RQ1: What is the extent of product placement in top-grossing films from each decade from the 1920’s to the 2000’s?
A total of 108 placements were coded and identified in 9 movies (20.6 hours of film). A product placement was only coded if the brand logo was visible or the brand name was stated. Table 1 illustrates the number and percentage of placements for each film as well as the number of brands in each film. Table 2 illustrates the number and percentage of placements in the movies made during three time periods (1920s-1940s, 1950s-1970s, 1980s-2000s), as well as the average number of placements per movie in the films made in those time periods.
As table 1 illustrates, there are continual increases in the number of placements in each film, reaching a peak with E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. The 19 placements, which include brands placed multiple times, present in The Greatest Show on Earth cause the film to be an outlier. Examining the unique brands, meaning the number of brands present in the film at least once, shows a more consistent trend of increase. There is a general trend of slight increase until E.T. where there is a large jump. Then there is a slight decrease following E.T. consistent with both number of placements and number of brands. Table 2 further emphasizes this trend with 58% of placements occurring in films produced after 1980. Thus, the extent of product placement is much greater in the most recent thirty-year period than in the previous thirty-year periods.
RQ2: How did the characteristics of product placements in top-grossing films from the 1920’s to the 2000’s change from decade to decade?
The characteristics of each of the 108 placements noted were recorded and analyzed according to the six coding categories. The individual results of each placement in each film can be found in Appendix B. In order to better analyze the data, each of the films was grouped with two others to create three thirty year time periods. The placement characteristics for each period is illustrated in table three. Both the raw numbers of each type of placement and the percent that each of these numbers represents for its time period are given. The percents are more useful for comparisons between decades and so they will be referred to in reporting the results.
The first category examined was the mode of the placement. As table three illustrates, the majority of all placements (85.19%) were visual-only placements. This means that the brand or product was only shown on screen, either in use by a character or as a part of the set, and never actually mentioned. This general trend held true for each of the three time periods, with 91.67% of placements from the 1920s-1940s being visual-only, 78.79% of placements from the 1950s-1970s being audio-only, and 87.30% of placements from the 1980s-2000s being visual-only. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) found that the differences between the time periods was not statistically significant; F=(2, 4)0.42, p<.05.
The second category examined was the tone of the placement. As table three illustrates, the majority of all placements (92.59%) were neutral. This means that the brand or product was portrayed in neither a positive or negative light. It was simply shown as a product or brand. The overall trend held true for all three time periods, with 75% of placements from the 1920s-1940s being neutral, 90.91% of placements from the 1950s-1970s being neutral, and 96.83% of placements from the 1980s-2000s being neutral. An ANOVA found that the differences between the time periods was not statistically significant; F(2, 4)=.04, p<.05.
The third category examined was the prominence of the placement. As table three illustrates, the majority of all placements (97.22%) were shown clearly in the scene. This means that the brand name was clearly visible to the audience and was generally in the very center of the screen or was mentioned very obviously in dialogue. The overall trend held true for each of the three time periods, with 100% of placements from the 1920s-1940s being clear, 100% of placements from the 1950s-1970s being clear, and 95.24% of placements from the 1980s-2000s being clear. An ANOVA found that the differences between the time periods was not statistically significant; F(2, 2)=1.296, p<.05.
The fourth category examined was the relevance of the placement. As table three illustrates, the majority of all placements (47.22%) had low relevance to the plot. This means that the product or brand placed did not serve an integral part of the plot. Brands and products with some relevance to the plot accounted for 30.56% of placements. This means that the product or brand served a minor purpose in the plot. For instance if a character needs to drive a car and the car turns out to be a Ford, the Ford car has some relevance to the plot. Brands and products with high relevance to the plot accounted for 22.22% of placements. This means that the product or brand served a major part in the plot. For instance, in The Greatest Show on Earth (Demille, 1952) the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s circus was the setting of the movie and so it had high relevance to the plot.
The overall trends varied slightly in the three time periods. In the films produced during the 1920s-1940s, 66.67% of placements were of low relevance, 16.67% of placements were of some relevance, and 16.67% of placements were of high relevance. In the films produced during the 1950s-1970s, 33.33% of placements were of low relevance, 27.27% of placements were of some relevance, and 39.39% of placements were of high relevance. In the films produced during the 1980s-2000s, 50.79% of placements were of low relevance, 34.92% of placements were of some relevance, and 14.29% of placements were of high relevance. An ANOVA found that the differences between time periods was not statistically significant; F(2, 4)=0.81, p<.05.
The fifth category examined was character use of the product or brand. As table three illustrates, the majority of placements (54.63%) of placements involved a character using the brand or product. This means that a character either uses the product or brand physically or mentions it verbally, or both. This varied in the three time periods. In the films produced during the 1920s-1940s, only 41.67% of placements involved character use while 58.33% of placements did not involve character use. In the films produced during the 1950s-1970s, only 45.45% of placements involve character use while 54.55% of placements did not involve character use. In the films produced during the 1980s-2000s, 61.90% of placements involved character use, thus following the overall trend, while only 38.10% of placements did not involve character use. An ANOVA found that the differences between the time periods was not statistically significant; F(2, 2)=6.42, p<.05.
The sixth category examined was the presence of other brands. As table three illustrates, the majority of placements (83.33%) did not show the placed brand with other brands. This means that the placed product or brand appears in the scene by itself with no other competing products. This overall trend held true for each of the three time periods with 66.67% of placements from the 1920s-1940s occurring with no competing brands, 100% of placements from the 1950s-1970s occurring with no competing brands, and 77.78% of placements from the 1980s-2000s occurring without competing brands. An ANOVA found that the differences between the time periods was not statistically significant; F(2, 2)=2.56, p<.05.
