In a TV landscape dominated by TiVO and DVR, audiences are no longer subject to sitting through numerous commercial breaks during their favorite TV shows. What once was a time when advertisers could promote their newest product or service, commercial breaks have now fallen victim to frequent fast-forwarding. As a result, brands and advertisers are relying more on a different tactic to get their message to the public: product placement.
One of today’s most prevalent product placement integrations in television appears on ABC’s hit comedy series Modern Family. The popular ABC show has partnered with leading automotive manufacturer Toyota, spotlighting its newest models throughout the series. Characters Claire and Phil Dunphy drive the new Toyota Sienna, while partners Cameron and Mitchell drive the environmentally-friendly Prius. In the episodes that aired in 2009, Toyota was featured 16 times, amounting to a combined eight minutes of Modern Family airtime.
Due to the recent events surrounding Toyota’s recall, this partnership between Modern Family and Toyota has become the center of many conversations. We are used to seeing endorsement deals between celebrities and brands - a relationship that aligns the celebrities’ image with that of the brand. Because of this, brands often fear the possibility that the celebrities endorsing their products will become involved in a scandal, thus damaging the brand’s credibility in the process. However, for Toyota, the opposite is now true. Toyota’s recent recall has put its reputation in jeopardy and has forced the brand into a large scale crisis. Now, both ABC and Modern Family have reason to reassess their partnership with Toyota-a surprising change in the world of product-placement.
For Toyota, its continued appearance in the show has the potential to help remedy some of damage done. By continuing with the product-placement arrangement, the brandis asserting that its cars are still a safe choice for families everywhere. In a situation unlike any seen before, it will be interesting to see how the partnership turns out for both Toyota and Modern Family.
Last night’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards was a night of firsts in the famed award show’s history: the first time since 1943 that ten feature films were nominated for Best Picture, the first time a woman won Best director and the first time that product placement was recognized as a seamlessly integrated plot characteristic in many of the night’s biggest film honorees.
Sandra Bullock received an Oscar for her performance in The Blind Side. In the movie she portrayed Anne Tuohy, whose automobile of choicewas a BMW. In a film that emphasizes family values, good deeds and warm hearts, the BMW brand is associated not only with affluence, but an uplifting story of kindness. Another brand that made its way into the spotlight in The Blind Side is Taco Bell. Sean Tuohy, the adopted father of Michael Oher, is a successful Taco Bell franchise owner and throughout the film the Touhy family eats Taco Bell at family meals. The family donates Taco Bell leftovers to local charities-presenting Taco Bell as a charitable family brand. Other brands integrated into The Blind Side’s family driven plot line are Canon and Borders. In the film, Canon video cameras are used to document Michael Oher’s progress as a football player. In a touching scene, the children’s section at Borders helps Michael relive the childhood he never had.
George Clooney and American Airlines both star in Up In The Air
One of the evening’s honored movies, Up in the Air, has been identified as one of this year’s product placement successes. The film incorporated several brands into its memorable plot line. American Airlines jumped at the opportunity to be featured in Up in the Air, a film that follows the career of a man, Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney), who spends more than 300 days out of the year flying around the country. Clooney’s character is, quite obviously, a frequent flyer and his loyalty to American Airlines is unmatched. American Airlines’ terminals and Admirals Clubs are seen everywhere in the movie. With its logo and accommodating customer service featured throughout, American Airlines has created one of the more comprehensive and rewarding product placement integrations in Hollywood. But don’t forget about Hilton, the brand served as the hotel of choice in Up in the Air and the hotel giant’s Hilton Honors Diamond VIP Card and bathrobes got some significant screen time.
The Hurt Locker, this year’s Best Picture winner, and fellow nominee District 9, were two low budget films honored at this year’s Oscars. Low budget films often use product placement as a way to offset production costs and these two films were no exception. Compared to the other blockbuster films nominated at this year’s Academy Awards, the product placement in both The Hurt Locker and District 9’s was minimal, but still noticeable. The Hurt Locker partnered with Pepsi, and incorporated both Pepsi logos and drinks (Pepsi and Aquafina) into the film. The brand must be pleased with The Hurt Locker’s awards show success, as DVD sales will certainly be boosted by last night’s big win. As a Sony film, District 9 contains plenty of Sony products, including the Sony Vaio laptop seen onscreen during a documentary style interview with the main character, Wikus.
Whether fully integrated into character and plot lines or simply making a cameo appearance, product placement serves as a thriving industry tool to boost consumer awareness and sales.
This year’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards, better known as The Oscars, is guaranteed to be a night full of cinematic excellence and high fashion. Hollywood’s A-List will come together to recognize this year’s best performances on the silver screen. Throughout Oscar night this Sunday, as you wait through commercial breaks for the announcement of the next big winner, be prepared to see some familiar brand names taking the spotlight.
