Product placement a success at box office

An average of 53 per cent of respondents in China, Singapore and Hong Kong said that they noticed brands placed in films.

People in Hong Kong led the way with 58 per cent saying they noticed brands.

This was followed by Singapore with 57 per cent and China with 50 per cent.

However, the survey also discovered that the impact of product placement in movies consistently lags behind that of placement in television programming and traditional TVCs and poster ads.

Nonetheless, the survey also found that a majority of people were well-disposed towards product placement in movies.

When asked if brands should be seen in films as they are part of our everyday life, a high 78 per cent said yes.

Artistic integrity remains important, however, with 71 per cent of respondents wishing for brands not to interfere with the making of the film.

Across all three markets, an average of 40 per cent of adults would consider buying brands and products placed in films.

The purchase intention goes up to 50 per cent when respondents were asked in the context of the film they like.

In Singapore, purchase intention clocked in at 49 per cent.

However, this went up to 61 per cent if the brand was featured in a movie they liked.

China was found to be the market least likely to consider buying brands, with only 29 per cent showing purchase intention.

In Hong Kong, about a third showed purchase intention.

The survey also looked at the impact of product placement of three particular mobile phone brands - Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson in four movies - Minority Report, Matrix, Matrix Reloaded and Die Another Day.

The study found interesting regional differences.

In China, all three mobile phone companies showed a low brand recognition among adults.

Among those who saw Minority Report, Nokia's brand recognition rose to a high 64 per cent.

In Singapore, Nokia managed to get credited for product placement in all four movies despite only being featured in two.

Ironically, its highest score came in for Matrix Reloaded at 30 per cent - despite Samsung being the brand placed in this movie.

A Mediaedge:cia spokes-person attributed this to market leader Nokia enjoying a 'perceived own brand phenomenon', where consumers associate the brand they see to the one that is top on their consideration list.