In-film branding, also known as product placement, involves strategically placing branded products or logos within movies. This allows brands to be exposed to large audiences without traditional advertisements. It is seen as effective due to the emotional engagement of viewers with films. Some examples of successful in-film placements include Nokia phones in the Bollywood film Om Shanti Om and Aston Martin cars in James Bond films. While it provides brand exposure, disadvantages include lack of control over how products are portrayed and potential failure to reach audiences if the film flops. Overall, in-film branding has grown as an innovative advertising technique that circumvents traditional advertising.

1. In-film Branding

2. Introduction
What is in film advertising?
• In film advertising is a medium through which branded
products are placed in movies, which is visible to
consumers without any distraction.
• Leveraging on the entertainment value, emotional
quotient of the film and its psychological impact on
viewers has led the advertisers to utilize this medium
• In film advertising is also known as “covert advertising”
• The phenomenon is gaining momentum due to its clutter
free feature and advantages of celebrity endorsement for
the product or brand in a movie.

3. • Movies have been used as the most popular platform for
product placement. Director Madhur Bhandarkars
national award winning film „Fashion‟ showcased various
brands like Sunsilk, Kimaya, Jimmy Choo, Reebok etc.
• Other examples of covert adverting in Bollywood are
Dominos Pizza in „Phir Hera Pheri‟ Or Bournvita In Koi
Mil Gaya.

4. • In film advertising is prevalent in Hollywood as well as in
the movie Minority Report, where Tom Cruise’s
character John Anderton owns a phone with the Nokia
logo clearly written in the top corner, or his watch
engraved with bulgari logo.
• Another noted example is the presence of Aston Martin
cars in James Bond films, most notably „Casino Royale‟.

5. How it started?
• One of the earliest movies to use in film advertising was
Fritz Lang's film M (released in 1931) includes features a
prominent banner display on a staircase in one scene for
Wrigley's PK Chewing Gum, which is right in the viewer's
eye for approximately 20–30 seconds.
• In India, this type of advertising in movies existed since
1970s.
• The famous product placement in Hindi movie was the
yellow coloured „Rajdoot‟ bike in the movie „Bobby‟.
• However the first recognized covert advertising in India
was of „Pepsi‟ in the film „Taal‟ in the year 1999.

6. How is celebrity endorsement
different from In Film advertising
• Celebrities Endorse brands & products with
Commercial Reasons.
• People generally switch channels while
Advertisements are on.
• In Cinema halls, lesser people are seated in the
hall.
• In in film, the advertising of the product, forms a
part of the Plot.

7. Advantages
• Products and services are perceived as having higher
value.
• There‟s a celebrity halo effect.
• The best way to get brands noticed at a cheaper price.
• Films transcend geography, class & culture barriers.
• Cross promotion.
• The viewer cant ignore the product without missing the
Plot.
• More and More companies Switching.

8. Disadvantages
• Failure at box office
• Just a min advertising
• Not informative
• No lasting impression
• Wrong interpretation

9. Product placement
• A product placement is the inclusion of a product, brand
name or the name of the firm in a movie for increasing
memorability of the brand and instant recognition at the
point of purchase.
• Types:
o Corporate placement
o Generic placement
o Service placement
o Idea placement
o Innovation placement

10. Case Study

11. Case Study: Om Shanti Om
• No. of Prints – 2000
• Budget – 35 crore
• Gross Collection: 200 Crores
• Cast – Shahrukh Khan,
Deepika Padukone,
Shreyas Talpade & Arjun Rampal
• Director – Farah Khan
• Producer – Gauri Khan
• B.O. status – Hit
• Om Shanti Om was the biggest hit in the year 2007.
Trade analysts have even gone ahead and claimed that
it is biggest hit in the history of Bollywood.

12. • The film featured some top brands of their category.
• The most visible brand of the movie is Nokia. In the
film, the lead character Om (Shahrukh Khan) not only
uses cellular devices by Nokia, but also mentions them
in his dialogues.
• Another interesting observation is that the Nokia devices
used are all of different segments. While the character
Om, who‟s a superstar uses a high end mobile and
Bluetooth set, Dolly a wannabe actress, uses a middle
segment cell phone and Pappu, a one time junior
artist, uses a low end cell.

13. • Thus with one shot, Nokia manages to address its target
audience who are spread across these
wide segments.
• Apart from Nokia other key brands featured were
Maybelline, Shopper‟s Stop and Tag Heuer.
• Shopper‟s stop majorly had its role in promotion where it
launched an exclusive line of clothes and merchandise
styled on the movie.

14. Conclusion
• Advertising occupies a major place in Integrated
Marketing Communication strategy of corporates.
• It has evolved in sync with the changing media
environment.
• They are constantly in search of innovative technique
which has grabbed the attention in recent years is „Inflim
Branding‟.
• It existed in a very small and unorganized way from the
beginning of the 20th century. But the techniques have
evolved manifold during the past century.

15. Thank You
Utkarsh Haldia