If Oscars were given to brands, this year’s “Best Picture” golden statue would be awarded to Hyundai, the event’s exclusive automotive sponsor. With seven ad spots during the live broadcast and one spot during ABC’s pre-show, Hyundaitakes the lead over any other brand being featured throughout the telecast. They ran into some problems initially because the Academy Awards are much like the Olympics where the show/network has control over what things can run and when. Best Actor nominee Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart) has been Hyundai’s voice-over talent for the last three years; however, due to the rules set by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences prohibiting the use of any nominees of presenters in Oscar night ad spots, other celebrity talent has been enlisted, adding to Hyundai’s list of A-list endorsers. Each of the seven ad spots during the Academy Awards will feature a different celebrity including Kim Basinger, Richard Dreyfuss, Martin Sheen, David Duchovny, Catherine Keener, Michael Madsen, and Mandy Patinkin. Following their considerable presence during the Super Bowl, Hyundai is continuing to live by their new manta “Big Voices in Big Places” during the Academy Awards - the biggest event in Hollywood.
Taking this year’s brand “Actor in a Leading Role” is Coca-Cola. Having been the exclusive beverage sponsor of The Academy Awards since 2006, it only seemed right to continue this winning streak. Coca-Cola will feature a new Diet Coke ad spot, two ad spots for the main brand and two spots from the new “Heart Truth”campaign- raising awareness for women’s heart health problems.
JCPenney comes into the spotlight as a big contender with six minutes of airtime, receiving this year’s brand “Actor in a Supporting Role” recognition. Taking into consideration the significant influence the Oscars have on culture, lifestyle and fashion, JCPenney is taking this opportunity to launch the retail giant’s new tagline: “New Look. New Day. Who Knew?” Included in JCPenney’s airtime is a spot for their brand partnership with Cindy Crawford for her home furnishing line. Additionally, JCPenney will premiere an ad showcasing their new exclusive juniors brand Olsenboye, created by a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
Oscar brand honorable mentions go to Microsoft, McDonald’s, Sprint, Ameriprise Financial, Kimberly-Clark, Samsung Electronics and Hershey’s.
So far this year, “big-event” television (including the Super Bowl, Grammy’s, and Golden Globes) ratings have increased over years past. If the Oscars stay on trend, the brands featured during this year’s commercial ad spots are guaranteed to gain considerable attention.
The Power of Twitter: Chelsea Handler is switching from Grey Goose vodka to Belvedere Vodka for her next comedy tour, “The Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang Tour,” which is produced by Live Nation and sponsored by Belvedere. According to her Twitter account, @chelsealately, the vodka company even threw her a 35th birthday party. Lady Gaga, who has over 2.8 million followers on Twitter, appears alongside legend Cyndi Lauper in the new MAC advertisements. MAC’s Viva Glam Spring 2010 campaign will feature each singer’s own shade lipstick, Viva Glam Gaga and Viva Glam Cyndi. Profits from the Viva Glam campaign go towards the MAC AIDS fund. Muscle Flex has teamed up with Kim Kardashian for the launch of their new line, Muscle Flex Vata Sports, which features the VATA Brasil OneFit fabric. The reality starlet will leverage her large internet fan base (over 3 million followers on Twitter) while appearing in a special online ad campaign in support of the new collection. Pete Wentz is the latest UNICEF Tap Project ambassador, lending his name and likeness to support the initiative, along with national media interviews to raise awareness for the project. After UNICEF USA (@unicefusa) announced the partnership via Twitter, Wentz (who has over 1.9 million Twitter followers @petewentz ), posted a link to the article about the partnership on his Twitter page. Ed Hardy has announced that NBA superstar Dwight Howard, who has 1.5 million followers on Twitter (@DwightHoward), will endorse the 2010 line of clothing. The outdoor ad campaign featuring Howard launched during NBA All-Star Weekend and will roll out across the country this spring.
Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper pose for their MAC ad campaign.
