What is most memorable about Baz Luhrman's movie adaptation of "The Great Gatsby?"
The lavish parties? The silk shirt scene? Or is it the multitude of product placements that pervade the film from beginning to end?
For marketers who invested heavily in the blockbuster, it is the latter. For film connoisseurs, probably not so much.
While most of the products featured in the film are organic to the scenes containing them – the Brookes Brothers menswear, the Prada womenswear, Tiffany's jewelry, and The Plaza Hotel to name a few – many of the shots showcasing Moët & Chandon champagne did not seem particularly natural. For some reason the film's producers felt no shame about introducing unrealistically humongous bottles of the high-end bubbly, their labels pointing directly to camera. (See the screengrab below as a case in point.)
To be fair, Moët isn't the only brand guilty of the artless product placement. Take a look at some other companies who have perpetrated the same crime.
The first film to unabashedly to peddle products was the 1927 silent movie, "Wings." A Hershey's chocolate bar was not-so-subtly introduced into the narrative.
The appearance of FedEx branding in the 2000 drama "Castaway" starring Tom Hanks is technically not a product placement since the courier company didn't not pay for the screen time. After the film's release FedEx saw a significant increase in brand awareness in Asia and Europe where brand recognition was low.
The appearance of Reese's Pieces in "E.T." increased Hershey's profits by 65% following the release of the film. Not too shabby.
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