5 Best Examples of Product Placement in TV Shows

So, did you think that embedded marketing was only limited to movies from all the recent blogs that we have recently done about product placement in movies? Well, even though it’s small and generates much lesser revenue, TV still has a dedicated audience. And brands would kill to get their attention!

So, if you’re from the marketing unit of a TV show that’s planning to plug in some brands, we have got just the kind of inspiration that you will need to pull it through. So, here we are with 5 iconic product placement examples in movies.

1. Breaking Bad: Chrysler

Even though chemistry teachers who break laws may not be the most attractive characters for brands as far as advertising is concerned, the success of Breaking Bad was simply too big for Chrysler to ignore.

The hit TV series shows Walter White purchasing a Chrysler 3000 for himself after he starts making an insane amount of money. Not only this but he even buys a different Chrysler model for his son, Walt Junior. One can even consider Chrysler’s decision to feature alongside a murderous drug dealer a shrewd move against its competitors. Remember Walt’s car before his evolution into that kickass avatar? He drove a Pontiac Aztek! It's hard to believe that Chrysler wasn’t trying to make a point there.

2. The Office: Staples

If you’re a fan of the American TV show The Office, then you just can’t miss the number of times Staples is talked about in the show.

In the show, Staples supply store is a rival of the fictional company Dunder Mifflin. Staples is not only mentioned multiple times in the show but its products can also be spotted in different episodes. In season 3, Dwight Schrute even lands himself a job there.

Moreover, in an interesting reversal of roles, a Staples subsidiary also licensed the name Dunder Mifflin in 2011 to sell its products. The agreement also financially benefitted the show’s network NBC.

3. Modern Family: iPad

It’s one thing to subtly plug a brand in an episode and a wholly different ball game when dedicating an entire episode to a brand. But that didn’t deter the makers of Modern Family from doing the same and I must agree, they did a remarkably fine job!

In the show, one of the main characters Phil is seen pleading his wife for an iPad for his birthday present. When he finally gets one, he proclaims his love for it and his wife thinks his words are aimed at her. However, what’s interesting is that Apple didn’t pay the production company any money to feature its product. It looks like the viewers just sat through 30 minutes of the show’s cast singing praises of the iPad.

4. Friends: Pottery Barn

Just like the iPad show in Modern Family, the hit TV show Friends also made an entire plot out of product placement.

In an episode titled “The One with the Apothecary Table”, Rachel is seen buying an apothecary table for Phoebe from the Pottery Barn. but as it turns out, Phoebe doesn’t like Pottery Barn products, and hence, Rachel tells her that she got the table from a flea market. Honestly, I never imagined that a brand would like to be featured on a TV show only for one of the cast members to depreciate it in any way. Probably that was why Pottery Barn never accepted this to be a paid partnership and said that the table was donated.

5. 10 O’Clock Live: Multiple Products

No blog on the best product placement in TV shows is ever going to be complete without this amazing explanation of product placement rules and its hilarious execution later.

In the show, Jimmy Carr first reads out the rules on product placement, and then blatantly advertises brands while keeping it hilarious all the while. I’m not sure if they got paid to feature any of those products or brands, but the audience must have gone back and checked each of those products.

Wrapping Up

And that was a wrap of the best product placement examples in TV shows. Embedded marketing requires a subtle introduction of the product or brand, in a way that it doesn’t look too forced. Thankfully, there were enough examples that I could share with you.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. We’ll be back with more awesome videos for you. Until then, stay tuned!