Section A

1. How does the Communication Process typically work for a standard product placement in
movieor media? Provide an example which may illustrate the entire process starting from
Source (Encoding) to Receiver (Decoding).

Answer to question-1

Communication process is one of the most vital aspectsformarketing a product. Marketing

communication facilitates in moving the product, services and even ideas from the producers to
the consumers. It creates a demand or provides a way by which consumer’s needs can be met.
The communication also maintains the bonding with customers, potential customers, and other
stakeholders within the organization. Product placement is a type of communication in which
products and services are features in movies and other visual productions that target a large
audience. In the field of marketing product placement has been a norm from the beginning of
films. In today’s world big brands still fight for screen times only for the expectation of gaining
consumer’s attention. Product placement is an organic way in order to be noticed by consumers.
In some cases product placement may be the only constructive medium to create a brand
recognition.

In todays world technology has reached in such a level that consumers can avoid advertisement
specially on digital platforms. However product placement has got some unique advantages
which is not possible in other communication methods. For instance, it is able to perform
‘Capturing without Distracting’. Individuals pay close attention to their favorite TV shows and
movies. By merging their products, brands can attain consumer’s attention without interrupting
them from their entertainment. Without any doubt, over-the-top (OTT) media stages, for
example, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, have people’s consideration. Netflix as of now flaunts more
than 158 million subscribers. That number alone says a lot to the potential intensity of in-media
showcasing. Product placement in movies is a tool for organic growth of brands. For a brand in
order to get to the big screens brands can either go with a paid placement which needs to be
negotiated with the networks, or an organic placement which works with the creator of the
movies or visual productions. In such cases brands usually offer their products for free which in
turn saves cost for the creative team of the movie or series. For e.g., in an American series called
24, there has been a huge product placement of SUV cars. The series needed fast and
comfortable cars and the cars shown here were properly placed and the viewer’s preferred the
utilities while watching the series.

In my point of view the last product placement that I could firmly recall is the once I’ve seen in
Salman Khan’s last film, Dabangg 3. Since I am a big fan of him, I pay deep attention watching
his movies or shows. Though I have seen a lot of placement after watching this film I could only
remember this one due to my interest in the movie. In this movie, two products had been
endorsed, one is a Cadbury five star and another one is a hair gel from set wet.
Product placement for Cadbury Five Star

Product placement for Set Wet hair gel

The communication process

Communication occurs when a sender wants to transfer a message to the receiver. The process in
which the message is transferred is known as encoding. It can be in form of texts, image or
whatever symbolic form it may take. The sender’s knowledge, skills, perception, background,
competencies, etc has a great role to play on the outcome of the message. After that the sender
has to choose what channel to use in order to transfer the message to the receiver, it must be
selected wisely so that the message is correctly and effectively interpreted by the receiver. The
choice of medium depends on the interpersonal relationship between the sender and the receiver
and also on the factor that how important the message is. Then comes decoding which is
completely done by the receiver, here the receiver interprets the sender’s message and tries to
understand it in the best possible manner. Effective communication occurs only when the
receiver understands the message in precisely the same way it was intended by the sender.

Noice represents the barfriers and obstacles in this communication process. There are even cases
when the messages that have been sent by the sender have nor reached to the receiver due to the
noice barriers.

Response or feedback is the final step or the ultimate step of the process it ensures that the
receiver has received the message and had interpreted it correctly. The feedback creates a
reaction which is communicated back to the sender.

If I use the placement of set wet gel in Salman Khan’s Dabangg 3 as an example, here the brand
set wet is sending a message to the viewers who are also the potential customers and other stake
holders of the brand. They are trying to tell us that the hero in the film uses this product in order
to be in the way he is(encoding). The channel here used is the film. Receiver who aspires to be
like the hero in the film gets the message thus they decode it. And if they choose to buy the
product later will be a response by the receiver to the sender.

2 With examples, discuss three cases (one for each) of product placements which took
advantage of: Comparative Ad Appeal, Humor Appeal, and Fear Appeal.

Answer to question-2
 Answer to question-2

Three cases (one for each) of product placement is discussed below

Fear appeal:Fear appeal

Fear appeal is part of emotional campaign. Fear and greed is something that can shape human
mind to some extent. Once the basic needs are fulfilled, brands focuses on emotional appeal to
force their products to their potential customers to generate high revenue. Among the list of the
Emotional Campaigns, fear sells the most because it motivates the human minds firmly. Fear is
included in our automatic mind and our rational mind is sometimes out of control. Brands, these
days, mysteriously convey the fear. This engage audience based upon fear. It is concerned with
how perceived threats and perceived efficacy (how you perceive safety and effectiveness of
responses to threat) can cause behavioral changes upon fear. Appeal to fear is only effective only
when there is strong perceived bond.

