Product placement is perhaps a necessary evil for films. It is not a new concept – it actually began in novels, including those by Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne – but there are some films that do it well, some that don't and some that do it tongue-in-cheek (Nescafe in Night Watch (2004) for example.) A look at some movies from each catergory would be interesting.
When a product for a company is in the background of a film, its product placement, because it is not essential to the plot. When a character practically stops the film to tell some about a product, it just becomes another ad trying to sell you something. For product placement, it is better to show, don't tell. – Aaron Hatch9 years ago
In television, product placement isn't necessarily bad, because it can make the characters more relatable to the audience. For example, if a character eats Cheerios for breakfast, someone in the audience might be like, "Oh, I eat Cheerios too!" and feel a connection. As long as the product has a purpose or adds to the character, then I think including the product can be good. – YsabelGo9 years ago
In Jurassic World, the product placement was overwhelming, but it fit with the idea that the park had become a tourist attraction that needs funding by corporate sponsors. If product placement is done correctly, it can be beneficial; otherwise, it has the potential to be a distraction. – S.A. Takacs9 years ago
Man of Steel was a movie that was particularly guilty of this. As the Honest Trailer for the film whimsically pointed out, there were was blatant product placement for Nikon, Budweiser, iHop, Nokia, U-Haul, 7/11 and Sears. I suppose an argument could be made that this helps portray Smallville as this "all-American" town. – BradShankar9 years ago