BENlabs, the leading entertainment AI company for brands and creators, released a new report today finding that 63% of consumers have positive emotions after seeing products or brands in TV content, while 47% say they enjoy seeing their favorite brands in shows. The report, "State of Product Placement 2023," analyzed product placement's ROI, and consumers' feelings on it compared to traditional marketing and advertisements.
The survey focused on three areas: understanding marketers' perspectives on product placement, understanding consumers' perspectives on product placement and consumers' research and purchase behaviors. The report found that:
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Marketers' are overwhelmingly optimistic about product placement – In fact, 86% of U.S. marketers who've tried product placement rate it highly, while 81% consider it to be an effective marketing channel. Additionally, 91% see it as effective in reaching non-ad supported audiences.
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To top it off, eight-in-10 marketers consider AI to be very important when making a decision about what marketing company to use for product placement opportunities.
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Successful product placement can elicit positive emotions in viewers – A little over six-in-10 (63%) of respondents reported feeling positive emotions (happiness, inspiration, interest, and/or curiosity) after seeing a product or brand in a film or TV programs, while 47% like seeing their favorite brands and products in TV shows and films. Given a choice, a majority (52%) of consumers would prefer to watch a TV program with product placement over advertising.
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Consumers are quick to research products and brands they see on screen – Three-quarters (75%) of consumers have searched for a product/brand on at least one platform after seeing it on TV/film, furthermore, 57% of those consumers go on to purchase the same product, or a different product from the same brand.
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Almost one-in-five (17%) made the purchase as they were watching, 12% did so within two hours, 14% waited more than a day and 18% took longer than one week.
"We found that 46 percent of consumers have actually learned about a product for the first time after seeing it on TV or in movies. That's a staggering number and speaks to the effectiveness of product placement throughout the marketing funnel, from driving awareness and cultural relevance all the way down to sales and marketing," says Erin Schmidt, Chief Product Placement Officer of BENlabs. "Combining the power of this marketing channel with AI allows brands to target the audience most likely to drive ROI for their entertainment marketing investments."
Ad avoidance is at all-time highs, with over 41% of viewers habitually skipping or avoiding television advertisements. Combined with a massive shift to ad-free streaming platforms, this makes it harder than ever for businesses to reach audiences through traditional methods. BENlabs' newest report, with insights from approximately 350 marketing managers and 650 consumers, found product placement offers a strong new avenue for businesses to reach, retain and grow their customer base.
Methodology
BENlabs surveyed 349 senior marketing managers or above with direct responsibility for marketing spend and/or marketing innovation at their brands (December 2022), and 657 US consumers (excluding those who work in marketing and advertising) about their TV viewing habits and views on product placement within TV programs and films (April 2023). Unless otherwise specified, there were no significant differences in responses by age, gender, or viewing habits.
About BENlabs
BENlabs is an entertainment AI company that integrates brands into influencer, streaming, TV, music and film content with guaranteed ROI. BENlabs offers clients the world's largest influencer marketing business, comprising the world's largest product placement, promotions and licensing agency combined with TubeBuddy, the largest AI SaaS platform to help 15 million creators and brands optimize their audience and channel growth. BENlabs works with the world's top brands and creators, including Microsoft, General Motors, Frito-Lay, Bloomingdales, Tencent and Reckitt Benckiser.