T-Mobile and Jeep have begun utilizing in-game product placement.

Suggestions and forecast also seemed to become a theme of this blog with posts such as the one about the new iPhone and the possibilities for placements. Also, within my product placement spotting and analyzing I seemed to find and relay many instances that would have been perfect for certain brands. Such neglected opportunities should be given a second look by marketers.
Aside from my own active observations and analysis, certain publications such as Mediaweek and Brandweek helped to keep me up to date on all that is product placement these days. Other sources of PP news were the recently discovered MediaBuyerPlanner.com and the creatively named Product Placement News.

Finally, we’ve discovered companies like 1st Approach who work as a kind of third party to brands and marketers to help place their products in the most innovative and effective vehicles. If PP keeps up at this pace, companies like 1st Approach might have their work cut out for them in the near future. Clearly, product placement is only getting bigger and in all directions. It has become almost necessary and as marketers realize this I can guarantee we will be seeing more it in our favorite shows. So keep a lookout… where it is, how it’s evolving, and who’s using it. For those of us who are thinking about getting into the marketing field this is a must!
