We’ve all heard about product placement in television and movies. This is when a particular product or brand is prominently featured within a film or a television program. For example, you may have noticed that the most recent Transformers movie had a very heavy focus on General Motors vehicles and the production team made a concerted effort to ensure that people watching the movie would be heavily exposed to the brand. The same can be said about particular brands of soda that are enjoyed by characters in a TV show.

Did you know, though, that companies also partake in other kinds of product placement? We’re not talking just about getting celebrities and athletes to endorse a particular brand — we all connect Michael Jordan to Gatorade and Nike, for instance — but also in our everyday lives. This latter form of marketing can be thought of as a more covert form of product placement.

This was the topic of a documentary that I saw on TV last night. One of the examples that the documentary provided was the following: A company may pay a doorman at a hotel or apartment complex to allow them to place a series of empty boxes by the door. All of these packages are empty, but they prominently feature the branding of a certain online store. As people enter and leave the building, they’ll notice all these packages and may wonder what is the big deal with that online store. The URL is prominently featured, so these random passers-by may feel inclined to check out the website when they have the chance.

Another example would be a drink company supplying an office building with a free supply of a certain beverage. The fridges in the office would be stocked with this drink for a short amount of time, exposing the employees to the brand (and giving them a chance to try it). Given this experience, the workers may feel inclined to buy this particular drink the next time they are at the convenience store or local deli.

Do you think you’ve been exposed to real-life product placement? Do you think that it would be effective?