Product Placement: The movie Talladega Nights had an example of product placement in just about every frame.
Companies use product placement as a form of advertising to get their products out into the public eye. This method is very costly but it is highly rewarding. When people associate a product with an actor or a movie they like they are more likely to purchase it or at least put it through their decision-making process. Product placement is a shmorgishborg of marketing and advertising because companies pay a lot of money to get their products into certain movies or TV shows. The marketing side of it is when the company chooses a movie to put their product into they already know who the audience is going to be. A perfect match would be if the audience to the movie matches their target market. In Talladega Nights they put so many different brands in the movie that anyone watching would make a connection with at least one. Also the movie had a NASCAR storyline, every car had a different promotion painted onto it.
Brand Faces: Tiger Woods is the face of Nike. For this example we are going to pretend that this was posted before the big Tiger scandal(s).
Putting a face to your brand allows the consumer to make a deeper connection with your product. It may also encourage them to purchase your product if they see their “hero” using it. When a company puts a face to their brand it is usually someone who can also act as a role model. When Nike chose to sponsor PGA professional Tiger Woods they thought they struck gold, they chose Tiger to endorse their new Nike golf line. His relationship with Nike started in 1996 shortly after he turned 21-years-old, and then in 2000 Tiger signed a five-year contract with Nike for $105 Million. Tiger was on top of the golf world with talent and sponsors. Every golfer wanted to be him. This was in Nike’s favor because whatever Tiger endorsed on the course all of his fan wanted as well. Putting a face to your brand is more of a PR and advertising duo. Once the brand picks the face they want to represent them they will then endorse their brand through a variety of media ads.
Logos: Apple
The importance of a logo is that is easily and automatically associate with your brand and with every product. If the consumer sees your logo they should instinctively know that that product is from your brand. Apple has done a terrific job with getting their brands logo out into the public eye. Apple is one of the most recognized logos around the world. It is a logo that represents top of the line, expensive, and importance. These days everyone has some kind of Apple product whether it’s an iPod, iPhone, Mac Book, iPad, or a Mac desktop. Their new toys such as the iPhone 4 and the iPad are a sign of status. From a PR stand point Logos also provide the brand with free advertising because when people see their peers with an apple product for example they will more than likely go out and buy it.
Sources:
Information on Tiger Woods and Nike – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Woods#Endorsements
Images found on Google Images
Talladega Nights clip – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuAUI_0knfk
strange and confusing 