Whether or not they realize it, every consumer has been exposed to product placement in entertainment. My favorite example of this is Pizza Hut in the early 90’s. From Wayne’s World to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game, Pizza Hut had presence in all the best places. Product placement today is most prevalent in on-demand programming (Netflix), sports and movies. Did you know Iron Man had 14 brand partners?!?

During “The Importance of Branding in an Era of Payments Convergence” session, Pete Hottelet of Omni Consumer Products, shared a plethora of information on branding and product placement. One of the most interesting marketing tactics he discussed was defictionalized products. These are products that have made the leap from fiction to real life.  Products from television shows and movies are now becoming products you can actually buy.

This seems to be the opposite of product placement. Rather than putting your already existing product within a show for increased sales, take a non-existing product from a show and make it something consumers can purchase. Some examples include: Ben & Jerry’s Schweddy Balls, True Blood beverage, and Cartman’s famous Cheesy Poofs.

Another marketing tactic Pete touched upon is branded captchas. What better way to create brand awareness than force consumers to enter your brand name and tagline to prove they are human.

Thanks again Pete Hottelet for a fun and informative session!