Product Placement in Parenthood

Indiana Wesleyan University

Technology Product Placement in NBCs Parenthood

Katie Cervoni
COM 329A- Media and Society
Dr. Perry
November 21st 2013
Table of Contents
Introduction
Lit Review
Methodology
Results
Analysis
Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix

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Introduction
Advertisement and marketing are not only aspects of commercials and written ads, but
are also taking place within television shows. The clothes characters wear, the devices they use,
the cars they drive, and whatever they do or wherever they go speaks to a specific market.
Product placement is purposefully used within shows to promote a place of business or item, and
this will, in turn, lead to many questions of what kind, the consistency, and the frequency of
items used for promotional purposes. This is important because product placement is used, and
whether it is consciously recognized or not, the items used in the show set the level for what we
use, or how we dress or whatever aspect that is studied.
Lit Review
Trends

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As TV media and production has continued to advance, there is a change in the options
that the views have. Not only are many shows shown on online venues, but on traditional
television and many cable companys viewers now have the option to skip all commercials, or a
specific amount of time they can fast forward during shows playing live, or recorded. Because of
the new options to skip all commercial advertisement, the use of product placement within shows
is becoming the new way of advertisement. To portray a product within a show, this is more
influential to the audience, and, in turn, they are more likely to remember that product and to be
able to recall it after viewing.
In response to the change in advertisement, there is a shift in the approach to advertise a
product a placement and a plug. Placement is when products are placed and seen being used by
an on air personality, where as a plug is a verbal attribution to the product or producer by a
character. The plug is known to be more influential to the viewer, but there is more placement
advertising shown throughout television (Chang, Newell, Salmon, 2006). Although both
approaches are effective separately, many companies have used both to advertise their product.
There is a differentiation in advertisement for a company if their product was placed in
the episode once or twice, or if it was integrated into the show and its storyline (Ferele, Edwards,
2006). This decision between placement or integration not only is showing the advancement
product placement within television has made, but also where it is headed in the near future.
Because product placement entered the advertisement realm as placement and nothing more, and
it has now evolved into a question of whether to integrate into a storyline or not; this is showing
a path that the future of television advertising could be evolving to (Ferele, Edwards, 2006).
Research

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Throughout all the sources researched, the common idea of product placement was that it
is changing the advertisement on TV and making it more beneficial to both the consumer and
producer.
Product placement, the practice of placing brands in the scene or script of mediated
news and entertainment, is also sometimes referred to as brand placement or even entertainment
marketing (Hackley, Tiwsakul, Preuss, 2008). Since the early 1920s, product placement has
been a part of TV, radio, and entertainment. There have been great advances in these types of
media, and product placement has continued to develop alongside. Because of the changes in
media and the many options viewers have with commercial skipping and multiple sites for
viewing, product placement has increased in popularity. Because consumers are now more tech
savvy than ever, there is a divide in normal advertising during commercials and the need to
advertise within shows to increase business (Hackley, Tiwsakul, Preuss, 2008).
If consumers see product placement as a covert option and not a sponsored idea, they are
more likely to recall the products promoted. On the other hand, if it was a sponsored placement,
consumers are more likely to not recall the sponsored product (phys.org, 2013). When the
product is integrated into the show. there is a higher consumer response to the product. Dr.
David and Simon Hudson from the Journal of Marketing Management are arguing the idea of
product placement being placed within a TV show, or it being integrated within the story line.
This would change the promotion of items and goods from product placement to branded
entertainment; where advertising and entertainment overlap. Because of this transition or debate,
there is a shift of advertising from traditional commercials or sponsored messages to a more
integrated advertisement style.

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Because of the now in script and in episode advertisement, companies need to pay show
producers and script writers to include their product and not their competitor. The in show slots
for advertisement will become expensive and the companies that need to be promoted will pay as
much as it takes to advertise if it brings business back to them. The Hidden History of Product
Placement shows this idea in business transactions of show producers and the companies that
wanted to be advertised. The Marx brothers charged a company for a slot to appear once within a
show and were able to generate revenue to cover other costs of the show, and end up with some
profit.
Due to the increase of placement advertising method, there will be competition between
businesses to pay for top dollar slots in mainstream shows to hopefully generate the most
revenue in return business. This competition will cause some companies to buy out both
traditional advertisement and placement slots for shows like Ford was able to do within the show
New Girl. According to reporter Danny Sullivan, when counting the product placements for the
Ford Edge in the show New Girl, and its commercial time, he found that some companies are
choosing to use both traditional and covert approaches to market their product. There is no way
that this message could be missed when the product its used within the show and then the three
commercial breaks having a sponsored message or a full commercial add.
These companies in research standards will be able to generate the most revenue and also
gain the most business. This competition will lead to compromise when some businesses will
need to settle for one or the other, or a more subtle placement that may not bring in as much
business as their competition. Relating back to the idea of placement versus plug, companies will
be searching for the most effective approach to covertly market their product even if that means
that they have less screen time.

