Nerd Alert: The Power of Product Placements

Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use.

In this episode, Elena and Rob dig into whether product placement in movies sticks in viewers' memories, using the famous Reese's Pieces and E.T. story as a jumping-off point.

Topics covered:

[02:20] "The Effect of Product Placement in Movies on Brand Recall: A Meta-Analysis"

[03:10] Why brands pay for screen time instead of commercial breaks

[04:30] Cohen's d and what counts as a large effect

[05:10] Kids and adults recall placements about the same

[06:10] Execution matters more than exposure

[07:40] Aston Martin versus BMW in the Bond franchise

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Resources:

Preethy Rose, M., & Shanthi, R. (2024). The effect of product placement in movies on brand recall: A meta-analysis. International Research Journal of Multidisciplinary Scope, 5(4), 807–814.