The role of product placement in feature films and broadcast television programme: an IMC perspective

Emphasis on product placement as a variable in the marketing communication strategyof organisations seems to be a relatively new focus. However, evidence exists that asearly as the 1940s product placement was used in feature films to brand products andservices. The initial use of product placements in feature films received new opportunitiesthrough the introduction of new electronic media, such as video, DVD, mobile messaging,electronic billboards, Internet clips and websites. Product placement is not confined tocinema feature films. New electronic media offer unique opportunities for productplacement, which necessitated the renewed focus on product placement as a vehicle ofdeliberate product exposure within the broader integrated marketing communication(IMC) context.The use of product placement has increased rapidly over the last few years. Productnames are increasingly being featured in films and television programmes. Companiesare increasingly seeking to broaden their marketing campaigns to include productplacement in broadcast media to confirm the product’s brand identity or to reach differentaudiences effectively.This article aims to describe the context in which product placement is categorised. Italso explains the relevance of product placement as a vehicle of communication in theintegrated marketing communication strategy.In order to reach the set objectives of this article, a literature review of existing informationwas conducted. The article does not claim to be a comprehensive work on productplacement in general - it rather attempts to provide a theoretical framework in which product placement could be studi

A classification framework for out-of-home advertising media in South Africa

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising media have expanded worldwide and the shape and format of these media globally, as well as in South Africa, have changed considerably. Until recently, the OOH advertising media landscape consisted primarily of outdoor advertising or billboards reaching vehicular traffic, but now has expanded to include a wide range of OOH advertising media types which aim to reach a mobile audience wherever they live, work, play, drive, shop or commute. Currently there is no coherent contemporary framework to compare and select the most effective media options to reach a selected target market in a specific OOH audience environment. This article draws from academic and practitioner sources to propose a classification framework for OOH advertising media in South Africa comprising four major platforms: outdoor advertising, transit media advertising, street-and-retail furniture advertising, and digital and ambient OOH media channels. The framework serves to inform marketers of viable and cost-effective traditional and contemporary OOH advertising media options. It also indicates what platforms are appropriate to reach specific audiences effectively in a variety of environments outside their homes. This is the first framework of its kind for the South African context that offers an orderly, integrated basis for future research.This article is based on work supported financially by the National Research Foundation.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcsa20am201

Reconhecimento e recordação dos produtos exibidos em filmes e em programas emitidos por televisão

O propósito deste artigo é investigar a exibição de produtos (product placements ) em filmes e em programas emitidos por televisão, para determinar o grau de reconhecimento e recordação dos nomes destes produtos. A amostra esteve conformada por um grupo de estudantes de graduação de uma instituição universitária de Pretoria, África do Sul. As idades do grupo oscilavam entre 18 e 24 anos, com indivíduos de ambos os sexos.As descobertas mostraram que, apesar de não existir uma relação perfeitamente proporcional entre a proeminência e o reconhecimento de produtos mostrados em um filme, um espectador de filmes é mais propenso a reconhecer um produto se este é mostrado em uma combinação de estímulos auditivos e visuais. Portanto, pode-se concluir que se um produto é exibido de maneira proeminente em um filme, seu reconhecimento posterior será mais alto.Este estudo pode ser tomado como um ponto de referência sobre a compreensão dos product placements nos filmes, por constituir-se em um dos primeiros estudos realizados na África do Sul neste campo.L´objectif de cet article est d´étudier le placement de produits (product placements ) dans les films et les émissions télévisées, afin de déterminer le degré de reconnaissance et d´évocation des noms de ces produits. L´échantillon, un groupe d´étudiants et d´étudiantes universitaires de Pretoria, Afrique du Sud, correspondait à une tranche d´âge de 18 à 24 ans.Selon les résultats obtenus, même s´il n´y a pas de rapport totalement proportionnel entre la proéminence et la reconnaissance de produits placés dans un film, le spectateur est plus enclin à reconnaître un produit lorsque celui-ci apparaît accompagné de stimulus auditifs et visuels. Ainsi, il est possible de conclure que lorsqu´un produit est placé de façon proéminente dans un film, plus tard il sera reconnu davantage.S´agissant de l´une des premières études réalisées en Afrique du Sud dans ce domaine, elle pourra servir comme point de référence pour comprendre les « product placements » dans les films.The purpose of this article is to investigate product placements in films and broadcast programmes regarding recognition and recall of product names. The sample consisted of undergraduate male and female students aged 18 to 24 attending a tertiary level institution in Pretoria, South Africa.The findings showed that even though there was no perfectly positive relationship between the prominence and recognition of products placed in films, someone watching a film was more likely to recognise a product if it were to be shown audio-visually. It can therefore be concluded that if a product is placed more prominently in a film, the recognition thereof will be higher.This study can be a benchmark as it is one of the first studies conducted in South Africa regarding the perception of product placements in film.El propósito de este artículo es investigar la exhibición de productos (product placements ) en películas y en programas emitidos por televisión, para determinar el grado de reconocimiento y recordación de los nombres de estos productos. La muestra estuvo comprendida por un grupo de estudiantes de pregrado de una institución universitaria de Pretoria, Sudáfrica. Las edades del grupo oscilaban entre 18 y 24 años, con individuos de ambos sexos.Los hallazgos mostraron que a pesar de no existir una relación perfectamente proporcional entre la prominencia y el reconocimiento de productos mostrados en una película, un espectador es más dado a reconocer un producto si se muestra en una combinación de estímulos auditivos y visuales. Por tanto, se puede concluir que si un producto se exhibe de manera prominente, su reconocimiento posterior será más alto.Este estudio puede tomarse como punto de referencia sobre la comprensión de los "product placements", por constituirse en uno de los primeros estudios realizados en Sudáfrica en este campo

