By now we are well accustomed to product placement in our beloved TV shows or movies. Hearing the name of a popular brand from a famous actor’s mouth or seeing a well-known product somewhere in the background is entertainment’s bread and butter. The last few years however gave something new and unorthodox – entire movies made to be one big product placement! It could be a film about your favorite doll, your beloved phone, or a game you used to play when you were young. The possibilities seem endless and probably will be in the future, so let’s focus on what has been made up to this point. Sometimes a famous brand is just a starting point to tell an interesting and captivating story, but sometimes showing a popular product is the whole point of the endeavor. Here are the best examples of movies that are… mainly product placement!
When you think about “The Social Network” you are in awe of the craft of the director David Fincher and the incredible script of Aaron Sorkin. Facebook is the essential ingredient of the tale, but the human story of genius and greed overshadows it. “Jobs” gives us a comprehensive account of the psyche of Steve Jobs, of his brilliance and many flaws, and his inability to relate to people. Macintosh and Apple are a part of it, don’t get me wrong, but it’s the background to the story.
Just like McDonald’s is the setting for the movie “The Founder”, but the main theme is duplicity, deception, and fraud. The next examples however weren’t so honest with their intentions.
“Tetris” is a biographical drama that tells the story behind the acquisition and distribution rights of the iconic video game, Tetris. The film focuses on Henk Rogers, a video game designer and entrepreneur, and his efforts to secure the rights to Tetris from the Soviet Union during the late 1980s. While the historical context is compelling, the movie sometimes over-emphasizes Tetris as a cultural icon, potentially overshadowing the more nuanced personal and political stories involved. In some instances, the film seems to use Tetris more as a narrative device to push the plot forward rather than deeply exploring the characters’ personal developments. The game feels like a prop rather than a central element driving the human drama.
There is a thin line between celebrating Tetris and using it for blatant product placement. The film risks crossing this line, turning into a promotional piece that glorifies the game excessively. In the end, it’s tiring, just like the game itself.
“Those films blur the lines between storytelling and advertisement, often risking turning into extended commercials”
The same thing happens with Ben Affleck’s “Air”. It is a biographical sports drama focusing on the inception of the iconic Air Jordan sneaker line. The film focuses on the partnership between Nike and basketball legend Michael Jordan, primarily from the perspective of Sonny Vaccaro, a marketing executive. While the film does a great job portraying the cultural shift brought by the Air Jordans, it leans too heavily on nostalgia, glorifying the product’s significance to the point where it can feel overemphasized.
Despite the strong character development, the narrative occasionally sidelines other potentially interesting characters, such as Michael Jordan himself, who remains more of an iconic presence than a fully fleshed-out character. This choice can make the story feel one-dimensional, focusing too much on the Nike executives. The film sometimes verges on being an extended commercial for Nike. The relentless focus on the Air Jordan brand feels like overt product placement, which detracts from the film’s artistic integrity. The constant highlighting of the sneakers and the brand’s triumphs can come off as self-congratulatory.
Were those two examples controversial? Well, hand on to your seats and let’s discuss “Barbie”! The movie follows the titular Barbie as she leaves the utopian world of Barbie Land and ventures into the real world, confronting societal expectations and personal identity issues. While the film succeeds in delivering these themes, it sometimes struggles to balance them with the overt product placement. The narrative occasionally feels like a vehicle to promote the Barbie brand, which can undermine the more serious social commentary. Despite the strong performances of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the film falls into the trap of using characters to highlight various Barbie products and accessories.
This can make the character arcs feel secondary to the brand promotion. Some scenes are crafted more to display new toys and merchandise rather than to advance the plot or develop characters. The critique of consumer culture is somewhat diluted when the film itself indulges in heavy commercial promotion, creating a tension between message and execution.
The product placement phenomenon has evolved into entire movies centered around beloved products. Those films blur the lines between storytelling and advertisement, often risking turning into extended commercials. In the end, it’s a fine line between cinematic artistry and blatant commercialism, and some films seem more interested in selling products than in telling stories. So, next time you watch a movie, remember: sometimes you’re not just seeing a story unfold, you’re watching a brand at play.
