In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck take a look at the advertising practice of product placement, from its origins to different types to classic examples in film and television.
AI Summary
This Stuff You Should Know episode dives into the fascinating world of product placement in movies and TV shows, exploring how brands cleverly weave their products into entertainment content. Josh and Chuck trace the evolution from the first known product placement in The African Queen to modern examples like E.T.'s famous Reese's Pieces moment, examining the different ways companies get their products on screen - whether through payment, product trades, or just lucky accidents. They share entertaining stories about both successful placements and notable failures, revealing the delicate balance between effective marketing and crossing the line into obvious advertising.
Movies Discussed
All My Children
"All my children had like a couple of months long storyline where Revlon factored into like the plot line the whole time. — Used as an example of product placement in soap operas."
— Josh
American Idol
"Most of that went to a show called American Idol. — Used as the prime example of heavy product placement in reality TV."
— Josh
Back to the Future
"Back to the future. The DeLorean was prominently featured obviously — Example of car product placement, though noted as tongue-in-cheek since DeLorean had already failed."
— Josh
Cast Away
"FedEx and Castaway, the film Castaway. — Example of prominent product placement featuring both FedEx and Wilson volleyball."
— Josh
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
"Probably the most famous, as far as I know, product placement was in E.T. — Used as the most famous example of product placement, specifically featuring Reese's Pieces candy."
— Josh
Family Guy Presents: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side
"On the November 8th episode of The Family Guy, viewers will be treated to what has been called pretty much a 30-minute ad for Windows 7. — Example of future extreme product placement being an entire episode advertisement."
— Josh
I, Robot
"In 2004, the movie iRobot, which had something to do with Asimov, right? — Example of extreme product placement where Audi built a concept car specifically for the film."
— Chuck
Jerry Maguire
"Should we talk about Jerry McGuire? — Used as an example of product placement gone wrong with Reebok and legal issues."
— Josh
Josie and the Pussycats
"Josie and the Pussycats apparently. I didn't see the movie. I didn't either. — Example of a movie that spoofed product placement with 30 instances in the trailer."
— Josh
Knight Rider
"and the Trans Am from Knight Rider once again, getting some more love. — Example of notable TV car product placement."
— Josh
Magnum P.I.
"And let's of course, Chuck, let's not forget my boy, Magnum PI, driving a Ferrari 308i — Example of notable TV car product placement."
— Josh
Repo Man
"Most famously in the movie Repo Man. — Cited as an example of a film that famously avoided product placement by using only generic products."
— Josh
Risky Business
"Tom Cruise once again. We can't escape his tiny shadow with the Ray-Ban sunglasses and Risky Business. — Example of successful sunglasses product placement."
— Josh
RoboCop
"The first, I think the first time I ever became aware of product placement was a little movie called Robocop. — Josh's personal first awareness of product placement, featuring a Ford Taurus."
— Josh
Smokey and the Bandit
"Clearly smoking the Vandit with the Pontiac Trans Am, one of the most classic. — Classic example of car product placement in movies."
— Josh
Starsky & Hutch
"Because even Starsky and Hutch use a Grand Torino. — Example of TV car product placement, used when comparing themselves to the duo."
— Josh
State and Main
"And also, have you ever seen State and Main Chuck? I love that movie. — Example of a movie that included product placement as part of its subplot."
— Josh
The African Queen
"Something in a little film called The African Queen in the 1950s. Kate Hepburn through a case of Gordon's Gen over the side of a boat. — Described as the first known product placement in film history."
— Josh
The Dukes of Hazzard
"Some other notable TV cars are the Dodge Charger from Dukes of Hazard — Example of notable TV car product placement."
— Josh
The Firm
"You remember Red Stripe beer? Rock-a-rock-a-Red Stripe. Ray beer. Yes. Yeah. I love those ads. Yeah. I like Red Stripe too, but I had never heard of that before the firm. — Discussed as successful product placement that significantly increased Red Stripe beer sales."
— Chuck
The Love Bug
"Herbie the Love Bug was of course a big ad for the Volkswagen Beetle. — Example of a movie centered around a specific car brand."
— Josh
The Sopranos: Behind-The-Scenes
"Or if somebody in the Sopranos used a can of Raid on Tony, very violently, right? — Example of unintentional product placement that the company wasn't happy about."
— Josh
The World Is Not Enough
"It was the truly bad BMW Z8 that was driven in the Bond film, The World is Not Enough. — Example of Bond films being used to debut new cars."
— Josh
Top Chef
"I'm a big Top Chef fan and that show is heavily sponsored. — Example of product placement in reality TV that Chuck finds acceptable."
— Chuck
Transformers
"And Transformers, I think it was that new Camaro, Michael Bay is always trying to highlight the new models of Ford's and Chevy's. — Example of prominent car product placement in action movies."
— Josh
Wayne's World
"Remember in Wayne's World? Yeah. Where they're going off about how they don't... They won't do any product placement. — Example of tongue-in-cheek treatment of product placement."
— Josh
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