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This article provides a comprehensive and systematic review of the product placement literature in order to map the thematic development of product placement research, help researchers understand the current research status, and suggest directions for future research. A pool of 874 publications related to product placement in mass media was retrieved from the Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar databases. Bibliometric and network analyses were used to identify the leading journals, scholars, and publications to capture information about emerging issues and to map the development of product placement research. Three major clusters of product placement research were identified: (1) basic concepts, fundamental research frameworks, and empirical studies on product placement in movies and television programs; (2) empirical studies on product placement in games, especially focusing on children and food product placements; and (3) empirical studies on the effects and underlying mechanisms of product placement disclosures. This article concludes by suggesting a future research agenda for product placement research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the incorporation of brands or brand placement (BP) in reality television (TV) programs. Topics include the growth in total revenue of global BP in 2019 and 2021, the significance of movies as a primary source of earnings for BP in India, Hollywood movies where the method of brand incorporations in TV programs has originated, the advantages of BP in reality shows (RS), and the prevalence and characteristics of BP in RS.

Product placement is fiercely being courted by firms as a consequence of the declining credibility of traditional broadcast advertising and the '30-second spot'. Very little research analysing its economic worth exists outside of the realm of film, however. This paper responds by applying a consistent measure of placement effectiveness to television through use of event analyses. It finds a mean cumulative abnormal return of 0.79% in a sample of 264 placements from the 2011-12 prime-time season, confirming that product placement in television is positively and significantly associated with movement in firms' stock prices. Placement in a season premiere has significantly higher mean returns than in a non-pivotal episode, irrespective of whether the firm places the product in both episodes. A cross-sectional analysis of placement, episode and show factors suggests that the duration of placement and one-hour show length are positively associated with stock price movement. Placement in a show's debut season is adversely associated to worth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of DAPesquisa is the property of Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of DAPesquisa is the property of Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This research investigates how normative influences surrounding television (TV) series impact product placement effects. Drawing from the influence of presumed influence (IPI) model of communications research, the research assesses the impact of the presumed influence of TV series on others on young consumers’ desire to buy placed alcohol brands. Three experiments show that presumed influence can increase or decrease consumers’ intentions to purchase brands placed in TV series. Furthermore, this relationship is moderated by individual differences in susceptibility to normative interpersonal influence and, for individuals low in psychological trait reactance, by contextual effects that prime conformity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examined whether children recognized advergames as a type of advertising and the efficacy of an advertising literacy program. Results indicated that without the advertising literacy education, about three-quarters of the children did not recognize advergames as a type of advertising. However, those with advertising literacy education showed a significantly enhanced understanding. Also, a series of mediation tests showed that recognition of advertising was an indirect-only mediator between the advertising literacy and skeptical attitudes toward advertising. Only those who viewed the advergame as a type of advertising demonstrated more skeptical attitudes toward it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the context of globalization, we explore the country-of-origin of brand or product placements in Bollywood films. Content analysis of films since economic liberalization (1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2010) reveals a substantial increase in brands, with foreign brands outnumbering domestic brands and placed in prominent ways. Results of surveys reveal that Indians are positive about the practice yet generally prefer domestic over foreign product placements. Consumer ethnocentrism versus admiration for Western lifestyles emerged as significant predictors of attitudes and perceptions. Theoretical ramifications for globalization, global brand strategy, and brand placement are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Product or brand placement, the integration of brand/products into TV programs/films, is one of the most controversial forms of promotion. Based on its embedded character, the European Union promulgated in 2010 a norm that obligates broadcasters to disclose the presence of placement. Taking the case of fast food marketing, this paper examines the effects of using disclosures and reinforcing their use during a program (only at the beginning vs. at the beginning and after a commercial break) on children at different ages (9,12 and 15) in terms of the awareness of the nature of