The product placement should grow up at the same time with the “Placement Planner”: the professional figure (adviser or agency) that studies any possible occasion for product placement, analyses, evalues and proposes them to his/her clients on the base of their profile, budget and aim. Well the bad news is that in Italy this does not happen as the Placement Planner does not exist. Really the chances to plan placements within shows, serials, movies, clips and videogames both in Italy as well abroad are concrete…it is only managed in quite an uncoordinated way, sometimes just supported by a PR activity or a few more. No structure is able to gather all the placement possibilities to propose them in a well-integrated planning of product placement that can use more productions as well more means. The other evening I was watching the Olympic Games and above all the curling game between Swiss and Danemark. Continue Reading
For long time a comedy by Disney “When in Rome” has been spoken about; it should be a modern copy of “Vacanze Romane”. The movie title has been borrowed by an aphorism of S.Ambrogio, extremely famous even in the Anglosaxon countries with the translation of “When in Rome, Do as Romans Do”. A suggestion to behave like the people who live in Rome when in Rome. Probably the Production has well accepted the suggestion as the coming out of the movie has been postponed from September to next January. But the most nice curiosity is another one. Almost one year ago, during the shooting of a service dedicated to the movie in New York, the famous programme of CBS “Entertainment Tonight” , interviewed the actors on the set at Central Park. The atmosphere was very friendly, people joked in front of the camera, choking and opening a huge umbrella. The umbrella was not sponsorised by Pepsi or Coca but it had been furnished by an Italian Gourmet Company that through this has obtained great visibility of its brand, as big as the screen during a share of 12 millions of people. As many as during a football match. By sure a very lucky strike that derives from a precedent product placement action. In the movie there are 18 of such an umbrellas, placed here and there throughout Central Park. An idea of the product placement Agency that has followed and sustained this Italian Company and that was well appreciated by the producers of the movie, thus becoming part of this curious and nice Italo-American comedy.
Next month a new episode of the most loved space saga in the world will get out in the American theatres (the numbers of Trekkies fans seems to be more than that of “Star Wars”). “Star Trek”, produced by Paramount with an important budget, will be promoted with a huge campaign, with a very long list of Tie In that alone has been valued around 500 millions of dollars.
Among the Companies that will exploit the image of the space heroes there are Kellog’s, Burger Kings, Intel and Nokia. This one seems to have a product Placement, though still not officially. In particolar it’s really incredible the numbers upon which Kellogs’ has bet through this Creative Utilization: more than 100 millions of special pack boxes and a limited edition of marshmallow dedicated to the space saga.
Both in Italy as well in Europe there are lots of Companies that buy the Creative Utilization rights to propose and sell their products, especially on the market of the big distribution. To sense and guess the winning testimonials, able to make the public dream the next season, means to be able to reach a goal that in this moment can help to get out from such a nightmare called economical crisis. A little note: the USA marketing wizards have advised the Companies, that have obtained the Tie In, to think about gadgets both for adults as well for kids. The phenomenon has been consolidating: lots of products and habits between adults and kids are becoming more and more common (see playstation, clothing, sport, etc.), thus more important.
Born in 1966, the Saga will be 43 years old; so both the over-50 as well as the teenagers love it in such a way that we are sure will be rightly exploited.
In the USA Martha Stewart is more than a phenomenon. For years unique diva of the domestic TV (receipts, gardening, healthcare, etc.), her image and media power has not been touched either by the period spent in prison, 5 years ago, when she was charged of insider trading. In similar cases, the American public has always been very unmerciful, while this incredible and creative woman of Show Business has got out brilliantly with new ideas and projects. The more recent intuition has been to realise a series of products for dogs and domestic pets in general.
For this reason, she has integrated her popular web site, the TV and radio show as well as the famous magazine “Martha Stewart Living” with a new section. She is not really a pioneer but at the moment she is working upon a new line of food and care dog products with her name, brand and image. Powerful Companies such as Nestlè, Purina and Petcare are negotiating with Martha to get the licensing and merchandising of the whole operation. Knowing her well you can think that the result of such operation will be able to turn over the bad economical situation of the sector, that in one year only has lost 45 millions of dollars.
In the USA Martha Stewart is more than a phenomenon. For years unique diva of the domestic TV (receipts, gardening, healthcare, etc.), her image and media power has not been touched either by the period spent in prison, 5 years ago, when she was charged of insider trading. In similar cases, the American public has always been very unmerciful, while this incredible and creative woman of Show Business has got out brilliantly with new ideas and projects. The more recent intuition has been to realise a series of products for dogs and domestic pets in general. 
