Are you looking to promote your products in ways other than traditional advertising? Have you thought about product placement?
This advertising technique has been around for decades, but it has recently gained momentum thanks to the emergence of social networks and influencer marketing.
In addition, the new broadcasting law also opens up important opportunities for product placement in 2022.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about making profitable product placements, especially with Instagram, Tik Tok or Snapchat influencers.
We also give you some addresses of product placement agencies, examples of successful placements or ideas for placements that change.
Let’s go!
Product placement: definition
Product placement is an advertising technique that consists in putting forward a product, a service or a brand, in an audiovisual context. It can be a TV or radio show, a movie, a podcast, a YouTube video or an Instagram post.
Product placement requires a legal framework, with on one side:
A contract signed between the advertiser (the brand) and the broadcaster that brings together the conditions of realization of the partnership, as well as the remuneration received by the broadcaster.
and on the other side,
The obligation to inform the viewer or listener of the presence of a product placement in the broadcast content.
New audiovisual law and product placement
Previously, the public broadcasting service severely limited product placement. They were only found in films or fictional programs.
But this is no longer the case. Indeed, the European AVMS (Audiovisual Media Services) directive has been transposed in France, where product placements can now be found everywhere: in entertainment programs or reality shows for example. Only youth programs will still be protected from this advertising practice.
In this regard, it is also forbidden to promote tobacco products or medicines.
Another point to understand about classic product placement: it must not directly incite a purchase! A point that most influencer marketing candidates seem to ignore.
We will come back to this point.
Why do product placement?
Every marketer should be interested in product placement, first of all because consumers are less and less sensitive to traditional advertising.
But moreover, with the explosion of streaming, VOD and social networks, Internet users can simply skip the ads. And they don’t mind.
In fact, the figures on product placement speak for themselves: in the US alone, this business will represent 23 billion dollars in 2021, with a 14.5% increase compared to 2020. And this figure will undoubtedly increase.
Product placement has several advantages over traditional advertising.
On the one hand, it is more subtle than advertising, to which consumers are becoming less and less sensitive.
While being more subtle, it is also more relevant, as it puts the product in an appropriate context. The consumer can see the fall of the suit worn, the efficiency of the blender in action or the intensity of the make-up product used.
3. Finally, influencer product placement allows for unparalleled targeting. Here’s an example of product placement:
You place a fitness outfit on a sports entertainment show. You have no idea of the impact of this placement.
Because the audience is huge, because a large part of the viewers don’t play sports and you don’t know if those who do are attracted to your product.
On the other hand, if you make the same placement with a fitness influencer, 90% of whose community practices this activity and does not hesitate to comment on the product, you see that the optimization is obvious.
Which product placement to choose?
That’s why the channel you choose for your product placement is so important.
If you are just starting out in e-commerce, we recommend you start with an influencer product placement, which is more economical and easier to analyze.
If you already have a good customer base and resources, then move on to webcasts and podcasts.
Placements in movies or prime time shows are reserved for the biggest brands.