placement, and brand effects (recall and preference). The results showed that (1) reinforcing the use of disclosures increased the awareness of placements; (2) both forms of disclosures (single and reinforced) raised brand recall and limited brand preference of the advertised brand; older children (3) increased the awareness of placements and decreased their brand preference; and also (4) enhanced the effect of disclosures on awareness and brand preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study represents a field experiment on the effectiveness of brand placements in movies. The authors investigate the interaction effect of prominence (how prominently the brand is represented in the movie) and plot connection (how well the placement is related to the movie's story line) on actual moviegoers' recognition of brands and their attitude toward them. The results show that brand recognition scores are highest for brand placements that are both highly prominent and strongly plot connected, whereas brand attitude is most positive when brands are strongly connected to the plot, but placed less prominently. The results further show that brand recognition mediates the effect of plot connection, but not prominence, on brand attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers are often exposed to subtle and blatant product placements as they watch a variety of evening television shows. In addition, as they watch, consumers' self-regulatory resources are expected to be "depleted" following a typical day at work and/or home (Baumeister, Heatherton, and Tice 1994). Connecting these two ideas, the current study tests whether ego depletion moderates the impact of subtle versus blatant product placements on viewers' brand recognition and brand attitudes. Using experimenter-generated television pilots as stimuli, the findings of our empirical investigation indicate that viewers are less likely to recognize being exposed to subtly placed than to blatantly placed brands, and this difference is magnified by ego depletion. In addition, when viewers are not depleted, blatant placements lead to more favorable attitudes than subtle placements. When viewers are in a depleted state, however, subtle placements lead to more favorable attitudes than blatant placements. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the economic worth of product placement in movies over a time span of 40 years (1968-2007). The authors find an inverted U-shaped relationship between the year of the movie release and the returns associated with product placements. In addition, a similar inverted U-shaped relationship characterizes the economic worth of tie-in campaigns associated with product placements. These findings are consistent with the habituation-tedium theory used to explain the inverted U-shaped pattern in response to novel advertisements and suggest that the same mechanism could be influencing the response to an entire marketing medium. Overall, the results reinforce the notion that marketers find it increasingly difficult to get their message across using traditional media and underscore the need for the marketing industry to reinvent itself when new tactics lose their luster. The authors conclude with a discussion of additional empirical regularities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Audience measures serve as the basis on which billions of dollars of television advertising are purchased each year. However, these measures often fall short of providing marketers and media planners with information about the size of the audience that has the opportunity to see advertisements during commercial breaks. Although program audience measures remain relevant for product placement, the size of the gap between the audience potentially exposed to programming and the audience exposed to commercial breaks has implications for advertisers and networks, affecting decisions such as program selection and ad pricing. The authors use a full television season of live tuning data to study variation across programs in the size of the program audience and the size of the gap between the potential program audiences and the potential commercial audiences, which is found to exceed 20% of the program audience in some cases. Across program genres, the authors find that dramas have increased program popularity and reduced ad avoidance, whereas reality television experiences increased ad avoidance. The analysis reveals the importance of incorporating show-specific random effects because their omission can result in spurious attribution of differences in ad avoidance and program popularity to genre. The authors discuss the implications for networks and advertisers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product placement attitudes have largely been assessed using college students or relatively small samples. In addition, no systematic framework has been used to investigate the origins or influencing social factors of such attitudes and how these interact with demographic characteristics. Using an online survey, we adopt the consumer socialization framework to examine placement-related attitudes and behaviors among 3,340 adults. Peer communication, a variable not previously investigated in this research stream, was the strongest predictor of both product placement attitudes and behaviors. Findings also reveal differences in both attitudes and behaviors across a range of demographic characteristics, including income, gender, and ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of in-game brand exposure strength is explored by investigating the advertising effects of brand prominence and game repetition. Four hundred eighty participants played an online game two or four times. The results