Meaning & use
product placement
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Meanings
noununcountable
The paid inclusion of a company's product in a film, TV show, or other media, so that it is seen by the audience.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the practice in general; use 'a product placement' for one specific instance.
Patterns
- product placement in something
- product placement deal
- use product placement
The movie was full of product placement, with characters constantly drinking a certain brand of soda.
Many production companies rely on product placement to help cover their costs.
The TV series faced criticism for its heavy use of product placement.
nouncountable
A specific instance of a product being shown in a film, TV show, etc., usually as part of a paid arrangement.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a product placement' or 'product placements' for individual examples.
Patterns
- a product placement for something
- include a product placement
- product placements in something
The film included a clever product placement for a new smartphone.
Viewers spotted several product placements in the first episode.
The agency negotiated a product placement for the car brand in the blockbuster.
Word forms
| plural | product placements |
|---|
Common combinations
- product placement deal
- The studio signed a lucrative product placement deal with a soft drink company.
- heavy use of product placement
- The show's heavy use of product placement annoyed some critics.
- product placement in a movie
- Product placement in movies is now a major source of revenue.
- subtle product placement
- The director preferred subtle product placement that didn't distract from the story.
Synonyms and how they differ
- brand integration
- A broader term that includes product placement but also other ways a brand is woven into content, such as sponsoring a segment.
- embedded marketing
- Similar to product placement but often used in a more technical or business context.
Word family
- place verb
- To put something in a particular position; product placement involves placing a product in a scene.
Commonly confused: product placement or advertising?
product placement vs advertising
Advertising is a general term for promoting products; product placement is a specific type of advertising where the product appears within the content itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'product placement' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition is 'in' when talking about media content. 'To', 'on', and 'at' do not fit because product placement involves being inside the show, not on its surface or at its location.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “product placement”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.