Product placement : A study of audience perception on brand recognition and congruence

Abstract: Traditional advertising has decreased while product placement in, for example, movies has increased. This has led to a problem, which is that viewers can perceive product placement as something negative. Product placement enhances viewers’ ability to recognize brands and products after watching a movie, while the placements can be congruent or incongruent. This study examines how brand recognition is produced and how congruence of a placement can affect audience acceptance. In response to this, a case study was conducted with embedded units consisting of three focus groups where the authors proceeded from a semi-structured interview guide. The study’s result was that five factors; irritation, familiarity, lack of excitement, unnecessary and iconic can impact how brand recognition is generated, based on the results of the focus groups. The study also resulted in placements that are congruent to the audience are accepted, while non-accepting placements are incongruent. A placement’s congruence is affected by the factors; expectancy and relevancy, perceived fit and individual judgements, and plot connection.