indicate a positive effect of brand prominence on brand recall, without influencing brand attitude. Repeatedly playing an identical game had no effect on brand recall, but had a negative impact on brand attitude, indicating that the wear-out phase was reached quickly. Product involvement had a moderating effect for game repetition only, with more negative attitude effects of game repetition for a high-involvement product than for a low-involvement product. In a follow-up study in which participants could play the game as often as they wanted, the effects of repeatedly playing the game were confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growth of embedded brands in entertainment media, few theory-based studies have assessed consumer processing of brand placements in games. This study contrasted the influence of media context (play, watch) and psychological response (telepresence) on consumer recall, game liking, and perceived persuasion for real and fictitious brands in a racing game. Results show that playing the game impeded recall, but had no effect on game liking or perceived persuasion across brands. Telepresence and game liking were positively related to perceived persuasion for real and fictitious brands, with telepresence mediating the effect of game liking on perceived persuasion for real brands. Results are explained according to cognitive capacity and media context effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study documents the prevalence of product placement in prime-time television, while also providing crucial criteria to consider in tackling the measurement issue of this emerging industry. Content analysis was used to capture placement techniques in various types of programming, including storied programming (e.g., dramas and situation comedies) and nonstoried programming (e.g., news programs, game shows, and sporting events), as well as to examine differences between plugs and placements. Consumer product placements were differentiated from other types of brand placements, such as services, sports, and entertainment. Finally, the growth of placements was contrasted with data from five years earlier. The findings reveal many similarities with earlier research, but also suggest that much work is still needed to maximize the effectiveness of product placements among marketers. Implications for consumer researchers and industry professionals are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-game advertising has become a major advertising outlet. The current study examined the effect of brand names placed in video games on college students' memory. Both implicit and explicit memory for brands placed in two sports computer games were tested using a word-fragment test and a recognition task, respectively. The results indicated that college students had low levels of explicit memory (recognition test) for the brands, but they showed implicit memory (word-fragment test) for the brand names placed in the video games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Game shows and the products placed in them as prizes are part of the broad mediascape that both advertisers and consumers inhabit. However, reflecting a dearth of research in this area, this paper reports on two interpretive studies of game show viewers to uncover the meanings they apply to the products placed as contest-puzzle subjects and/or prizes in these shows. A model emerged consisting of three interacting sites of constructed meaning--(1) consumers, (2) game shows, and (3) products placed--each with their own emergent themes. Implications are drawn that apply not only to game shows and the products placed in them, but also to related promotional mediascape meanings in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the influence of product placements in television serial comedies on consumer attitudes toward the products. Proposing a "Balance Model of Sitcom Product Placement Effects," the study integrates genre theory to analyze character-product associations in sitcoms, parasocial theory to consider consumer-character referential relations, and balance theory to address the main research issue of the way that characters' relations to placed products and consumers' relations to the characters affect consumers' attitudes to the products. The model is based on balance theory, in which attitude alignment is the explanation for links between a triad composed of the consumer, the sitcom character, and the placed product. The influence of two consumer-character variables (attitude and parasocial attachment) and two character-product variables (valence and strength of association) are tested in a real-world situation. The methodology uses real televised sitcoms as stimuli, real viewers as respondents, and a real-time on-line survey to measure the relationship among the variables. Study findings support the predictions that consumers align their attitudes toward products with the characters' attitudes to products and that this process is driven by the consumers' attachment to the characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article develops and tests a conceptual framework for the practice of product placement. The empirical testing introduces a controlled experimental approach called the theater methodology. Results show that the modality of presentation (visual and auditory) of the placements and the degree of connection between a brand and the plot of the show interact to influence memory and attitude change. Memory improves when modality and plot connection are incongruent but persuasion is enhanced by congruency. While congruous placements appear natural, incongruent placements adversely affect brand attitudes because they seem out of place and