The effects of non-verbal communication in television advertisements : a communication study

PhD (Communication), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusTitle - The effects of non-verbal communication in television advertisements: a communication study. Introduction - Literature related to non-verbal communication reveals that there are a variety of different non-verbal elements. Most of these elements occur within television advertisements. Little research in related social disciplines have analyzed non-verbal communication within the television advertising context, although a number of researchers have recognized the importance of non-verbal communication in advertising and marketing. The interest and research in this area is therefore in its infancy stage. Objectives - Since non-verbal communication occur in all television advertisements, the main objective of this thesis was to determine consumer reactions towards broad non-verbal categories. These broad categories were selected from an extensive literature study and specific non-verbal elements were classified under facial expressions, body movements, physique, artifacts and para-language. A second objective was to access if black and white consumers should be approached differently when emphasizing non-verbal elements in television advertisements. The third objective was to determine if there were any correlation between the above-mentioned non-verbal variables and television-viewing behaviour. The fourth objective was to determine if there were any correlation between the following advertising variables and television-viewing behaviour: Comprehensibility, acceptability, identification, culture-specific events and the persuasiveness of the advertising message. Method - It has been indicated that non-verbal communication research in television advertising is a relatively recent phenomenon. The literature study indicated certain voids in the research and the multi-disciplinary approaches. As a result of the exploratory nature of this research, a descriptive survey method was used in order to assist the present perceptual differences between black and white respondents towards non-verbal communication in television advertisements. More than 40% of the total registered undergraduate Communication students at residential campuses (during 1990) in South Africa were used in the sample. They were exposed to the selected stimulus material within their ordinary lecture or practical periods and were asked to respond to the questionnaire statements. Statistical analyses - The following statistical analyses were concluded on the samples' responses: Frequency and cross tabulations, Pearson (r), Cronbach's coefficient alpha, z-tests, analyses of variance, and lastly, Tukey's studentized range (HSD) tests. Important findings - The most important finding is the fact that white and black respondents react differently to non-verbal communication in television advertisements. Consequently, the effect of these variables on the destination is also different. Television-viewing behaviour during the week and weekends on campus and at home showed no correlation to any non-verbal variables, or any advertising variables in television advertisements. This finding has lead to the conclusion that the individual's perceptions of these elements are probably formed by the individual's family, his interpersonal relations and the place where he was brought up. As a result, this thesis proposes a model of non-verbal perceptibility of television advertisements. Here the emphasis is placed on effectively reaching different dominant target markets by means of non-verbal variables in television advertisements.Doctora

The role of product placement in feature films and broadcast television programmes : an IMC perspective

Emphasis on product placement as a variable in the marketing communication strategy of organisations seems to be a relatively new focus. However, evidence exists that as early as the 1940s product placement was used in feature films to brand products and services. The initial use of product placements in feature films received new opportunities through the introduction of new electronic media, such as video, DVD, mobile messaging, electronic billboards, Internet clips and websites. Product placement is not confined to cinema feature films. New electronic media offer unique opportunities for product placement, which necessitated the renewed focus on product placement as a vehicle of deliberate product exposure within the broader integrated marketing communication (IMC) context. The use of product placement has increased rapidly over the last few years. Product names are increasingly being featured in films and television programmes. Companies are increasingly seeking to broaden their marketing campaigns to include product placement in broadcast media to confirm the product's brand identity or to reach different audiences effectively. This article aims to describe the context in which product placement is categorised. It also explains the relevance of product placement as a vehicle of communication in the integrated marketing communication strategy. In order to reach the set objectives of this article, a literature review of existing information was conducted. The article does not claim to be a comprehensive work on product placement in general - it rather attempts to provide a theoretical framework in which product placement could be studied

Financial communication to retirement fund members : a survey among trustees and member stakeholders

