If you are paying attention to reality TV, you have probably noticed that the judges on the new singing competition X Factor are drinking Pepsi these days and driving around town in Chevys. Two of those judges used to be on American Idol, where they drank Coca-Cola and drove Fords. All it took was a sweet product placement deal and the tastes of those judges suddenly changed.

Sponsorship of an event with product placement is nothing new, and it has been going on for some time, particularly with automobiles. Here’s a blast from the past. Do you remember the car Burt Reynolds drove in Smokey and the Bandit? It was a black 1977 Pontiac Trans Am Special Edition. Sales of that model went through the roof following the success of the movie. Do you remember the 1980’s show The Dukes of Hazzard? What was the stock car (the doors did not open and there was a number 01 on the door) that they drove (or should I say, jumped) across your TV screen? It was a Dodge Charger named the General Lee. Back to the Future? A DeLorean. Herbie the Love Bug? A Volkswagon Beetle. How about the Batmobile? The original from the TV show with Adam West was a modified Lincoln Futura. Later versions included a modified body on a Chevy Impala chassis for Tim Burton’s Batman and a customized Lamborghini Tank for The Dark Knight.

You may not have access to a Hollywood studio staging crew to be able to work out a product placement sponsorship. However, that should not deter you from applying the same techniques to your other sponsorship opportunities. Do you sponsor golf outings? How about business group luncheons or civic events? Sponsorship opportunities such as these are great ways to make people aware of your product by letting them give it a try. I was in a local home improvement store just a couple of weeks ago. It was hot outside. A rep from a filtered water device was handing out ice-cold filtered water. It was a great idea and people were taking him up on the offer. Giving potential customers first hand experience with your product is a great way to make inroads in your marketing efforts.

Just how successful is product placement in getting an audience to purchase the product? Historically, putting a car in a popular movie or TV show has been golden. It is pretty hard to miss a flashy muscle car that is the central part of a chase scene. Do you remember the undercover cops Starsky and Hutch who drove around in a red Ford Gran Torino with a check marked white stripe? How do you stay undercover in a vehicle like that? What about other, less noticeable products? I mentioned the show American Idol earlier. Last March, the show had 208 product placements during the month. Outside of realizing that the judges have bright red Coke cups sitting in front of them at all times, I wonder how many of the other products you could name. Here are some cautions I would toss out on the marketing table. Anytime you can be exclusive in your product placement, do it. Whenever you are one of many brands being placed, walk away. You need to be able to make an impact with your product and that simply will not happen if the audience is overwhelmed by too many brands to remember.

Some have argued that such brands are remembered subconsciously if they are not remembered by immediate recall. Don’t get sucked into the vortex of marketing mythology. This is what marketers have been fiddling with since the advent of sponsorship and product placement came about. Do you remember hearing about the famous study where the phrase "Eat Popcorn” was stripped into one frame of a movie at a theater and the crowd overran the candy counter and bought out the last kernel of corn? There is some question whether there is any truth to it. More than likely, the tale was the invention of some over-active marketer with a cinema for a client. Don’t be gullible. If your product is placed well in an exclusive setting where people can interact with your brand, you will be remembered.

'American Idol' product placement: Does it distract from the show anymore? by Kate Ward. Popwatch April 19, 2011 http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/04/19/american-idol-product-placement-do-you-notice/

Pepsi Product Placement in The X-Factor by David Castillo. Product Placement News, August 6, 2011 http://productplacement.biz/201108063554/news/pepsi-product-placement-in-the-x-factor.html

Should Red Bull Have Paid ABC for its Cameo on 'Suburgatory'? By: Brian Steinberg. Ad Age, October 12, 2011 http://adage.com/article/tuning-in/red-bull-paid-abc-part-suburgatory/230355/