A Study of Factors Affecting Consumer Evaluations and Memory of Product Placements in Movies

An important issue for a firm wishing to invest in a product placement is deciding how its product or brand is going to be presented within the movie. Accordingly, the objective of this research study is to examine the impact of objective and subjective characteristics of product placements on consumer evaluations and memory. A sample of 103 movie goers viewed and reacted to 18 product placements taken from 11 different movies. After a one-week delay, they were contacted and asked to recall the products and brands they had seen. Based on the results, it appears that the effectiveness of product placement as a communication strategy must be gauged against the specific objectives of decision makers.