Mind, Body & Soul:
Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart have teamed up to bring back their signature Victory Towel Auctions. Whenever Stewart wins a race, he will wipe his face off with an Old Spice branded towel. He’ll later autograph the towel and give it to Old Spice for an eBay auction, with all proceeds going to the Tony Stewart Foundation. Old Spice will also be Stewart’s primary sponsor throughout the 2010 Sprint Cup season. Johnson & Johnson has tapped actress and mom Angie Harmon to be the face of their online stress management program for women, called Upliv. The program provides advice, exercises and periodic shipments of toiletries with scents that will create a relaxed and refreshed mood. Whoopi Goldberg is announced her newest partnership with Poise incontinence products during her regular co-hosting duties on The View. The actress and host will star in a series of webisodes for the brand that portrays famous women throughout history dealing with light incontinence problems, including Mona Lisa and Cleopatra. The “One in Three Like Me” campaign also includes print ads featuring Whoopi. Unilever brand Degree Men is sponsoring various Mexican soccer players hoping to qualify for Mexico’s World Cup. The brand’s first major U.S. Hispanic venture involves an eight-week long TV show that runs through March 29th and features a different Mexican player every week. The show started out with Andres Guardado, who is also the face of Degree, and will end with Jose Francisco “Gringo” Torres, who faces the unusual dual citizenship dilemma of having to choose between the U.S. and Mexican World Cup teams. New Orleans Saints Super Bowl champion quarterback Drew Brees is a part of the new Dove Men + Care campaign. The digital campaign depicts the Super Bowl winning QB singing in the shower and was featured in a series of homepage takeovers on hyper-relevant sports sites. The brand actually shot players from both teams that competed in the Super Bowl and then selected the final spot based on the outcome of the game.
To dunk or not to dunk? That is the question at hand in the new Oreo Cakester campaign. For years, the famous Oreo cookie and milk has been a welcomed pair in households across the country, but the introduction of the Oreo Cakester has sparked a nationwide “dunkers debate” and former American Idol contestants Anoop Desai (@AnoopDoggDesai)and Matt Giraud (@ImMattGiraud) are at the center.
Desai and Giraud joined Oreo Cakesters in promoting their new jingle contest, which launched yesterday. Declaring their position in the “dunkers debate,” Desai, a dunker,and Giraud, a non-dunker,performed and posted their respective jingles on the Oreo Facebook fan page.
Visitors to the page have the opportunity to download the music and lyrics and, once they choose their side of the debate, enter a video featuring their own version of the dunk or non-dunk Oreo Cakester jingle. The winning jingle will be played on national radio, and the winner will have the chance to meet Desai or Giraud. The two Idols have also been doing media interviews all morning and posting about the contest on their twitter handles. Take a look at a few tweets below and be sure to follow the debate via Facebook and Twitter.
@ImMattGiraud: Anoop and I are going live across the country promoting the Oreo debate!! Check it! http://bit.ly/aRIWpZ for local listings
@ImMattGiraud: Check out my Fan Page on Facebook for my morning interviews schedule with @AnoopDoggDesai promoting our involvement with Oreo Cakesters.
It’s that time of year again… the newest cast of Dancing with the Stars has been announced. Host Tom Bergeron and former DWTS finalist Melisssa Rycroft announced the celebrity cast during the season finale of The Bachelor. We say this each season, and each season it proves to be true- with around 20 million viewers twice a week, DWTS has the power to make celebs become relevant again and increase their marketing power.
This season’s roster promises to provide both competition and entertainment. Take a look at the newest celebrity participants (and their twitter handles) below. Guarantee that their twitter following significantly grows over the course of the season, giving them yet another asset for brands to leverage when enlisting them as a spokesperson.
With Chad Ochocinco, Pamela Anderson and Erin Andrews in this seasons cast, we expect a higher percentage of male viewers to watch. And we’ll update with our marketing favorites for brands.
Octagon First Call’s comments and expert opinions have been featured in stories on a variety of recent sports and entertainment stories. Take a look at some of the most recent features below.
American Idol has become more than just a nationwide phenomenon in search of America’s next singing sensation; it has developed into one of television’s most recognizable branding empires. The 23.9 million viewers that tuned into last night’s first live show of the season not only had the opportunity to begin picking their favorite female contestant, but were also witness to American Idol’s seamless brand integration.
Coca-Cola, American Idol’s primary sponsor, has won the competition for most identifiable brand to hit the stage. Not only does Coca-Cola feature numerous commercial ad spots during each episode, but their iconic logo is displayed across television screens nationwide during contestant interviews and backstage screen shots. The most prevalent Coca-Cola placement, however, appears on the judges table. As the cameras zoom in on Ellen, Kara, Randy, and Simon dishing out their critiques, red Coca-Cola cups are prominently placed in front of them in case they feel the need to quench their thirst. The success of Coca-Cola’s integration on American Idol can be illustrated through the brand’s recent decision to shift the spotlight to Vitaminwater during “Hollywood Week”. Although Vitaminwater is owned by the Coca-Cola Company, viewers of American Idol immediately took notice of the lack of red cups on the judges table. Due to the media uproar surrounding the change, the Coca-Cola Company guaranteed to the public that the iconic red cups will return for the season’s live competition. Over the years, Coca-Cola has undeniably become an integral part of the American Idol identity.