are discounted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a cross-cultural study which tests the robustness of the approach developed by Gupta and Gould (1997) concerning use of product placements in movies. Using their American data as a comparison point, additional data using the same questionnaire were collected in Austria and France. As an international medium in which movies freely cross borders, product placement is also a less adaptable one, relative to commercials since it remains in the movie regardless of the nation where it is shown. Applying a three-pronged framework which considered country, product and individual differences and their interactive effects, the results of this study indicate the ways in which all three have an impact on the acceptability of product placements and on potential purchase behavior. Finally, implications for managing and further researching product placements based on this framework are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides further phenomenological understanding of how brand props are interpreted within the everyday lived experience of the movie audience. Building on previous focus group research and on the grounded theory perspective of social science, the authors gathered first-person audiotaped accounts of experiences with brand props as interpreted in relation to movies, movieviewing, and social experience. Eight focus groups and 30 depth interviews of nonstudent movieviewers who differed in age bracket and moviegoing frequency were conducted. Constant comparative analysis uncovered three themes related to movie centrality and four themes related to consumption-specific aspects of everyday life. The findings reveal that regardless of age or moviegoing frequency, the informants were active participants in the viewing experience and actively interpreted brands encountered in movies. However, to the older moviegoers brands in movies symbolized social change whereas to the younger informants, they symbolized belonging and security. The authors conclude with implications for advertising practitioners and recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the influence of idol attachment and consumer fanaticism on consumers' attitude toward celebrity product placement of luxury fashion brands in Korean television dramas. A 2 × 2 research design was used to examine two different product categories (fashion apparel vs. fashion accessories) and two celebrities (Kim Soo Hyun vs. Jun Ji‐Hyun). Respondents were screened and limited to those who were aware of the Korean television drama My Love from the Star. The findings show that the gender of celebrity and the category of product placement have differential impacts on viewers or fans' attitudes and intention toward the product placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose that consumer's relationships to nonadvertising forms of mass media are an essential aspect of the perceived meanings they derive from advertisements. After presenting a multidisciplinary theoretical frame-work, we discuss the results of an in-depth grounded theory investigation that identifies three key interpretive relationships between consumers and mass media vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: We propose that branded and non-branded product placements in movies are interpreted differently and that a movie with unbranded alcohol portrayals influences audiences' alcohol-related beliefs and choices indirectly, through the process of narrative transportation, whereas a movie with branded alcohol placements impacts audiences' alcohol beliefs and choices via a more basic social-cognitive process of influence.Design and Methods: Ordinary moviegoers (N = 758) attended a showing of The Snows of Kilimanjaro (2011) in a popular theatre in Tacna, Peru. Subjects were randomly assigned to watch the original movie, with branded alcohol portrayals, or a brand-free, control version. Reactions to the movie and alcohol-related beliefs were collected in a survey immediately after the film exposure and real beverage choices were measured.Results: The findings reveal that exposure to unbranded positive portrayals of alcohol produces story-consistent beliefs and alcohol choices through the process of narrative transportation and that exposure to branded positive alcohol portrayals produces direct effects in terms of alcohol expectancies and brand choice, despite lowering narrative transportation. Although viewers disengage more from the characters, and experience lesser enjoyment and perceived realism when exposed to actual brands in a movie, they still hold positive alcohol expectancies and are more likely to select the placed brand, a process consistent with social cognitive theory.Discussion and Conclusions: The findings suggest caution about the recommended policy of removing branding from alcohol placements, such as in the case with plain packaging in tobacco, and instead call for effective policies to constrain alcohol product placement, as was done with tobacco placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product placement can be presented through edutainment. A drug such as Viagra is introduced or impotence is branded in movies and TV series in different ways to raise awareness of impotence disorder and Viagra as a solution. This study aims to analyze strategies of framing and branding Viagra and impotence disorder, based on a qualitative method analysis of 40 movies and TV series. Findings show that Viagra is shown as not only for older men but also for young and healthy men. Out of 40 movies and TV series in the study sample, in 14 (32.5%), the age of the target audience ranged from 20 to 40 years, in 12 (31.6%) movies and series, the age of