A new study on product placement in the US from Nielsen Media Research has found that 57.5% of television viewers recognised a brand when viewing a product placement in combination with a commercial, as compared to 46.6% of those viewers exposed only to a commercial for that brand.
Nielsen Media Research adds that the reinforcement of a commercial spot with a placement for the same brand during the programme is a very effective way to boost brand awareness.
Specifically, 46.6% of US viewers exposed to a brand in the form of a standalone commercial were able to recognise it, but the rate climbs to 57.5% when a product placement was combined with the commercial.
Also, the addition of a product placement to a commercial spot for the same brand does not appear to have an edge over a standalone commercial in terms of motivating viewers to purchase the brand.
Nielsen says that whether the brand was presented as a product placement, commercial or both, a little more than one third of viewers expressed high interest in the brands they were able to recognise.
Product placements appear to be at least as effective as a commercial spot in improving viewers’ general attitude toward a brand, with nearly 60% of all viewers feeling more positive about the brands they were able to recognise in a placement.
Nielsen says that substantial variations in brand awareness, attitude and purchase interest were found to be impacted by the such things as the level of familiarity a viewer had with the brand, the genre of the programme and a viewer’s loyalty to that programme.
David Poltrack, chief research officer at CBS Corp, said: “This comprehensive study of the interaction of product placement and commercial messages demonstrates that product placement can represent a valuable enhancement to a media plan.
“More importantly, it also confirms that not all product placements are successful and it provides valuable guidance for the development of an effective product placement program.”
At MediaTel Group’s recent ‘Future Of TV’ seminar, Jim Marshall, chairman of Starcom UK, said that he did not believe that the relaxation of product placement rules in the UK would be the “beginning of the solution to television’s commercial problems” (see Ofcom Plans New Public Service Channel To Rival BBC).
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