MARKETING GOES TO THE MOVIES: AN EXPERIENTIAL CLASSROOM EXERCISE TO SIMULATE AWARENESS AND INTEREST IN PRODUCT PLACEMENT AS... Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 25, 1998 MARKETING GOES TO THE MOVIES: AN EXPERIENTIAL CLASSROOM EXERCISE TO STIMULATE AWARENESS AND INTEREST IN PRODUCT PLACEMENT AS A MARKETING STRATEGY Aron M. Levin, Washburn University ABSTRACT By showing students movie clips that feature specific brands (a promotional strategy known as product placement), this classroom exercise has been an excellent vehicle for stimulating students’ interest in marketing. Students are asked to write down all of the brands that they notice in the movie clips. Although many of the students have already seen some of the movies, such as “Happy Gilmore”, typically they were not previously aware of all of the brands featured in each film. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this presentation is to describe an in class method that I have found to be a useful way of enhancing students’ understanding of product placement as a marketing strategy. The following exercise has two primary objectives: (1) To stimulate undergraduate students’ interest in marketing, and (2) To encourage students to view the discipline of marketing in broader terms than they did before taking the class. The exercise lasts approximately 50 minutes, including the short clips of movies that will be shown. For the purposes of the ABSEL conference, the activity will be shortened to 20-25 minutes. Part I: Brainstorming To begin the activity, I ask students to brainstorm for 7-10 minutes and write down a list of all of the ways that companies/brands go about promoting their products and services to customers. Invariably, students’ lists are comprised of different types of advertising such as network and cable television, radio, print media, direct mail, event sponsorship, sales promotions such as “Pepsi Stuff’, etc. Surprisingly, although many of the students later reveal that they are movie enthusiasts, they rarely mention product placement as a form of marketing. I suggest to students that the fact that they failed to mention product placement as a form of promotion is exactly what makes it such a desirable strategy for marketers. Because it is much more subtle than traditional advertising, movie goers don’t tend to view it as marketing, and subsequently, they don’t tune it out the way they often do ads (Baker and Crawford 1996; Dawley, Kuntz, and Weber 1996). Part II: Movie Viewing For the next segment of the exercise, I show students a short collection of actual movie clips from the following movies: “The Blues Brothers”, “Risky Business”, “Independence Day”, and “Happy Gilmore”. I ask them to write down all of the specific brands that they notice in the clips. This is usually a very enjoyable activity for the students, particularly near the middle or toward the end of the course when they are beginning to feel the inevitable pressure of the semester. The interesting thing about this activity is that although many students have already seen some of the movies, they are usually surprised at the number of brands they noticed after becoming aware of product placement as a marketing strategy. Part III: Discussion The next part of the exercise is an interactive discussion of product placement, including its advantages and disadvantages over traditional 1 Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 25, 1998 media advertising. I conclude with a brief discussion of ethical concerns that some individuals have voiced concerning product placement. Perhaps the biggest advantage of product placement is that movie audiences are much more captive than television audiences. Whereas many television viewers tune out commercials or “channel surf’ during ads, they are usually more attentive during movies (Dawley, Kuntz, and Weber 1996). In addition, if viewers can identify with characters in the movie, they may develop positive feelings towards the brands that these characters use. Product placement is not without its risks, however. A case involving Reebok and the movie “Jerry Maguire” highlights one of the dangers of the strategy. Apparently, Reebok entered into an agreement with Tristar Pictures in which the footwear giant would be cast in a favorable light near the end of the movie. Unfortunately, this scene was cut from the movie and Reebok filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against Tristar (Elliott 1997a). Before wrapping up the exercise, I ask students one final question to ponder: “Do you have any ethical concerns with this strategy?” Usually, at least one student compares product placement to subliminal advertising, in which consumers don’t realize that they are being marketed to. Indeed, the line between advertising and entertainment is becoming increasingly thin, and there is some speculation that this trend is potentially deceptive to consumers. In summary, the classroom exercise discussed in this paper is both entertaining and informative for the students. It allows them to see the wide scope of activities available to marketers. It also helps generate interest in marketing as a discipline, as many students are already movie lovers, and were previously unaware of product placement as a marketing strategy. At the end of the semester one student paid me the ultimate compliment by saying, in jest, “Thanks to this class, I can no longer enjoy going to the movies, because I’m too busy looking for product placement!” References Baker, Michael J. and Hazel A. Crawford (1996), “Product Placement,” Proceedings of the American Marketing Association Winter Educators Conference. Dawley, Heidi, Mary Kuntz, and Joseph Weber (1996), “The New Hucksterism,” Business Week, 76-84. Elliott, Stuart (1997a), “The Spot on the Cutting-Room Floor,” The New York Times, February 7, C1. ____, Stuart (1997b), “Banc One Uses Promotional Tie-ins to a Movie about Selena to Reach out to the Hispanic Market,” The New York Times, March 21, C6. 