the target audience was over 40, and in 12 (31.6%) movies and series, the target audience was very old (over 70). Viagra is shown as not only treating impotence but is presented as a wonder drug that provides a solution for psychological and social needs. The movies show usage instructions, side effects, and risks, and how to store the drug. We recommend that the viewing audience be educated for critical viewing of movies/series in order to empower viewers and give them tools for their decision-making processes concerning their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide an overview of the development of product placements within traditional and newer electronic media, followed by a critique of current regulations where they exist and highlight the challenges this form of brand promotion presents to regulators. We note the weaknesses in current theoretical perspectives on the way product placements impact more than awareness and argue that a failure to recognise the increasingly diverse nature of product placement within entertainment media content means that awareness campaigns and warnings regarding the presence of product placements are unlikely to be effective in countering any negative effects of the practice on vulnerable groups such as children and young adults. While we focus on the impact of product placement activity on children and young adults, using primarily the examples of alcohol and tobacco products, we also raise concerns regarding a failure to act on the presence of a number of harmful products that fall beyond the current list of restricted products even in countries where some form of specific regulation exists. In order to aid those considering the necessity for, or scope of, any future restrictions on this form of marketing communication, it is important to determine not only what is known, but what also needs to be determined about the impact of product placements across the range of existing and evolving communication channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite extensive research in product placement, little research has examined how different consumer groups respond to product placement. The present study aims to fill this gap, employing cluster analysis to segment U.S. consumers according to cognitive and attitudinal responses they have developed to advertising in general. Analyzing a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 21,944), this study identified five clusters. The clusters reflect varying responses to product placement on television and in movies, as well as distinct demographic and media usage profiles. These findings are discussed from the perspective of consumer socialization and marketplace social intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing need of handyman services in most countries around the world which is attributed to several contributing factors which include, local demand, market influence, having second homes, commercial property maintenance and people's lives becoming busier and more hectic with more people now looking for help with odd-jobs around their home, like changing light fittings, or putting up shelves. The existing handyman services solutions striving to solve this problem are defragmented offering contacts scattered in the web and there is no structured method of determining the Location and quality of service provided by these handymen. The proposed model is a mobile application for locating handyman services within a locality to help in streamlining this process and provide a structured approach for determining location and quality of service to be provided by the handymen. The application was developed in android operating system because of its popularity among many mobile users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses the case of pregnancy testing in Britain to investigate the process whereby new and often controversial reproductive technologies are made visible and normalized in mainstream entertainment media. It shows how in the 1980s and 1990s the then nascent product placement industry was instrumental in embedding pregnancy testing in British cinema and television's dramatic productions. In this period, the pregnancy-test closeup became a conventional trope and the thin blue lines associated with Unilever's Clearblue rose to prominence in mainstream consumer culture. This article investigates the aestheticization of pregnancy testing and shows how increasingly visible public concerns about 'schoolgirl mums', abortion and the biological clock, dramatized on the big and small screen, propelled the commercial rise of Clearblue. It argues that the Clearblue close-up ambiguously concealed as much as it revealed; abstraction, ambiguity and flexibility were its keys to success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated different visual and audio factors of product placement in American and Chinese movies by analyzing top-grossing movies of the past decade. Forty movies were selected and analyzed. The results indicated major differences of brand appearances in Chinese and American movies. First, with respect to visual-only product placements, brands in Chinese movies were more saliently placed than those in American movies. Second, in relation to audio-only product placements, product attributes were more likely to be mentioned in Chinese movies than in American movies. Third, both leading and supporting characters were more likely to interact with brands in Chinese movies than in American movies. However, leading characters were less likely to mention a brand in Chinese movies than in American movies. Finally, no difference was found regarding supporting characters' mentioning of a brand in Chinese and American movies. Theoretical