The Mixing of Hollywood and Advertising

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     There are many ways advertising has infiltrated our day to day lives. One tactic that is often used mixes advertisements with movies and TV shows, having our favourite characters work in a Subway or use the brand new Lamborghini.
     Just today, when I was watching Endgame, I noticed many ads positioned throughout the course of the movie. You could see Tony Stark riding down to Captain America in his fancy Mercedes, or watch Hulk eating Ben & Jerry's. It is very common to encounter this type of ad, because they are very effective for companies.

   When we have an established emotional connection to these characters, it make
s us inclined to want to purchase the products they use. So, by placing their products within big movies, companies are able to emotionally connect themselves to us, making us more susceptiblele to buy from them. 
     I remember when I was little I would always want to do what my favourite characters on TV were doing, so why would that be any different when it came to the products they used? Consequently, when they started mentioning converse on Shake It Up, guess what I was asking for before Christmas. My little 10 year old believed that buying a pair of shoes would make me more like Zendaya, even though that is not the case.
     A lot of the time ads rely on the associations we make when watching them. If we see a woman working really hard at the gym and she is smiling and using Degree deodorant, our brains tell us that using this product will make us have more fun at the gym. Or we think that by buying this Chanel perfume that has lots of happy people laughing together in their ad will get me more friends. Now, when it comes to movies, we often idolize these characters, and want to be like them (as I was with Zendaya). So we believe buying these things will make us more like them in a way. This can happen with the smallest name drop or brand placement, but that is not always the case.
     Now, a lot of shows mention very popular brands often, because they are so common in everyday life. Amazon is often mentioned in TV and movies, along with Starbucks, Nike, Adidas, and many more brands. I believe this reflects the materialistic and consumeristic nature we have adopted as a society. These brands are weaving themselves into the course of our days, becoming a big part of our lives. By placing brands in movies, our idolizations can lead us to rely on brands and products even more.
     The placement of advertisements in movies and TV shows can make us think highly or poorly of certain brands and companies, and influences our inclination to buy from certain places.
     
   

Comments

  1. Parker Van Ostrand29 April 2019 at 22:43

    It's interesting that you connected advertisements and Madison and Vine advertising technique to the increased materialistic desires our society possesses. I definitely agree that seeing a certain brand included in movies can more effectively convince us into buying these products. One thing I am wondering about is whether or not this technique works for everyone, and whether or not people even notice and remember the brands presented in the movies or TV shows we watch. For example, if the protagonist of a movie we admire eats Fruit Loops for breakfast, are we going to be more inclined to buy this product? This belief is commonly held by many advertising techniques, but I think it comes down to how the advertising company incorporates different brands into their movies/TV shows and what type of audience they are targeting.

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