Consumers have gotten somewhat used to seeing products placed in movies and TV shows. We realize that this is part of marketing, and that companies will pay to get products and logos seen in a realistic setting. We see cars, food, beverages, clothing, electronics, stores, and more on a regular basis inserted into entertainment. But, in what might be a first for primetime TV, an entire episode of the ABC comedy, “Modern Family,” was filmed and produced entirely on Apple devices. Talk about extreme product placement!
In the episode, mom (Claire) is stuck at Chicago’s O’Hare airport and uses FaceTime to talk with the entire family and track down daughter (Haley), with whom she fought before leaving town. The episode is shown entirely on Claire’s Apple laptop with family members using laptops, tablets, and iPhones to interact with each other and Claire.
How will Samsung compete with this?
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Poll students: What products can they recall seeing recently in TV and movies?
- Show videos:
- Discuss product placement as a tactic in marketing.
- Divide students into teams. Have each team select a product and then storyboard a TV episode into which the product can be placed in a realistic setting.
Source: USA Today, Brandchannel.com, CNN, ABC, other news sources