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Conclusion of Research
The trends set by the research have concluded that product placement is the new and
evolving and most efficient form of advertisement available for mainstream entertainment.
There will be a continued advancement of product placement along with the changes in
television and media to maintain a way of efficient advertisement that benefits both the producer
and the consumer. According to the researchers product, placement will do nothing but continue
to evolve and will grow and change throughout the future.
As product placement as a way of advertisement continues to grow and change, it will
bring about more revenue, and it will also lead to a better business return for the company being
advertised. Because of its subtle or covert nature there is more chance that the brand or the
product will be remembered and this will result in an increase of business. The placement or
plug approach has led to an idea that intertwining advertisement with the storyline, or show in
contrast to a commercial or a sponsored message will hold better memory with the consumer
and, therefore, will be in their mind when purchasing or gaining new products.
Overall product placement has and will affect all realms of advertisement because of its
high review for business return. It will change the way companies advertise and how TV shows
will formulate their scripts and messages within the context of their shows. Product placement
has a place within television but has changed the face of company advertisement within the
entertainment industry.
Methodology
Product placement within the first 25 episodes of NBCs sitcom Parenthood will be
studied in what type of technology is used, its brand, and the consistency throughout the

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episodes, as well as between families within the show. All episodes are at most 42 minutes in
length, with no breaks or commercials originally shown on NBC as hour-long TV drama with an
added 15 minutes of commercial breaks throughout the show.
Viewing
The episodes will be accessed on the internet through Netflix, and they are separated by
season and then by episode in chronological order. The media will be analyzed by the technology
that is used or shown in each episode. Episode summaries are located in the appendix.
Data Collection
As technology is introduced into the show its brand, type of device and character using it
will be recorded. This will be recorded in each episode to show any changes in device or brand,
or upgrades that happen within the course of the 25 episodes. When the data is collected, it will
be analyzed to show if there are patterns of brand usage within the show overall, and then will
show the variety in devices used throughout the show.
Recording of Data
There will be a Microsoft Word Document that will separate each episode, and will hold
all the information recorded while watching the episodes. The information in the Document will
be counted, and analyzed then compiled into graphs. Multiple bar graphs will be used to
complete the combination of the information studied. The first bar graph will show the number
of appearances of each brand recognized within the show. The second bar graph will then show
the actual number of products placed throughout the episodes. Because the information was
collected by appearance, the same laptop that was recorded in episode 2 was recorded each time
it appeared. The number of appearances will be much higher than the actual product numbers.
The third graph will be a pi graph that is separated by brand then broken down into devices used
by the characters.

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These three graphs will visually represent data recorded while watching each episode and
then be used to make connections between brand usage throughout the show, and the variety of
brands and the devices used. This information will draw conclusions of technology usage, and
branding within the show, as well as any trends or marketing pull that is portrayed within the
show.
Example of Spreadsheet
*any guest characters will be added to the bottom of the table.
Family
Zeek Braverman
Camille Braverman
Adam Braverman
Christina Braverman
Haddie Braverman
Max Braverman
Sarah Braverman
Amber Holt
Drew Holt
Julia BravermanGraham
Joel Graham
Sydney Graham
Crosby Braverman
Jasmine Trussell
Jabar Trussell
*guest characters here

Brand

Type of Device

Results
a.

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Number of Appearances
80
70
60
50
40

Number of Appearances

30
20
10
0

b.

Number of Devices
30
25
20
15

Number of Devices

10
5
0

c.

Device Distribution throughout Families

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14
12
Apple

10

Blackberry
Nintendo

Dell
Sony

FLiP
HP

Microsoft
No Brand

2
0
Adam B.

Sarah B.

Julia B.G

Zeek B.

Crosby B.

Guests

Device breakdown by brand

d.

Apple

Iphone
MacBook
Desktop
Ipod Touch
Ipod Video
Ipad

e.

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Blackberry

Bold
unknown

f.

Dell

Desktop
Laptop

g.

