While watching the new episode of The Big Bang Theory, I started wondering how much The Cheesecake Factory paid to be mentioned so often as the restaurant where Penny works (I know, marketing mind. I can’t help it). After searching the all-knowing Internet, I found a statement from a Cheesecake Factory spokesperson that says no money had changed hands between the entities, but they are honored to be part of a popular and hilarious show. Really? The Cheesecake Factory gets mentioned in nearly every episode of a television show that has around 17 million viewers a week and they didn’t have to pay a dime? I was shocked! Want to know more product placement facts? So did I! Read on:
Product placement was first found in literature. Going back to the early 19th century, Jules Verne mentions several shipping and transport companies in his book Around the World in 80 Days.
Tom Cruise is the reason two types of Ray-Ban sunglasses became extremely popular. The year after Risky Business came out, 360,000 pairs of Wayfarers were sold, and then Aviators soared into popularity after the star rocked them in Top Gun.
Fed-Ex didn’t pay anything to be featured in Castaway, and saw a rise in brand awareness in their Asian markets as a result.
Hollywood is practically run by Apple. The iPhone and other Apple devices are the most featured products in movies, appearing in 30% of the top box office hit in the US. Nike, Chevrolet and Ford come in second with placements in 24% of the top movies.
Junior Mints is another brand that got some free publicity in the show Seinfeld.
If a product is presented unnaturally in a film or television show, it can actually decrease sales. Viewers don’t mind product placement, as long as it’s natural.
How about product placement in music? One of the earliest examples of product placement in lyrics is Cracker Jacks in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”.
In the movie ET, producers originally wanted M&Ms to be the candy that lured ET to different places, but Mars, Inc. thought it wasn’t going to be a big enough movie for their sponsorship. So now we know ET as the alien that loves Reese’s Pieces.
Etch-A-Sketch saw a rise in sales to the tune of 4,500% after being featured in Toy Story. Slinky and Mr. Potato Head also saw a dramatic increase in sales.
Well, I didn’t receive anything for all the brands that I mentioned in this blog post, so there’s some more free publicity for you, Cheesecake Factory!
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