2 Table of Contents Volume 25, 1998 Marketing Goes to the Movies Bringing Experiential Learning to a Principles of Marketing Course Investment Analysis Application Using In-house Spreadsheet Models SugarCoated Statistics: An Exercise for the First Day of Class Improving Undergraduate Student Involvement in Management Science and Business Writing Courses Using the Seven Principles in Action Establishment and Funding for Interuniversity / Multidisciplinary Student experiences The Prospects of Creative Teaching: A Discussion with Patricia Sanders The Simulation and Classroom Assessment Techniques Developments of Management Skill Assessment Games as Instruments of Assessment: A Framework for Evaluation The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Business Curricula Threshold Solo Competitor: A Management Simulation (V1.0) a Windows-Based. Play Alone, Total Enterprise Simulation and Assessment Instrument Toward An Understanding of One's self-concept Total Enterprise Simulations and the Internet: Improving Student Perceptions and Simplifying Administrative Workloads The Expatriate an Assignment Orientation Game An Expatriate's Nightmare: An Experiential Exercise in Coping with Overseas Assignments Analyzing Experiential Exercise: Using the Scientific Method for Problem Solving The Second Component to Experiential Learning: A Look Back at How ABSEL has handled the Conceptual and Operational Definitions of Learning Predictive Models of Learning: Participant Satisfaction of Experiential Exercises in Business Education Accelerating Moral Development through Use of Experiential Ethical Dilemmas Ethical Dilemmas to use with Business Simulations to Teach Ethics The Class Approach in Behavioral Simulation in a Business Policy/Strategic Management course: A Progression toward Greater Realism An Exploration of the Emergence of Process Prototypes in a Management Course Utilizing a Total Enterprise Simulation How Organizations Are Improving Their Performance Utilizing Electronic Commerce: Examples From The Internet The Market Access Planning System (Maps): A Computer-Based Decision Support System For Facilitating Experiential Learning In International Business An Excel Workbook For Student Planning And Interface With A Simulation Game Design Of Multi-Media Based Pedagogy For Leadership Training Panel Discussion On Using The Internet For Courses Valuing And Enhancing Teaching: Sharing Tips Via The Web The Buddy Project: A Semester Long Project Aimed At Developing An Appreciation For Diversity Enhancing The Excitement And Learning Retention In The Classroom: The Power Of Magic The Supervised Management Internship: A Job Or Learning Experience Team Ware™ An Online Moderated Class Discussion Facility And Beyond A Neophyte Distance Educator's Experience Learning Management By Practicing Management: A Report Of Significant Student Service In 1997 Integration Of Academic And Service Learning: Students' Perceptions About Its Effects And Outcomes The Value Of Incorporating A Service Learning Component Into Course Content: A Presentation And Roundtable Discussion Business Games Teach: Thoughts on the Sources of Conflicting Conclusions on their Effectiveness Antecedents Of Learning In The Simulation: A Replication Using Student Journals To Enhance Learning From Simulations Technological Change And Intertemporal Movements In Consumer Preferences In The Design Of Computerized Business Simulations With Market Segmentation Integrating The Marketing Curriculum Using Collaborative Learning Teaching Time Management In A Sales Program: The Application Of A Computer Simulation Game Adapting Interactive Computer Simulations For Content Based Esl Instruction Multimedia And Student Expectations Synthesizing Data For Media Simulations Composing A Team Health Promoting Behaviors-A Decision Making Exercise Does it really Work? An Application of the Group Interaction Framework Administering the MIT Beer Game: Lessons Learned A Paperless Economy? Instructing Students on the Aspects of Successful Electronic Commerce Maximizing Learning Gains in Simulations: Lessons from the Training Literature Observing General Ability in a Total Enterprise Gaming Simulation FReach Teach: A Computer-Based System for Teaching Advertising Media Planning An Integrated Business Instruction System An Experiential Exercise you can Tinker With Experiential Exercises or Computer Simulations? Cash Flow Statements: Are They Important in Business Simulations? Holistic Cognitive Strategy in a Computer-Based Marketing Simulation Game: An Investigation of Attitudes Towards the Decision-Making Process Barnga: A Game on Cultural Clashes The Many Faces of Culture: Understanding Country and Corporate Culture Students' View of the Use of Business Gaming in Hong Kong Assessing General Management Interest What is the Future of Business Gaming? Starting a Small Music Trivia Business Exercise and Other Innovative Icebreakers An Integrated Approach to Behavioral Skill Development Career Focus: A Student and Business Learning Experience The Use of Concept Mapping in Teaching Strategic Management An Experiential Approach to Developing Mission Statements Business Games in Brazil-Learning or Satisfaction A Simulation within a Simulation: Job Layoff's and Emotional Reactions