Can product placement in music videos help sell e-cigs?
The electronic cigarette industry celebrated its first feature in a music video last month when they were vaped in Lily Allen’s new music video for her song ‘Hard Out Here’, which has accumulated over 12 and a half million views on YouTube. Signifying the increasing popularity of electronic cigarette starter kits and their accessories, it would appear that this is a sign of things to come, as with over a million users in the UK alone this may encourage other e-cig manufacturers to consider placing their product in a pop music video.
Despite its commonplace nature in most music videos however, should e-cig companies be looking at product placement in pop as the go-to method for promoting their brand?
In modern society advertising is all around us, where the average resident of the UK is exposed to a large amount of commercial content on an everyday basis. Evident in video games, magazines, television as well as music videos, this is why for an up and coming company, seeking a sponsorship deal with a musician to appear in their video is a good tactic to pursue. It’s certainly worked within films, with sales for example of Reese’s Pieces increasing by 65% after they were placed in family film classic E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.
Specifically within the music industry however, product placement has become a norm, with the practises once seen by many musicians as “selling out” becoming accepted and consequently commonplace.
Psychologically it can also be seen as a worthwhile investment of resources amongst record companies, with product placement helping to sway viewers into preferring an item even if they are not aware of it. This is because if a popular musician is seen consuming a product then this can help trigger a process called implicit self-identification, where the viewer automatically identifies with the brand and increases the probability that they’ll purchase the product in the hope that it will make the viewer more like the person they are viewing. Even if the viewer has a negative opinion of whomever is consuming the brand, product placement is still an effective method of establishing a brand as it is more likely to stay in people’s minds as a favourable inclination.
To counter these arguments however, in modern society product placement has become so prevalent that it is obvious that in the last couple of years music videos which follow this trend are lampooned for doing so. This was most evidently seen with Lady Gaga and her music video for Bad Romance, originally released in 2009 and which features eight examples of product placement within five minutes.
Another aspect to consider when considering product placement is the negative publicity which may occur. One of the most popular songs of 2013 for example was Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines, released in March earlier this year and which featured product placement and became a worldwide hit. The controversial lyrics and music video however led to the song being banned at many universities and institutions throughout the UK, demonstrating how advertising within music videos has the potential to creating links and associations with a product which may not always be positive.
Music video product placements can also be seen as a lazy and uncreative way of promoting a brand as not only has it been done before, but the extent to which it has been done means it can be easily picked up on. This renders it ineffective as a marketing strategy as customers are aware of its promotion and are less likely to show interest in a product, but rather view it as a commodity within a music video.
Rather than approaching music producers for placement opportunities, e-cig providers may want to turn to social media instead, or create an innovative campaign which engages customers and considers what they want when they purchase an e-cigarette and its accessories. This way, companies can create brand familiarity whilst catering to their customer’s needs, which is ultimately the most important thing when it comes to marketing a product instead of a product placement opportunity in a music video. If e-cigarette manufacturers concentrate on creativity therefore instead of procuring common advertising space, then this may prove a much more effective strategy for helping adults across the UK reap the benefits of e-cigs.
