Abstract

This exploratory study investigates the role that product placement plays in integrated marketing communications. As the merits of product placement are debated in the scholarly literature, practitioners are pushing boundaries in promoting their wares through using this technique. Our study considers television and cinema audiences in South Africa. Results reveal that these consumers are open to the idea of product placement, particularly if it adds value to the entertainment by bringing about a sense of familiarity with their own lives. It is advisable for marketers to promote their products in a highly visual sense and to attach these to leading characters which have a genuine rapport with the audience. This was found to maximise effect. The choice of setting is also important - humorous scenes yielded positive results, whereas painful and depressing settings yielded negative results. However pursued, product placement should remain as unobtrusive as possible so as not to detract from the storyline.

Key words: Product placement, integrated marketing communications, advertising, media, television, cinema, South Africa.