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So blurred is the boundary between entertainment and advertising these days that it seems like brands occupy every last inch of our screens. And yet the impact of this ubiquity is not a great as you might think…
Because a media-savvy public is good at detecting marketing tricks and developing ever more sophisticated antibodies against them. So brands who want to use product placement are faced with a paradox: they need to show up and be noticed but without triggering an immune response.
In this post, we’ll be examining the past and present of this old but evergreen tactic, and then looking ahead to what the future holds.
Let’s take a step back for a moment: what is product placement exactly?
Simply put, it’s a marketing tactic that involves ‘placing’ a brand, product or service in an apparently natural way in pre-existing story context that isn’t an advertisement (such as a film or TV series).
Unlike traditional advertising, an effectively placed product is perceived as a realistic and integral part the content. It weaves the brand seamlessly into the plot, creating a positive and lasting association between the brand, story and characters in the viewer’s mind.
This explains why it remains a powerful tool for marketers looking for ways to make their products stand out in the tidal wave of messages and stimuli washing over consumers today.
More than just promoting a product, it’s about creating a deep bond with the consumer so that the brand becomes part of the audience’s emotional experience but without being seen as intrusive.
Textbook examples of successful product placement
Let’s take a closer look at some of the best examples of product placement from the last forty or so years
- The film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), directed by Steven Spielberg. Main character Elliot uses Reese’s Pieces sweets to lure E.T. from his hiding place. Spielberg first approached Mars about using M&M’s, but the confectioner wasn’t interested, so the he turned to rival Hershey instead. The result? Just three weeks after the film hit cinemas, sales of Reese’s Pieces had shot up by 65%…
- The film Cast Away (2000), directed by Robert Zemeckis. At pivotal moments in the plot, we find two instances of product placement from brands FedEx and Wilson Sporting Goods. FedEx initially represents the frenetic world in which protagonist Chuck Nolan finds himself before the plane crash, only to turn into a lifeline when’s he’s stranded on a desert island. Chuck’s decision not to open a FedEx package, choosing instead to save it until he’s safely back home, symbolises the dedication, reliability and global reach of the courier. Meanwhile, the Wilson brand, through the anthropomorphisation of the volleyball that Chuck comes across on the island, provides a key character in the story. As he desperately craves human connection and company, Chuck – and by extension the audience – forges a deep emotional connection with his imaginary friend Wilson.
- The TV series Money Heist, produced by Netflix between 2017 and 2021. In the show, the beer Estrella Galicia appears in many episodes (be they convivial moments or climactic scenes in a season finale). Series creator Alex Pina personally picked the beer as the characters’ favourite drink, and placement of the brand in the series went down well with fans, who identified with the values of Resistencia, Estrella Galicia’s motto.
How is product placement changing today?
As the examples above show, when done right, product placement works. But for it to be effective today, the tactic must be updated for new generations.
Because what works for millennials (who grew up with relatively one-directional TV, cinema and adverts, and perceive placed products as a natural part of the story) may not work for Gen Z (raised in a digital environment saturated with sponsored content and therefore more likely to spot marketing tactics and be put off by product placement seen as forced or inauthentic).
So Gen Z is harder to influence through simple product exposure and more attuned to the credibility of the context in which a product shown.
It’s no coincidence that social media platforms – and the influencers who inhabit them – play a key role for this generation: by interacting directly with their followers, they build trusting relationships that help foster a sense of purpose, community and connection.
This means that product placement must blend seamlessly into real-life situations that resonate with Gen Z’s lived experience. And brands need to remember that this audience is highly identity conscious and, as we said before, suspicious of anything that’s perceived as forced or conventional.
A game-changer: Euphoria
For an instructive example of product placement aimed at Gen Z, watch Euphoria (2019–2026), the HBO series that explores this generation in all its complexity.
Seasons 1 and 2 (2019–2022) were packed with‘silent’ product placements, rarely if ever highlighted by the directors, which were subtly woven into the characters’ identities.
The outfits of Maddy Perez, Cassie Howard and Jules Vaughn helped make certain brands and styles desirable, not because they were explicitly advertised, but because audiences saw themselves in the characters who wore them.
Seeing the success of the first two seasons and its enormous cultural and community-driven impact, fashion labels and make-up brands began collaborating directly with the show’s stars in commercial partnerships.
Even more interesting was what happened on socials after the credits rolled. Following each episode, a flood of user-generated about the show would hit platforms like Instagram and TikTok, from make-up and nail art tutorials to reviews of characters’ outfits and discussions about plot developments. All this brought the show to life off screen in a completely organic and authentic way.
The takeaway is that, when it comes to Gen Z, the power of product placement can be amplified if it generates buzz in the places where they hang out online.
Season 3 di Euphoria (2026), which reunites us with the characters as they enter adulthood, marked a shift in approach to product placement. This time wardrobes are full of recognisable brands, prominently featuring luxury labels like Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu, Balenciaga and Chanel.
Clearly, these brands had clocked the series’ influence on Gen Z and spied an opportunity to insert luxury in the everyday lives of young people in two key ways: by dressing characters in the show and by sponsoring cast members outside of it.
The switch to a more inspirational aesthetic, influenced by the cast’s partnerships with major fashion houses, received a positive reaction from younger viewers. Seeing Euphoria as a show that really nails their look, Gen Zers responded by debating character outfits, hunting for specific pieces featured on screen and, of course, creating lots and lots of memes, all of which brought the brands involved valuable visibility.
Though this might not have translated into an immediate jump in sales (the products featured being unaffordable to many young people), it did grow the brands’ desirability and cultural relevance, which bodes well for the luxury sector as it seeks to win over new generations.
What might product placement look like in the future?
Euphoria shows how product placement remains in rude health and can create great value for brands, provided products are thoughtfully and deftly worked into storylines.
In future, expect to see fewer logos but more products designed in collaborations between screenwriters and brands, with even the option of instantly buying the things we see on screen. In fact, some platforms are already developing features that let viewers identify products and actors while they watch: soon we’ll be able to instantly add to our shopping baskets items we see in our favourite shows and purchase them there and then.
Artificial intelligence will also allow for better targeted product placement by letting advertisers add products digitally in post production, tailor them to different audiences and even update products over time.
One thing is certain: product placement is alive, kicking and evolving. And it will remain an effective tactic just so long as it continues to adapt to a changing environment.