Let me start by disclosing that I received no sponsorship/giveaways for this post… although that would have been nice.
When looking at whether or not I have been influenced by product placement, I feel like it goes with out saying… I sure have, in my opinion everyone has. Although you may not recognize it, everyone is subjected to product placement. You may choose to deny it, but this subjection most likely had an influence on you. Personally, I cannot think of any one particular product that I was influenced to buy. However, I know that when I am at the grocery store, I will chose by familiarity. Items at the grocery store are generally not expensive enough for me to do extensive research on before buying. If I have seen it used in a TV show/movie or mentioned in a magazine I will chose that product 9/10 times as I have some recollection of it, it is familiar. This is very evident with cleaning supplies, when I stand there bombarded with options I always go for what looks familiar.
For the above examples I mentioned specifically product placement in movies/TV shows and in magazines. There are other forms of product placement that have effects on us also. One I know that has influenced me in the past is Word Of Mouth (WOM). Put simply WOM is suggestions made by friends or family. I remember specifically when I was looking to purchase a new bike my friend suggested that I get one similar to his. I was young, I trusted his judgment and so I began trying to convince my parents that I wanted the “specialized P.2”, just like my friend. Eventually, after some convincing, my parents agreed to purchase the bike for my birthday. It was great. Although I really had no idea about the product, I just knew that it was what I NEEDED, because it was what my friend had!
An article in Utne Reader, “Word-of-Mouth Campaigns: Poisoning the Grapevine”, went into detail about WOM, detailing how it has such a strong hold in todays society, and that it will only continue to get bigger. I cannot say that I know for sure that my middle school friend was not working for Specialized, as I am truly not sure, but chances are he was not. Now that I think back to the situation though, it scares me how much value I placed in peoples ‘word’.
I think that WOM and other forms of product placement that go beyond the ‘norm’ will continue to have a greater, and greater affect on peoples purchases. Whether I agree with it or not, it seems to be the way the world is going… So who am I to go against the flow, if someone suggests something I will take what he or she has to say and if they can offer me a coupon, ill take that too. Who knows maybe people will base their relationships off which friends can offer them the best ‘deals’ in the future. Boundaries are made to be broken, and if you want to be successful you will adapt.
ZacDalby 