5 Worst Examples of Product Placement in TV Shows

Many marketers believe that the commercial impact of product placement in TV shows is higher than in movies. This is simply because of the higher viewership that most TV shows tend to generate. While the audience has the luxury of choice regarding when they want to watch a movie, the all-pervasive nature of TV shows makes it difficult for consumers to avoid TV, thereby, making product placement initiatives more successful. But not all product placement exercises in TV are successful and some of them tend to fall flat on their faces.

A few weeks ago, we covered TV shows with the best product placement. And today, we’re going to bring to you some of the worst examples of product placement on TV. So, brace yourself for some of the most blatant instances of product placement in TV shows.

1. Chuck: Subway

The popular American TV series Chuck, which aired from 2007-2012, was about to be shelved right after the second season despite having a strong fan following. However, a timely intervention from Subway and its deal with NBC gave the show a new lease of life that helped it go for three more seasons, albeit at a cost!

In exchange for the sponsorship, Subway was predominantly featured in the show. In fact, the egregious nature of product placement almost exposed the producers’ near-fetishization of Subway. The makers not only advertised the brand in the background but also included it in the story and used it as a plot device.

The TV show was jammed with Subway’s logo. Various characters from the series were seen having food from Subway and commenting on how much they loved it. While it was a lucrative deal for both parties, seeing the same brand multiple times surely makes one lose interest, which is probably what happened to Chuck.

2. Shark Tank: T-Mobile

Reality shows are often full of instances of product placement. While some are genuinely good at it, Shark Tank’s advertising of T-Mobile seemed like it wasn’t there to promote new products but to bring the telecom company into the spotlight.

Literally, everyone in the show is seen with a “T-Mobile device”, which they consistently refer to as such instead of simply calling them phones. The Sharks are seen complimenting how amazing the cameras on their “T-Mobile devices” were. Also, they seem to be in awe of how fast the data is. Talk of forced advertising!

3. Sex and the City: Amazon.com

Now this one might seem like a very subtle example of product placement, but if you dive into the facts, you’ll be able to gauge why we think it’s a blatant case of product placement.

When Charlotte from the popular TV show Sex and the City decides to go for a self-help book, she discovers Amazon.com, which would have spared her the ignominy of facing judgmental cashiers. The loophole in this otherwise well-crafted scene is that this episode aired in 2002 while Amazon.com was launched in 1995.

Now there’s no way those hip and tech-savvy women hadn’t heard of Amazon.com even seven years after it was launched, which is why the product placement in this show didn’t seem too organic!

4. Smallville: Acuvue

When the makers of the popular TV series Smallville decided to advertise Acuvue contact lenses, they probably turned a blind eye to how glaringly obvious the product placement was. Or they probably just didn’t care!

In one of the scenes, the camera zooms into the branded package of lenses as though it were a real commercial. In fact, one of the characters even goes as far as saying "Acuvue to the rescue!"

5. Hawaii Five-0: Bing

Google has been the preferred search engine for most people for as long as I can recall. But we have no idea what got into the marketing team of Hawaii Five-0 that they had to do this👇

The scene features Chin Ho Kelly looking at a strange piece of art, which he insists is worth $25,000. His partner seems somewhat skeptical about the same, to which Kelly says, “You don't believe us? Bing it.” Seriously, I don’t think too many people were using Bing even in your teenage days.

And to replace “Google it” with “Bing it surely broke all records of poor product placement.

Wrapping Up

And that was a wrap of the worst examples of product placement in TV shows. Remember, the audience isn’t foolish and they will know when you try to sneak in a brand in the name of product placement. Therefore, careful deliberation of how to go ahead with product placement initiatives needs to be the only viable solution so far!

We’ll be back with more awesome commercials and videos for you. Till then, stay tuned!