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No Brand

Cellphone
Smartphone
Game System

Analysis
After watching twenty-five episodes of NBCs Parenthood there was one consistent trend.
Apple products were favored by characters within the show in usage and upgrade. When
characters changed devices it was a change from one Apple product to another or from another
brand to an Apple product. The Apple Products were the highest in number of appearances
throughout the show (74), and number of actual devices (28). As shown in graph c, distribution
of devices throughout the family, if the family had Apple products, it was the largest number of

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devices they had. Although there was not a family that was completely Apple, all but Julia
Braverman-Grahams family had at least 2 Apple devices.
Throughout the episodes, the first season was completed and then 12 episodes of the
second season were completed. There were not many upgrades of devices, but Sarah Braverman
in Season 1 episode 1 had a flip phone with no noticeable brand, and in Season 1 episode 2 she
had a smart phone with no brand. Then in Season 2 episode 3, Sarah upgrades from the smart
phone with no brand to an Apple Iphone. Sarahs son Drew went from having a gaming system
that had no recognizable brand through Season 1 to in Season 2 episode 2 having a Nintendo Wii
gaming system. These were the only devices that were recorded as upgrades from one brand
device to a different brand. Throughout the episodes there were many additions and upgrades
within the same brand. For example Adam Bravermans family began in Season 1 with an Apple
Desktop and then by the end of the research in Season 2 episode 12 he had 4 MacBooks, 1 iPod
touch, 1 iPod video and 1 iphone. He increased the amount of Apple devices his family had and
replaced the Apple desktop with the MacBooks.
Adam Braverman and Julia Braverman-Graham both worked in office settings, and the
technology they used at work was compatible to what was used in their homes. Julia had two
Dell computers at work, a desktop and a laptop, then her husband at home had an HP laptop.
Although it is not Dell, it does go against the trend of Apple Products. Adam on the other hand
worked in an environment that was all Apple products, and he used various Apple Products in his
home.
Lastly, the children in the show were less technology savvy and used technology less than
any other character. Jabar (6) and Sydney (5) had little to no technology that was used as their
own. Jabar had no technology or branding listed with him as an individual character and Sydney
used a FLiP video recorder, but it was listed under her mother Julia. When beginning research,
there was believed to be a diverse technology spectrum because the characters of the show

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ranged from young to old and it was believed that there would be technology to fit all ages and
there was not.

Conclusion
After analyzing all the research conducted and studying the episodes, there is a strong
correlation between marketing through product placement and the products portrayed throughout
the show. When viewing these episodes commercial free, and without ads there was a strong
trend and emphasis on Apple products. The data collected shows increased use and appearance of
Apple products and without advertisement the popularity of Apple products was shown through
the episodes. Due to the increased Apple product promotion, there is connection to the
automaticity of consumers and viewers. When the consumer is in an automatic state when
watching this show, it will be difficult to see any other brands and devices, therefore, further
marketing Apple products.
When conducting research, there was some difficulty when discerning brands of devices.
There was very little camera time on the characters when using technology and characters may
not use their devices more than once for 5-10 seconds during an episode. In this aspect of less
time spent with devices, when the characters used the devices they had reason to. Many of the
reasons were for work, or studies, there were not large amounts of frivolous technology usage.
Although there was very little time spent on technology, there was a great amount of
technology used and featured in the background of shots or as a prob. This can very easily mirror

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a technologically aware audience, in the way that there is technology and media to be used, but is
only used when needed and for a purpose. There is not mindless technology usage mirrored in
this show, and that may impact the viewers as they are watching.

Bibliography
Carrie La Ferle Ph.D. & Steven M. Edwards Ph.D. (2006) Product Placement: How Brands
Appear on Television,Journal of Advertising, 35:4, 65-86,
DOI: 10.2753/JOA0091-3367350405
Hackley, C., Tiwsakul, R. A. and Preuss, L. (2008), An ethical evaluation of product placement:
a deceptive practice?. Business Ethics: A European Review, 17: 109120.
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8608.2008.00525.x
Jay Newell , Charles T. Salmon & Susan Chang (2006) The Hidden History of Product
Placement, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50:4,575-594,
DOI: 10.1207/s15506878jobem5004_1
Phys.org. "Covert Product Placements in TV Shows Increase Consumers' Memories and
Brand Attitudes, Says Study." Covert Product Placements in TV Shows Increase
Consumers' Memories and Brand Attitudes, Says Study. Journal of Consumer
Psychology, 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. <http://phys.org/news/2013-09covert-product-placements-tv-consumers.html>.

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Simon Hudson & David Hudson (2006) Branded Entertainment: A New Advertising Technique
or Product Placement in Disguise?, Journal of Marketing Management, 22:5-6, 489-504,
DOI: 10.1362/026725706777978703
Stransky, Tanner. "'How I Met Your Mother': Why Are Ads for New Movies in Old Reruns?
-- PHOTO." EW.com. Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
<http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/07/07/how-i-met-your-mother-reruns-bad-teacherzookeeper/>.
Sullivan, Danny. "Product Placement: The TV Ads Consumers Cant Skip Or Hop."
Marketing Land. Marketing Land, 28 May 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
<http://marketingland.com/product-placement-tv-ads-45729>.

Appendix