Product placement involves placing branded goods or services in media contexts without advertisements, such as movies, music videos, and television shows. It became common in the 1990s as a way for brands to reach niche audiences. Product placement is an investment that can increase consumer awareness of a brand. Famous early examples include placements of Hershey's chocolate in Wings (1927) and Wrigley's gum in M (1931). Sponsorship of radio and television programs was also an early form of product placement.

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Lee HyunAh

2.  Product placement is a form of ad
vertisement, where branded goods
or services are placed in a conte
xt usually devoid of ads, such as
movies, music videos, the story l
ine of television shows, or news
programs.
 The product placement is often no
t disclosed at the time that the
good or service is featured.
 Product placement became common i
n the 1990s, until the ramificati
ons of product placement were cle
arly understood.

3.  Product placement is an investment for b
rands trying to reach a niche audience,
and there are strong reasons for investo
rs to expect that film product placement
will increase consumer awareness of a pa
rticular brand. A big-budget feature fil
m that has expectations of grossing mill
ions may attract many commercial interes
ts
 For example
 Among the famous silent films to feature
product placement was Wings (1927), the
first film to win the Academy Award for
Best Picture. It contained a plug for He
rshey's chocolate.
 In Fritz Lang's film "M" released in (19
31) there is a prominent banner display
on a stair case in one scene for Wrigley
's PK Chewing Gum which is right in the
viewers eye for around 20-30 seconds.

4.  radio in the 1930s and 1940s and early t
elevision in the 1950s, television progr
ams were often underwritten by companies
. "Soap operas" are called such because
they were initially underwritten by cons
umer, packaged-goods companies such as P
rocter & Gamble or Unilever.
 When television began to displace radio,
DuMont's Cavalcade of Stars television s Korea Drama PPL
how was, in its era, notable for not rel
ying on a sole Sponsor (commercial) in t
he tradition of NBC's Texaco Star Theate
r and similar productions. Sponsorship e
xists today with programs being sponsore
d by major vendors such as
Hallmark Cards.

5.  Product placement has long been
prevalent in sports as well, fro
m professional sports to college
sports, and even on the local le
vel with high school sports. Thi
s can be attributed to sports be
ing prevalent on television, whi
ch increases exposure to these p
roducts.
 The National Hockey League began
allowing sponsors to line along
the interior walls of the ice ri
nks in the early 1980s. This, co
mbined with new rules mandating
players to wear helmets (though
some were grandfathered), arguab
ly gave the NHL a different look
in the 1980s than compared with
the 1970s.

6.  Coca-Cola could pay a given fee
to have the title character drin
king a Coke, instead of a Pepsi
beverage.
Toyota might pay to have one of
the characters drive their newes
t automobile.
 Through product placement, compa
nies hope that moviegoers will t
ake note of the products used by
the characters, and therefore th
ink more strongly about using th
e products themselves. Some peop
le consider product placement to
be deceptive and unethical.