and practical implications were offered for the varying patterns observed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences / Uluslararasi Avrasya Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of International Journal of Eurosia Social Sciences / Uluslararasi Avrasya Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACT Three experiments tested whether brand-name products placed in a short story would be more often selected when two identical products with different brand names were presented in either a picture or text format in forced choice purchase intention and placement recognition tests. In Experiments 1a and 1b, there was no significant influence of product placement in a pictorial purchase intention task. However, in Experiments 2a and 2b, a reliable and equal level of recognition memory was observed, regardless of whether the products were presented in a picture (Exp. 2a) or text (Exp. 2b) format. In Experiment 3, the products were presented in a text format in the purchase intention task and participants more often and more quickly chose the brand-name product from the story. At a practical level, these results suggest some limits to the usefulness of product placement in text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of branded products in media entertainment has become a popular marketing strategy, because viewers are less likely to recognize the persuasive intent of sponsored content as compared with traditional advertising. To guarantee fair communication and protect consumers against unobtrusive persuasion attempts, European media policy has obligated broadcasters to disclose the presence of brand placement in their television shows. Recent studies demonstrate that disclosures raise viewers' persuasion knowledge; however, the circumstances under which brand placement disclosures may affect brand evaluations and resistance to the persuasive impact of brand placement are still unclear. In two experiments, we uncovered self-control depletion as an important moderator of disclosure effects on brand evaluations and resistance to brand placement influence. Whereas disclosures increase resistance and decrease persuasion for viewers not depleted of their self-control, disclosures do not affect resistance and even result in more favorable brand evaluations when viewers' self-control is depleted by a previous self-control task. Because a state of self-control depletion can be perceived as the 'couch-potato' mindset in which people expose themselves to entertaining television content, our findings imply that instead of protecting consumers from hidden persuasion, disclosures may unintentionally increase the persuasive effects of brand placement. We discuss several possible mechanisms that could explain our findings. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the ethics of native advertising and how consumers perceive the ads, consumer attitudes toward native advertising on social media, and the role of consumer narrative enjoyment in product placement advertising.

The present study uses Associative Network Theory to construct a model that explains effects of brand placement in movies. Based on a field experiment ( n = 167), we investigate the effects of plot connection and prominence on brand attitude, as well as the mediating role of brand-movie fit and the moderating role of brand familiarity. Results show that more closely connecting a brand to the plot of a movie positively impacts brand attitude by increasing the perceived fit between the brand and the movie. Brand familiarity moderates the effect of the interaction between a placement's plot connection and prominence on brand attitude. When brand familiarity is high, there is no significant effect of plot connection on brand attitude, nor is this effect moderated by the prominence of the placement. However, when brand familiarity is low, both prominently and subtly connecting the brand to the plot of the movie positively influences brand attitude. More importantly, the effect of plot connection is significantly stronger when an unfamiliar brand is prominently placed, than when it is subtly placed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose When advertising is provided in the form of product placements – the inclusion of branded products within media programming – it can increase or decrease the consumer’s utility. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between product placements and the evaluation of media programming by consumers. The authors hypothesize that consumers do not necessarily consider them as traditional advertising because placements of real brands can enhance realism even if placements sometimes interrupt consumption experience. Thus, the authors believe the relationship between product placements and consumer evaluation is overall positive. However, too many product placements in a single program may reverse this relationship. In addition, the relationship might differ based on the nature of programming, such as art versus entertainment films.Design/methodology/approach Empirical analyses were conducted on 134 movies released between 2000 and 2007 using a generalized method of moments instrumental variable approach.Findings The estimation results from product placement data on 134 movies released between 2000 and 2007 show that product placements have a significant positive effect on consumer ratings, but when used in excess, the effect becomes negative. In addition, a significant interaction exists between the nature of the film (mainstream vs independent) and the number of placements, such that consumers of independent films are much less likely to view product placements positively.Originality/value This research is