Perceptions of product placement practice across Australian and US practitioners

Abstract

Purpose -The aim of this paper is to examine the perceptions of Australian product placement decision makers and to compare them to those of their US counterparts, as reported by Karrh, McKee and Pardun. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is a differentiated replication of a US-based study. Data were gathered by an online survey from product placement decision makers. Findings -The findings reveal that many Australian practitioner attitudes and beliefs are more similar to those held by US practitioners in 1995 than in 2003. Similar to their US counterparts, Australian practitioners are disinclined to implement academic research findings into their decision making.Research limitations/implications -The data are limited in terms of the sample size and type (non-probabilistic), the restrictions imposed through the conditions set by the replicated study, namely the non-reporting of standard deviations resulting in the need to use pooled standard deviation to enable comparisons.Practical implications -This paper should be of interest to academic researchers and practitioners as it reports on practitioners' views and use of academic research and factors they use in making strategic placement decisions. Originality/value -The Australian context is original. However, the value of the paper lies in the replication approach. A key issue in marketing research is the lack of replications and accurate comparison points; both are necessary if practitioners are to be confident when applying knowledge produced through academic research.

Practitioner research for unpaid product placement issues: Literature review and directions for future research

“…In early literature, most articles focused on the film industry and/ or the TV industry. Nevertheless, in recent studies, the targeted media has been extended to video games, novels, magazines, comics and even online Karrh (1995), Karrh et al (2003), Russell and Belch (2005) and Chang et al (2009), selected American live-action films and/or TV shows as contexts for their research, while Craig-Lees et al (2008) selected the Australian film and TV industries. Smit et al (2009) selected the Dutch TV industry, and Lee, Chung et al (2011) conducted a comparative study between American and Korean practitioners involved mainly in the film or TV industries.…”

“…Many researchers such as Balasubramanian et al (2006), Cowley and Barron (2008), de Gregorio and Sung (2010), Dens, de Pelsmacker, Wouters and Purnawirawan (2012) and Nelson and Deshpande (2013) studied this issue. Some recent researchers have much interest in cross-cultural differences in consumers' attitudes towards product placement activities (e.g., Craig-Lees, Scott, & Wong, 2008;Khalbous et al, 2013;Lee, Sung, & Choi, 2011).…”

A Critical Realist and Multimethodology Framework for Product Placement Research

“…However, product placement did not receive much attention in the marketing discipline and systematic study on it is just over two decades old (Russell & Stern, 2006). Chan (2012) found that previous literature of product placement can generally be grouped into five categories: analysis of the nature of brand appearance in movies or television programs (see Avery & Ferraro, 2000;Sargent, Tickle, Beach, Dalton, Ahrens, & Heatherton, 2001;La Ferle & Edwards, 2006); empirical studies of the effectiveness of product placement, usually restricted to a particular country and a particular consumer group (see Gibson & Maurer, 2000;Russell, 2002;Matthes, Schemer, & Wirth, 2007, Van Reijmersdal, Neijens, & Smit, 2007Cowley & Barron, 2008;Wei, Fischer, & Main, 2008;Gregorio & Sung, 2010); general discussion papers on the development and trends of product placement and the possible research frameworks (see Baerns, 2003;Balasubramanian, Karrh, & Patwardhan, 2006;Hackley & Tiwsakul, 2006;Newell, Salmon, & Chang, 2006); examination of practitioners' views (see Karrh, McKee, & Pardun, 2003;Russell & Belch, 2005;Craig-Lees, Scott, & Wong, 2008;Chang, Newell, & Salmon, 2009;Smit et al, 2009); and cross-cultural comparison of the acceptability and ethical issues of product placement (see Gould, Gupta, & Grabner-Kräuter, 2000;Karrh, Frith, & Callison, 2001;McKechnie & Zhou, 2003).…”

Bollywood Industry in the Wake of Cost Cutting Measures: Role of Quality Cues on Brand Placements

“…Companies like advertisers, brand placement agencies, public relations and other members of professional associations are particularly involved in the brand placement decision (Margaret, Jane & Remiko, 2008). Film production houses and advertisers have different perspectives on brand placements, which make them unsure of the practices followed.…”

“…There have been few studies on the impact of various factors that determine the effectiveness of brand placements (Karrh et al, 2003;Margaret et al, 2008;Russell & Belch, 2005), and these studies have largely been exploratory work that lack theoretical foundations leading the results to be descriptive in nature. In order to enhance the earlier work and contribute theoretical aspects into the practice, this study focuses on a theoretical framework that would help the film production houses strategically and effectively use brand placements.…”