Nielsen Media Research has proudly released a new study that claims that having a product placement in tandem with a traditional ad on TV boosts brand recognition by 20%.
My response: So what.
The study found that brand recognition increased from 47% to 58% when a commercial was accompanied by a product placement in the same show. Duh! They saw it twice and, as a result, a slightly larger proportion remembered it. The bigger question in my mind is did that additional investment produce an increase in purchase intent? Unfortunately, the answer to this was NO. If you dig deeper in the research, here's what they found:
"The addition of a product placement to a commercial spot for the same brand does not appear to have an edge over a standalone commercial in terms of motivating viewers to purchase that brand. Whether the brand was presented as a product placement, commercial or both, a little more than one third of all viewers expressed high interest in the brands they were able to recognize."
There might be some silver lining in the finding that, "Product placements appear to be at least as effective as a commercial spot in improving viewers' general attitude toward a brand. Nearly 60% of all viewers felt more positive about the brands they were able to recognize in a placement." But, note that this only applies to brands consumers' recognized (i.e. were already familiar with).
Most notabley, the study said, " Substantial variations in brand awareness, attitude and purchase interest were found to be impacted by the level of familiarity a viewer had with the brand, the genre of the program, a viewer's loyalty to that program, the exact nature of the placement, etc." In other words, if I already knew your brand, liked your brand, planned on buying your brand, and you put it in a positive context in a show I like, I liked the placement. Again, DUH!
Look, I am not against product placements. It’s just that this story is another example of a headline leading marketers down the wrong path. If you don’t understand the implications of the entire study, you’re likely to start over-investing in placements when they may not contribute to your ultimate objectives (which you should be clear on before starting any marketing effort, by the way). Placements can be very powerful, like Wonder bread in Will Ferrell’s film Talladega Nights (which they didn’t pay for). But, it is not just about putting the product in front of consumers again. The key is to associate the brand with a likeable character or emotion.
My opinion: put your quality product in the hand of my favorite character, in my favorite show, and show her enjoying its benefits, and you MIGHT change my perception of your brand. Otherwise, save your money and stick with the commercial.
[I wonder what Budweiser would pay to displace Duff in Homer Simpson's fridge? Ohhhhhh...BEEEER.]
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