the first empirical paper that demonstrates the effect of product placements on the evaluation of the media using secondary data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three studies are reported here, designed to answer two questions: (1) Does self-congruity influence brand attitude in music video product placements? (2) If so, under what conditions? Three correlational studies were conducted to answer these questions. Study 1 demonstrates the self-congruity effect of product placement in music videos: Consumers who experience high levels of self-congruity with the brand personality are more likely to have a favorable attitude toward that brand than those who experience low self-congruity with the same brand personality. The second study hypothesized that the self-congruity effect is likely to be stronger under high than under low conditions of involvement with the celebrity musician. However, the results showed that self-congruity had a main effect on brand attitude with no interaction with involvement with the celebrity musician. The third study hypothesized that the self-congruity effect is also more evident under high than under low conditions of congruence between the brand and musician. The results showed that self-congruity had a main effect on brand attitude with no interaction with congruence between the brand and musician. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines the practice of product placement (or ‘soft advertisement’/ruanxing guanggao) in Chinese cinema in order to create an understanding of the specific realities of film production and consumption. The return of consumer culture, instead of nostalgically recreating the ruined socialist past, engenders the imaginary of a ‘brand’ new China of the global future. Commercialization of film and television exploits the emerging practice of product placement as economic necessity and a reflection of the urban consumer culture. The director Feng Xiaogang, encouraged by the private film company Huayi Brothers, exemplifies the integration of product placement in a series of high-budget box-office hits. Feng's films,Feichang wurao/If You are the One(2008) and its sequel (2010), successfully merge the narratives surrounding the new urban middle class and their conspicuous consumption in China and abroad. Adapted from a popular ‘workplace’ novel,Du Lala shengzhi ji/The Promotion of Du Lala(2007), Xu Jinglei'sGo Lala Go!(2010), a chick flick aimed at white-collar women, places products including luxury cars, apartments, personal goods, fashion items and laptops, while downplaying office politics in favour of love and consumption as its main tropes. Through examining product placement in Feng's films andGo Lala Go!, this study analyses why twenty-first-century Chinese cinema merges entertainment and commercial culture, and how the practice reflects the emergence of consumer culture in China and the specificity of the use of product placement in Chinese cinema. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Medical television drama series provide an important source of health information. This form of entertainment-education (E-E) can be used to influence knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward health-related issues. In the literature, E-E is generally regarded as a persuasive strategy in itself, whereas in an increasing number of E-E programs, several different persuasive strategies are used. An important question is how the audience ethically evaluates these strategies. The aim of the present study is to examine viewers' ethical judgments toward the use of three persuasive strategies in E-E: product placement, framing, and persuasion toward a controversial position. A survey among 525 viewers of 5 popular medical dramas demonstrates that viewers evaluate the use of the currently investigated attitudinal statements about potential persuasive strategies in E-E as being immoral and that viewers prefer neutral storylines. Adopting a strategy that viewers find inappropriate may interfere with the intended prosocial effects of E-E. A broader understanding of the appropriate and inappropriate uses of persuasive strategies in E-E is indispensable for effective E-E productions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Through the use of an experiment, this research investigates the value of active user control of brand exposure in a racing-style video game, and the moderating effect of brand familiarity. It is found that, for familiar brands only, giving the game player active control to select a branded race car or racetrack results in better recall of the brand compared to low control (passive exposure on a billboard). The effect of active control via brand choice was found for both visual and verbal brand exposures, indicating that the effects are independent of visual placement proximity within the game. The findings are discussed with respect to the limited-capacity model of attention and processing fluency theory, and a conceptual diagram of the relationship between active control, attention, processing fluency, and brand recall is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the role played by normative influences that surround the consumption of TV series on the effect of product placements. In line with the Theory of Reasoned Action, we posit that perceptions of TV programs’ influence on others moderate the relationship between positive brand attitudes and consumers’ intentions to buy brands linked to the program through product placement. Data collected from Brazilian women show that social norms related tonovelas, Latin American soap operas, indeed moderate the impact of a brand placed therein. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]