Why do fans gripe so much about product placement?

[Immortalfire]

It seems to be a recurring factor these days; viewers b*tching about "OMG so much product placement omg"

To me, if a movie takes place in the real world, fantasy or otherwise, of course someone is going to drink a Coke, or drive a Ford, or use an HP computer and whatnot. Earliest I recall someone bringing it up was in Spider-Man.....



..my cousin made a big stink about the Dr. Pepper can, but couldn't articulate why it was a bad thing. Now, if Peter had proclaimed "look at this DOCTOR PEPPER that I'm practicing web shooting with!" I could see that as lame.

But really, what's the big fuss about real life products being seen?

 

[jolldan]

It seems to be a recurring factor these days; viewers b*tching about "OMG so much product placement omg"

To me, if a movie takes place in the real world, fantasy or otherwise, of course someone is going to drink a Coke, or drive a Ford, or use an HP computer and whatnot. Earliest I recall someone bringing it up was this scene from Spider-Man.....



..my cousin made a big stink about the Dr. Pepper can, but couldn't articulate why it was a bad thing. Now, if Peter had proclaimed "look at this DOCTOR PEPPER that I'm practicing web shooting with!" I could see that as lame.

But really, what's the big fuss about real life products being seen?

Yeah same here I have never had any issue with it. In all honesty I think it actually adds a level of realism to see our movie hero's or villains using everyday stuff we do.

Agree though it would be weird if it ever got to the point where say coke had one in a movie and the guy was like "Ahhhh wow that coke is really tasty and refreshing cant believe I ever drank anything else" but I don't see really any big movies going that shameless.

 

[-JKR-]

Do they? I haven't hears that complaint too often in the last few years. It's perfectly fine, as long as it doesn't distract from the movie. Sometimes it's just over the top. But otherwise...

 

[Web-Head]

The Olive Garden stuff in Sonic was a little much, but I found it kinda funny. I usually don't have problems with it

 

[Flint Marko]

It doesn't generally bother me but there are some examples where it's a little obnoxious.

In Man of Steel they literally staged a fight scene inside an IHOP and ended that setpiece with a perfectly framed shot of the SEARS logo. Spider-man: Homecoming has a bit at the end where Happy basically says "check out how awesome this AUDI is".

Doesn't make or break a movie but I'd cite those 2 as significantly more egregious than that Dr. Pepper example.

 

[Nardz937]

Only when there's so much that it becomes obnoxious. As mentioned, Man Of Steel is the first that comes to mind (Superman and Zod fighting trough a IHOP, Sears and 7/11).

And the recent season of Stranger Things is a great example and blatant and obnoxious product placement.

 

[terry78]

Also in Sonic I know people were cracking on the scene where Tika Sumpter is blatantly talking about Zillow and how it stays on the home page for a good long while.

 

[Zorro]

I don't mind it at all. If Back to the Future II doesn't phase me then nothing will!

Sometimes it even works like I remember really wanting some Burger King when watching Iron Man in theatres when Tony eats a BK burger during a press conference

 

[terry78]

That's the goal.

 

[Flint Marko]

I've brought this up before and I've called it the Product Placement Paradox.

If product placement is in a movie someone likes it's not a problem no matter how egregious it is, but if it's a movie they want to criticize then it becomes an issue:

Well...here I am. Sitting here with my commemorative Marvel's Civil War soda container. Glad DC doesn't go in for that product placement nonsense.

The much-whined about product placement isnt just about product placement. Its about placing Superman in the real world. Snyder and the other filmmakers have said as much. They didnt want Superman getting thrown through a Big Belly Burger. They wanted him getting tossed through real world places.

So to the point of this thread, it's kind of a non-criticism.

 

[Immortalfire]

I don't mind it at all. If Back to the Future II doesn't phase me then nothing will!

Sometimes it even works like I remember really wanting some Burger King when watching Iron Man in theatres when Tony eats a BK burger during a press conference

When I was first watching that, I too wanted a cheeseburger. But from the local diner, not BK.

 

[Sithborg]

Lets not forget Krispy Kreme in Power Rangers. Movies should get a lot of flack for blatant product placement.

 

[Lily Adler]

It doesn't generally bother me but there are some examples where it's a little obnoxious.

In Man of Steel they literally staged a fight scene inside an IHOP and ended that setpiece with a perfectly framed shot of the SEARS logo. Spider-man: Homecoming has a bit at the end where Happy basically says "check out how awesome this AUDI is".

Doesn't make or break a movie but I'd cite those 2 as significantly more egregious than that Dr. Pepper example.

And it lingered on Lois's Windows Phone for a few shots.

 

[CaptainWagner]

Add me to the "never understood this complaint" crowd. I'm much more likely to be taken out of a movie by an obviously fake brand or product than the appearance of something I recognize from the real world.

 

[Erik20]

I thought Mark Wahlberg drinking a beer in Transformers was pretty bad... it was just too blatant, I usually don't even notice product placement

 

[MovieSlave]

I have to say the McDonalds product placement in Kingsman was done in a fun and clever way.

 

[CJ]

Yeah same here I have never had any issue with it. In all honesty I think it actually adds a level of realism to see our movie hero's or villains using everyday stuff we do.

Agree though it would be weird if it ever got to the point where say coke had one in a movie and the guy was like "Ahhhh wow that coke is really tasty and refreshing cant believe I ever drank anything else" but I don't see really any big movies going that shameless.

You should see the ending to Sonic the Hedgehog.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Add me to the "never understood this complaint" crowd. I'm much more likely to be taken out of a movie by an obviously fake brand or product than the appearance of something I recognize from the real world.

Me too.

But I like when the movies have the fake brands. Tarantino and his Red Apple cigarettes in particular.

 

[Travesty]

 

[Broseph44]

Add me to the "never understood this complaint" crowd. I'm much more likely to be taken out of a movie by an obviously fake brand or product than the appearance of something I recognize from the real world.

Add me to this group also, never ever understand this complaint. Ridiculous if you ask me.

 

[Ninjablade]

I’m only bothered by it when the film seems to pause for a moment in order to blatantly show the product off (exception can be made for comedies where that’s the joke). Other than that I don’t usually mind.

The Homecoming Audi scene, Age of Extinction’a Bud Light, Krispy Kreme in Power Rangers, stuff like that. If the film starts to feel like it’s a commercial, that’s when it becomes an issue.

 

[Immortalfire]

I had a pal say the Transformers movies were terrible because of their overwhelming product placement. I told him those movies are terrible for several reasons, the least of which is seeing GM vehicles everywhere.

 

[Da-Scribe]

Yeah I don’t really care. Sonic was kinda silly, but they poked fun at the Olive Garden thing so it wasn’t a big deal to me.

Folks complain about ballooning budgets. This is how you keep them at bay lol.

 

[Fincher]

Add me to the "never understood this complaint" crowd. I'm much more likely to be taken out of a movie by an obviously fake brand or product than the appearance of something I recognize from the real world.

Yeah, it's better than Finder-Spyder. I've seen parodies of blatant product placement like in Wayne's World where it's over-the-top, but I can't recall ever watching anything and thinking it has too much product placement.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

It bothers me more in video games than it does in movies namely because I consume video games for completely different reasons than I consume movies.