Only nine percent of South Africa citizens who are members of retirement funds will be financially independent once they reach retirement age. The other 91 percent will be dependent on other means to supplement their monthly income after retirement. Little is known about the financial communication sent to retirement fund members. This article thus aims to contribute to the knowledge base of financial communication in the context of retirement funds and to the managerial practice of financial communication in a retirement fund context. A survey was conducted to determine how trustees and members of retirement funds perceive financial communication. The aim of the survey was to compare trustee and stakeholder members' perceptions of the various channels of financial communication, preferences with regard to the above financial communication channels and the importance of the message content of financial communication sent to members. The results show that both trustees and members of retirement funds regard benefit statements as the most important channel of communication. There is a statistically significant difference between how trustees and members of retirement funds view the use of printed information and group presentations to communicate financial information. Both groups indicated a preference for information on a quarterly basis as opposed to annual reports. With regard to the content of financial communication, both members and trustees indicated that the most important information is the current value and performance of their investments. With regard to preferred financial channels of communication, a statistically significant difference was found between how trustees and members view access to the pension fund's call centre. A statistically significant difference was also found between how trustees and members believe the pension fund should work. This study attempts to make a contribution to financial communication within the context of the retirement fund industry in South Africa. It is necessary for fund trustees (management) to reconsider their traditional use of communication channels to inform fund members (stakeholders). It is anticipated that this study will increase awareness of financial communication in the retirement fund industry in South Africa where illiteracy is of national concern and where current financial communication is often drenched with financial jargon and technicalities merely to ensure compliance with legislation. Clear, understandable and unambiguous information content should be reflected in financial communication to trustees and member stakeholders

Information and source preferences of a student market in higher education

PURPOSE: Marketing communication practitioners in higher education have not yet identified specific subgroups with similar characteristics within the prospective student (target) market, and do not always know which preferred sources learners consult when deciding on a tertiary institution for further or higher education. In addition, little is known about prospective students' information needs when deciding which institution to attend. As a result many tertiary institutions still use one message in one medium for all target markets. The aims of this paper are: to determine if sub-groups exist within the student recruitment market that need tailor made persuasive messages; to determine the preferred sources of information gathering for prospective students that influences their choice of tertiary institution; and to determine the information needs of prospective students that influence their decisions to select an institution of higher education. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A stratified random sample of 19 schools was drawn, from which a total of 716 successfully completed questionnaires were used to conduct factor and cluster analyses to determine information needs and source preferences of these respondents. FINDINGS: Ten factors under the VARCLUS procedure with high eigen values were grouped together with the following labels: university, college, employability aspects, course content, student experience, sporting aspects, financial aspects, direct sources, media sources and social sources. Five sub-groups clustered together with the K-means analysis, labelled: have lots, aspiring have lots, little direction and new lifers. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: A limited amount of literature is available on the current use of media and sources by the target market. Decisions on the choice of a tertiary institution for higher education are most probably influenced by socio-economic circumstances in a developing context, like South Africa. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: An integrated and well co-ordinated media and message strategy for each of the various sub-groups should be specified for an IMC plan to be successful. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This is one of the few research articles on media and source preferences of potential students in the Cape Metropolitan. The cluster analysis revealed five clusters of sub-groups that have specific media and source needs to make the decision on furthering studies at tertiary level

Attitudes of young consumers towards SMS advertising

Technological advancements have provided various new mediums for advertising to consumers and have further allowed organisations to better reach consumers with regards to the frequency and impact of advertising. Advertisers have to be more creative in the formulation of advertisements and selection of advertising mediums so as to gain the attention of their target market. The need to create new mediums for advertising has lead to the creation of new-age media such as inter alia, short message service (SMS) advertising. Before this medium can be effectively used to reach South African consumers, the attitude of consumers towards SMS advertisements need to be determined. This study therefore focuses on determining the perceptions of the younger consumer segment towards SMS advertisements. It is expected that this segment, due to their changing consumer behaviour and media habits, will be the future focus of a great deal of SMS advertising campaigns. Quota sampling was done in a large university and self-administered questionnaires were completed by 198 respondents. It was found that consumers’ perceptions of the entertainment value, informativeness and credibility of SMS advertisements are positively correlated to consumers’ overall attitudes towards SMS advertisements. The study further found consumers’ perceptions of the irritation aspect of SMS advertisements is negatively correlated with consumers’ attitudes towards SMS advertisements. Consumers have generally negative overall attitudes towards SMS advertisements and it must be cautiously used when attempting to gain the attention of a younger segment of consumers. Permission-based marketing, the sending of SMS advertisements to only those who have agreed to receive promotional information, is an important element for the success of SMS advertising

Paid versus unpaid celebrity endorsement in advertising : an exploration

Advertising and marketing managers spend a great deal of money to have celebrities endorse their product. Some view it to be an effective form of advertising as evidenced by the number of celebrityendorsed advertisements that have increased. Despite numerous amounts of research on celebrities endorsing a single product, little research has been conducted regarding the use of multiple-celebrity endorsements in advertising. This study is based on the research by Hsu and McDonald (2002), who documented the use of multiple-celebrity endorsement advertising in the milk moustache campaign in the USA. This study investigated the tendency towards correspondence inference of 200 respondents and researched their attitudes towards celebrities, the product being advertised, and the advertisement as a whole. The main findings are that there is a significant correlation between correspondence inference and attitudes towards the celebrity, but suggests that the levels of correspondence inference between the paid and unpaid situations depend on the celebrity. Implications are that marketers need to realise that correspondence inference might have an influence on people’s attitudes towards the celebrity who endorses the product