Is there a place for product placement in books? With advertisers’ ever-increasing fears about the demise of the thirty-second TV spot, product placement has become a more and more popular way of promoting consumer goods, whether we’re aware of it or not. Books have mostly remained an untapped resource for advertisers, but readers are aware of brands in books. And some publishers and marketers are starting to explore the possibilities that can create.
Product placement, in its simplest form, is an advertising tactic in which a real product is placed in the context of a television show, movie, video game, or book as the result of an exchange between an advertiser and a media client. Showing a product in entertainment media can produce results. One of the most famous product placements occurred in E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial. Reese’s Pieces were used in a pivotal scene; sales of the candy increased by 65 percent. Product placement is controversial, however, because often nothing marks the difference between paid advertising and entertainment content.
In movies and television, the trend has been gaining steam for a long time. But in books, the controversy over product placement started just a few years ago. In 2001, author Fay Weldon was paid by Bulgari to mention the famous jeweler twelve times in her novel The Bulgari Connection. Recently, Jordan Weisman and Sean Stewart, authors of Cathy’s Book, included a mention of a specific type of Proctor and Gamble’s Cover Girl lip gloss in the book. In return, P&G advertised Cathy’s Book on its teen website, BeingGirl.com. No monetary exchange, just your basic I’ll-scratch-your-back-if-you-scratch-mine. Simple, right? Wrong. Many object to this case in particular because the book is aimed at a young—and presumably less jaded—audience.
However, adult chick lit thrives on unpaid (we think) homage to designer treads like Prada and Jimmy Choo. If we are already promoting brands and products in adult contemporary fiction, then it’s inevitable that young adult fiction will follow suit. If it does, does it matter if the promotion is paid for?
In a report published by Scholastic, 46 percent of teens ages 15–17 are low-frequency readers. They say the number one reason they don’t read is that they can’t find anything that interests them. Product placement could conceivably help close that gap, if corporate marketers can pique interest in a book through means unavailable to a publisher. And if that can help get teens reading, it’s unlikely many publishers will complain.
For more information about this topic from both sides of the spectrum, check out Commercial Alert and Wikipedia’s article on product placement.
Tags: advertising, branding, brands, Commercial Alert, product placement, Scholastic
I think the faddishness of American opinion makes book placements a bad idea. Books are not magazines, intended for a 1 or 2 month shelf life. Products chosen for advertising campaigns often see short lifespans or are attached to a particular event or season. Books using placement would be out of date almost before hitting the shelves. Perhaps a Harlequin-style novel would be an appropriate venue, but beyond that you’re mostly damaging the book’s saleability. Out-of-date placements would become a source of derision.
Now, this is true of the books’ content. I think book jackets could have coupons or advertisments attached – or could BE the coupon themselves. That way, the advertisment can be updated for future reprints or placed on returned copies. Complimentary bookmarks could also contain advertising, as they already do.
Advertising, maybe not… But “Brand Building,” you bet!
Imagine if Ian Fleming had an arrangement with Ford to have James Bond always driving the latest Mustang in car chase scenes…
Or if Tyler Durden in Chuck Palahniuk’s “Fight Club” only used Trojan condoms.
They call it Product Placement on TV, and I think it could work for books, too. The author might even be the one to benefit…think “endorsement deal.”
Athletes do it, why not us?
Product placement sounds questionable, but advertisements certainly have a place in some books. Travel guidebooks often have advertisement. Recently in Buenos Aires I saw an architecture book that featured ads. It depends upon the type of book, probably not in fiction but some non-fiction works are well suited for advertising.
My thinking is, the book world is the last bastion of uncorrupted thought. It’s the last place where the writer has the freedom to tell the truth, which is becoming increasingly rare in other media, like television, radio, magazines and newspapers — where advertising runs rampant and, accordingly, the consumer discounts the content.
My impression is that a disclaimer in the front of a book (from now on) will signal that the book is valuable, and the disclaimer will say something like this:
“The author has no personal connection or financial interest in the products or persons mentioned in this book. There is no advertising or product placement in this book.”
Obviously, this will be most important for nonfiction.
Otherwise, books are going to be ignored like every other media in this age.