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PRODUCT PLACEMENT AGENCIES
10/18/99
(updated Dec. 8, 2002)
By Nalini Mohabir
For my public relations/advertising major at Cal State Fullerton I was told to report on Product Placement in feature films and television shows. There are over 100 product placement agencies nationwide. To my surprise, there is an organization just for product placement called E.R.M.A. (Entertainment Resource Marketing Association and felt that Feature This! received the highest marks even though they are not the largest. Production people commented that Feature This! understands their needs the best; maybe it's because the president was a prop master for over 17 years. Prime Time Marketing (Chicago) also received high marks even though this particular agency is a one man operation, which contributes to his low overhead. Although both of these agencies are smaller than most, they received the highest marks. I found out that the bigger the agency, the less productions favored them.
Dec. 8th 2002 I want to thank everyone for sending me updates and links. I recently saw a great interview on "The Today Show" here is that link. "The Today Show"
Product Placement Agencies
The following are agencies and ratings based on price and service
This rating was based on speaking with 100 crew members (props/directors/sets/producers) and major studios.
| Company | Price  =$ |
Service | Industry Rating | Telephone# |
| Feature This! | |
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818-972-1313 |
| PrimeTime Mktg. | |
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708-456-5900 |
| Catalyst Group | |
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818-953-9030 |
| Creative Entertainment. | |
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818-842-9119 |
| Aim Promotions | |
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718-729-9288 |
| UPP | |
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818-526-0111 |
| Baldoni | |
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323-692-8430 |
| Hero Placement | |
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818-760-8779 |
| Vista Group | |
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818-840-6789 |
| Norm Marshall's | |
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818-982-3505 |
*** The Catalyst Group has merged with Norm Marshall's in 2000***
Others not mentioned can be found at E.R.M.A..
Benefits
The following is an example of what is included in E.R.M.A.
The benefits of product placement can go well beyond on-screen exposure. Many clients also choose to promote their association with a film by generating internal and external promotional campaigns keyed to that movie. Placement specialists further serve as brand watchdogs, making sure their clients' products are not shown in a negative light.
The greatest home run in product placement since E.T. scarfed up a pack of Reese's Pieces cam with BMW's launch of its Z3 roadster last fall. When the car became James Bond's preferred ride in the 007 flick "Goldeneye", the hype and glitter surrounding this placement became an event unto itself, generating hundreds of millions of dollars worth of exposure worldwide. The deal won BMW and its marketing partners a Super Reggie as the top promotion of the year. Beyond the accolades and the press clips, though, the placement helped drive BMW's business as discounts for the Z3 vanished and waiting lists stretched out for months. At the other end of the spectrum, consider "The Arrival", a little sci-fi picture that opened last spring. Star Charlie Sheen sports a pair of Luxottica sunglasses in the feature, and the manufacturer parlayed that into a promotion with a counter card of Sheen, plus several other marketing spin-offs. Result : sales of the shades skyrocketed over 1995 levels.