Example: A shortpublic service film by Mumbai traffic police.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4yGNDBBuy8)

In this short film, it shows the threat perceived by a mother when her son left without wearing a
helmet. Mumbai police tries to encourage their public to wear a helmet while riding a bike. This
short film shows the fear of a mother, while her son went out without wearing a helmet, and the
entire day she was waiting for her son to pick up the phone as he was not picking it up and she
fearing about his accident and/or death.

Humor appeal:

Humor appeal is part of emotional appeal campaign.Humor appeal can make someone laugh so it
instantly creates a positive impression about a product or a service. So in turn these potential
customers can be persuaded easily. Humor can soothe what might otherwise be an ordinary and
predicted ad. The right kind of humor will draw the audience's attention to natural interaction.
Humor appeal is useful to create a goodwill of a product or service. This makes the target
consumers laugh when the product is placed on a movie or a video. It also targets to be remain a
memory in target consumers’ minds so that consumers remember the product of service.
However, marketers should be very careful while placing humor since all of us might laugh at
the same joke.

Example: Netflix placement on The Big Bang Theory

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y__3TYIdVw)

This clip is from a famous sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” season 5. It shows that the boy,
Leonard, and his girlfriend is having a long distance relationship so they are trying to have an
online date over video call. However, all of a sudden the video call gets so Leonard tries to figure
out what happened. At that time his roommate, Sheldon, suggest that the video might have
frozen and also gives him the solutions so that they quickly wrap up their online dating while he
is trying to stream a movie on Netflix.

Comparative ad appealComparative ad appeal Comparative ad appeal

Comparative ad appeal is when a brand directly or indirectly claims to be superior compared to
its rival. It is famous on printed ads where they compare to its competitor side by side. It is
increasingly growing popular among marketers. Comparative ad appeal can be effective, but
marketers needs to be careful while using this strategy because the rival may take legal actions
against them. Moreover, consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and in a position to
check comparisons with independent Internet research. If marketers sell false information that
misinforms people, they have not only subjected themselves to their rivals' lawsuits but also
regulatory bodies, such as the Federal Trade Commission.

Example: Marvel claiming superior than DC at a promotional event

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoKCT8HAZ-
k&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1jHB6AsvkG5za27b8DpSsEZQLaDPnV_qc_ook9b02em9Mrz_
WT2l1Zjtw

The rivalry of Marvel and DC is very old. Starting from their comics to their movies, these are
continuously in competition with each other from a very long time. The video above is from a
promotional event of Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame movie. When the interviewer asked the cast
and crews of Endgame about DC’s Justice League, they replied “who are they?’ By this they
tried to portray that Marvel comics and movies are way more popular than DC’s comics and
movies.

Section B
 Section- B

1. What role does a TV and radio advertising play in the promotion of a Bangladeshi
blockbuster movie? Take into account a specific movie promotion into consideration,
preferably from the last 5 years, and dissect their TV and radio advertisement campaign.

Answer to question-3
Answer to question-3

Television plays a big role because it has got mass audience and it is an audio-visual medium
which can deliver a vast audience quickly that is crucial because films typically don't linger in
theaters more few weeks. The directors and producers of the film can choose the most watched
television shows based on their TRP’s and can choose to be on that show in order to promote
their firm. Being on the show does not only promote the film it also help in creating a bonding
with the viewers and other stake holders. It also allows the creator of the film to discuss what to
expect from the blockbuster, why it is unique, why viewers would like it etc. They can also
suggest what to keep in mind while watching the film, who to react with the expected scenes etc.

However the significant aspect out of all is that it helps the viewers to know more about the hero,
about the superstar from their country, to understand their lifestyle, how they think, what their
personality is etc. It is also a beneficial situation for the TV producers and their team as they will
have more viewers who will come from the filmmaker’s side. In Bangladesh the most listened
radio shows takes place at night since it is the time people are either working on their own or is
preparing to sleep and they need a audio content to keep themselves in a story telling or listening
environment.

