Product placement in movies has been a tried and tested way for filmmakers to advertise popular brands through their movies. Also, it helps movies and brands benefit from each other’s success. This form of advertising helps brands focus on large target audiences.
Over the years, certain product placement examples have stood out as iconic and highly creative, some of which we are going to take a look at in this blog today. Yesterday, we brought to you some of the worst examples of product placement in movies. But while learning from someone's failure is good, getting inspired by someone's success is even better.
So, without much further ado, today let’s take a look at the 5 most iconic product placement examples in movies.
1. Wayne’s World: Doritos, Pizza Hut, Reebok, etc
Wayne’s World is undoubtedly among the most memorable examples of product placement in movies. In fact, the sheer absence of efforts from any of the actors to conceal the overt advertising adds to the comedic value of the movie.
If you’ve watched the movie, you can probably remember Garth expressing his dismay at how people just do things only because they’ll be paid for it, while being dressed in Reebok gear head to toe.
In another scene, Wayne is seen sitting with a Pizza Hut box saying that he won’t bow down to any sponsor regardless of whether or not he has a contract. These tongue-in-cheek scenes surely add to the audience’s enjoyment and indirectly call out the hypocrisy of the showbiz industry.
2. Iron Man: Audi
Over the years, Audi has become the go-to car for almost every movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, it was Robert Downey Junior’s Iron Man character that really paved the way for this partnership.
All three Iron Man movies showcase the latest Audi R8. In fact, Tony Stark is also seen using the car in the Avengers franchise. Just like his Iron Man suits, Tony also keeps all his models of the R8 in his garage- from the original one right up to the electric version of the car that is used commonly these days.
3. Forrest Gump: Nike
For a brand that is as popular as Nike, a movie of the caliber of Forrest Gump would have obviously been the ideal marketing platform.
In one of the most iconic scenes from the movie, Forrest is seen being gifted a pair of Nike Cortez running shoes, and a close-up of him lacing them up follows. The product placement allowed Nike to launch its new shoe to a large audience. Also, Forrest’s length running sequences in the movie must have surely helped ramp up Nike Cortez’s image of a comfortable and durable running shoe that can come in handy for both road and distance running.
4. Skyfall: Heineken
In the 2012 movie Skyfall, James Bond finally moved away from tradition and did something that we could have never imagined if we didn’t see it happening in reality. Instead of sipping his usual Martini (shaken not stirred), he decided to go for Heineken beer. Ian Fleming must be rolling in his grave at this plunge fall in his protagonist’s character.
But regardless of the talks of the sudden change in Bond’s taste, the sponsorship was probably the only thing that saved this movie. The movie had issues with regard to the budget and studio and this partnership allowed the filmmakers to focus more on the execution than the business end of the things.
5. Superman: Coca-Cola
And here’s my favorite movie that had the best product placement. Anyone who’s watched this classic 1978 movie starring Christopher Reeve as Superman will find it difficult to forget Reeve spinning and tossing Terrence Stamp, who plays General Zod, into the Coca-Cola sign.
Not only Coca-Cola, but the movie also shows Superman getting chucked into the large Malboro truck. This one-minute fight sequence made up for one of the most memorable examples of product placement ever.
Wrapping Up
And that was a wrap of some of the most iconic product placement examples in movies. The key to successful product placement is ensuring not to overdo the placement so that it looks forced. Remember, an organic placement would go a long way in ensuring that the advertised products get enough attention from the audience.
We’ll be back with more awesome content for you. Until then, stay tuned!