I came across this article discussing the extreme measures that companies are taking to market their products amidst an economic recession, on ABCnews. It highlighted that some companies, such as Wendy’s, are using commercials portraying people out of work or especially hit hard by the recession that consumers can identify with and relate to.
But what I found most interesting in the video clip attached to the article was the increasing use of product placement in comedic sketches. During the Superbowl, a commercial for the movie MacGruber not only advertised the movie, but was a comedy sketch in itself, as it was a parody of over-the-top action films. The last shot, however, showed MacGruber holding an armful of Pepsi products. This is an extreme use of product placement (where typically it has been used in more discrete manners), but it is also funny because it is so extreme. It is an extremely effective way for a company to advertise by making fun of its advertising techniques. And this commercial worked for both MacGruber and Pepsi.
Another example was a comedic sketch of Guillermo and Uncle Fred for Jimmy Kimmel Live, in which they banter while they drive a Pontiac Solstice (Pontiac is the main advertiser for Jimmy Kimmel Live). The ad makes fun of Guillermo as he describes every last detail about the car he is driving (transmission, model, fuel economy, etc), as it is completely irrelevant to the question Uncle Fred asked. This ad makes fun of product placement by using it in such intensity, and I think it’s a very effective way for companies to advertise their products. Pontiac was able to describe the car in such detail in a comedic way that would have seemed tacky in any other form. I think that comedy is one of the best ways to reach a younger audience.