Coca-Cola can be seen throughout AI
As American Idol’s sole automotive sponsor, Ford has taken the opportunity for nationwide recognition and run with it, or should we say drove with it? Due to Ford’s sponsorship, they have nabbed the prime advertising spot that guarantees to reach the highest amount of viewers. Following contestant performances, Ford is prominently featured as the first advertisement of each commercial break. With the recent popularity of TiVo and DVR, this spot allows viewers to notice the Ford brand before getting the chance to hit that fast forward button. Ford’s partnership with American Idol allows each winner to choose their own new Ford model car. Season eight’s winner Kris Allen is helping with Ford’s brand by promoting his choice: the new Ford Fusion Hybrid. Ford’s addition of a familiar Idol face is a smart branding strategy that will unquestionably draw attention.
Acknowledging the role of the devout fan, AT&T, American Idol’s mobile sponsor, is taking every opportunity to attract customers. In addition to being the only service provider that facilitates text message voting, AT&T has expanded their presence in the mobile world. Viewers with AT&T service have the option to register for weekly American Idol Trivia to be sent to their phone, vote number reminder that sends fans the text numbers for the contestants each week, andIdol Chat- a live text chat with the top 12 finalists. Dedicated American Idol fans with AT&T are bound to get in on the newest mobile action, and those with other carriers are going to be hit with a little bit of jealousy.
Because of its overwhelming popularity in today’s reality television domain, it is no surprise that American Idol’s appeal to brands is one that goes unmatched.
It’s no surprise that “mompreneur” Brooke Burke has landed herself another endorsement deal. This time with underWAY,America’s first all natural appetite suppressing beverage and thirst quencher. Burke’s growing marketability (now reaching 1,763,633 followers @brookeburke) can be attributed to her appeal to both men and women with her vivacious personality, enviable figure and role as proud mother of four. Looking back at Burke’s evolution as both a TV personality and self-made entrepreneur, it is a praiseworthy achievement to have reached the status which she holds today.
Beginning her career known as a party girl on E!’s Wild On, most of Brooke Burke’s market appeal centered on her exotic look and toned body, leading to covers and spreads in some of the country’s most prestigious men’s magazines and endorsing fitness workouts such as Swiss Ball’s home video. However, after taking a hiatus from the television and media world to pursue her dream of motherhood, Burke returned to the spotlight as the winner of season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, launching a new image that has taken off in the branded entertainment world.
With Burke’s new mom image, she has been able to appeal to target audiences such as women and families. After the birth of her children, Burke created her own line of post-pregnancy belly wraps, Baboosh Babyto aid women in losing their baby weight. Additionally, Burke contributes daily to her blog on Modern Momand is a regular correspondent on the CBS daytime show The Doctors, giving advice to mom’s everywhere. Brands such as Skecher’s and Jell-O have also recognized Brooke’s emergent family-friendly fan base, placing her in national campaigns geared toward a family appeal.
At the rate that Brooke Burke is going, it doesn’t seem like she will be leaving the spotlight again anytime soon. In fact, she has been announced as host of the upcoming season of TV Land’s modeling competition She’s Got the Look. Burke has also confirmed rumors that she is a contender to become the new Dancing with the Starsco-host, replacing Samantha Harris. Brooke Burke’s revamped image, bringing together sex appeal and motherhood, has proven to be an overwhelming success.
In honor of Tiger Woods’ first public statement since his Thanksgiving Day scandal, we’ve taken a look back at four past stars who’ve previously struggled through controversy and become marketable again.
Charles Barkley: A little over a year ago, the former NBA star was arrested for drunk driving charges and was allegedly picking up a prostitute. While he was suspended from his duties as a commentator on TNT for 2 months, he made a quick return to TV, as did his T-Mobile spots. He is now the newest face of Taco Bell, with his commercial airing during Super Bowl XLIV.
Kim Kardashian: The deals keep rolling in for this reality TV star who first came to fame when private home videos were leaked to the public. She is now one of the hottest marketing names out there, with her own perfume, a fashion line with Bebe and other deals including Carl’s Jr. and QuickTrim.
Magic Johnson: Despite announcing that had become HIV positive due to innumerable extramarital affairs, Magic Johnson is among the most marketable celeb athletes today. He recently partnered with AON to promote economic opportunity for minority businesses and has been featured in commercials for Rent-A-Center, Jackson Hewitt and even promotes safe sex through the AHF/Magic Johnson HIV Testing Tour.
Unlike some of the above, the public had come to believe that Tiger was a clean-cut, ‘family man’… so his unexpected discovery could make it even more challenging to bounce back from. Time will tell if he can bounce back from this and come back as a marketable personality again.
