Young audiences welcome product placement
Italy is the third fastest-growing market in terms of film industry advertising investment, especially after the implementation of Law 28/2004, regulating the use of product placement in the country.
According to data from US research institute PQ Media, in 2005 Italy received $36m in contributions for advertising within films – an increase of 27.4% over the previous year and inferior only to the Chinese market. Prospects are good on the international level: the induced investment of product placement will rise 20.5% in 2007.
The Italian film that launched product placement was 2004’s Sacred Heart by Ferzan Ozpetek, with its insertion of brand-name products from Granarolo, Salvini Gioielli, Samsung and Ferrarelle. According to Roberto Paolo Nelli and Paola Bensi’s book Il product placement nelle strategie di convergenza della marca nel settore dell'intrattenimento, this type of advertising is very much liked by young audiences.
In a poll conducted by two professors at Milan’s Cattolica University on 571 students, 49.3% prefer it over traditional advertising and 44.8% are in favor of its use in cinema. Of the sample group, 88% remembered having noticed some brand names in a film and 70.6% could cite specific examples.
(Translated from Italian)
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