OK, I know how the deal works: you feature our product in your movie, we give you money. No problem. If two characters are sitting in a bar talking, why shouldn’t they be drinking Heineken? Adds verisimilitude, film makers get a few bucks, no-one’s hurt.
But what movies have you seen where the product placement is too blatant to ignore, and would actively put you off buying the product just to spite all concerned?
My all time worst is Twister. Tornado chasers have to launch little probes into the eye of the storm. Someone hits on the idea of fashioning little whirlies out of empty soft-drink cans to bear them aloft. Quick, scour the roadside for discarded cans - the storm’s a-comin’! Oh look, every tossed out can you’ve found is an empty Pepsi. In pristine condition. With the logos facing the camera. Gosh, what are the odds?
I don’t think product placement has ever caused me to boycott the product out of spite. I usually just roll my eyes. I think that most often it happens with a pop product.
The shoes (converse) in I, Robot. Two seperate closeup of the shoes, and an entire opening sequence devoted to them, with outright mention of how amazing these “vintage 2004” shoes are.
I can usually forgive product placement if it seems contextual, like the '80s bar in Back to the Future II, etc. But bad product placement can definitely be a jarring experience.
Sorry, I just realized that when I saw that thread recently, it was actually a bump of an old one. I really need to stick to my no posting before coffee rule.