Whenever any conversation comes up about any Bangladeshi blockbuster

movie, I can only relate this topic with the only Bangladeshi superstar, AnantaJalil. He is a self
made man who had turned the Bangladeshi film industry from heading towards a dark road to a
adventurous and sunny one. When it is about promoting the film the most traditional media is
TV, and it is the one that brings the most consumers. Almost all Bangladeshi family have a
television set in their home and they watch their TV for a considerable time every day. In today’s
era most of the important tv shows are uploaded to YouTube so that those who have missed it
may watch it at a letter time. Radio on the other hand is frequently used while travelling be it on
personal car or by using headphones in public transport. The numbers of radio listeners in
Bangladesh are also significant as it includes security guards, drivers, policemen, travelers, etc.

If I take a specific movie promotion into consideration it will be Anantajalil’s ‘Mostwelcome-2’

that was released on the eid of 2014. This film had a huge promotion activity and it was mostly
television based. So I clearly remember coming to a episode of Bangladeshi idol with his wife
Borsha aka heroine in the film ‘Most Welcome-2’. There he danced with Borsha with the hit
numbers from his previous films such as ‘NisharthoBhalobash’, ‘Most Welcome’, etc. he shared
where he went in for the shootings of the film, what experience he faced, how hard he worked
for the movie, who are the other actors participating here etc. Viewers also got a chance to ask
their favorite superstar questions directly and as a result it helped in convincing a lot of audience
to go out and watch the film during the Eid holidays. They had also launched some campaigns
such as the best five dubs mashers from the song of the film will get a free ticket to watch the
grand premier of the film etc.

All in all promotions in television and radio are very successful in Bangladesh. And nowadays
maximum contents on social media are taken from the television shows and the viral aspects are
shared on social media sites and different Whatsapp groups which suggests that television is the
most dominant medium in order to promote a film. Radio can also be used in order to gather
those who may be skipped in the television. Radio is a very inexpensive medium in order to
reach out to mass number of potential clients or customers who will watch the blockbuster
movie.
4. What kind of product placements have had the most success in print media (newspaper &
Magazine)? Why do you think that is? Explain using examples.

Answer to question-4
Answer to question-4

In Bangladesh print media is used by a elderly section of the society. Print media is used in
offices, and residents and the consumers are the educated and thus rich members of the society. I
believe that financial products like deposit schemes, loans and insurance had the most success in
print media. This is because it has got all the terms and conditions in details and the consumer
can cut the advertising part and keep it with themselves for future reference or use. Moreover
cell phone or television is watched in a relaxed or leisure time. People are not ready to take up
any detailed and complicated information’s while watching a movie or television advertisement.
However print media guarantees the right crowd since the viewers are educated and they are
mopping over the news paper most likely on their study table thus it increases the chance of
sending the right message to the right crowd.

For instance in the business section of the daily star every Friday a insurance company or a bank
places their products to the customers.

5. In the movie Jurassic World (2015), product placement of Samsung phones were seen as all
the park employees were using the phone. This backfired as in the plot of the movie, a call drop
from those Samsung phones almost led to the death of two children. This caused a rift between
the movie lead Chris Pratt and the company. What other examples of product placement
mishaps can you think of which may have led to a negative impact on the celebrity endorsement
deals?

Answer to question-5
Answer to question-5

A celebrity endorsement is an agreement between a brand and an influential person, where the
influential individual’s personality resonates with the brand’s target customers. Here a bonding is
formed between the brand and the individual and the person is said to fit in with the brand as a
result when a consumer think about the brand, they will eventually think about the person or vice
versa. For example, Dwayne Johnson popularly known as ‘The Rock’ endorses the brand Under
Armor.

However there are many cases where celebrity endorsements cause problems to the product or
influential character. The formula is very simple the brand should represent the standard of the
celebrity and in the same way the celebrity must also represent the standard of the brand. If the
standard of any one entity falls then it will negatively affect the other. For example, in
Bangladesh the brand ‘Marks Full Cream milk powder’ were endorsed by actor and singer
Tahsan khan and his family and the tagline of the product was ‘it keeps family strong’. However
after their diverse the brand had faced a lot of criticism regarding the tagline and poster as a
result they had to put down their banner and remove the controversial tagline.

Pepsi Makes (Unintentional) WavesPepsi Makes (Unintentional) Waves

In April 2017, a Pepsi advertisement featuring Kendall Jenner got a lot of individuals on the web
talking, yet for all an inappropriate reasons. In the advertisement, Jenner models for a displaying
photograph shoot as a crowd of dissenters cruises by. It’s unclear exactly what they are
protesting, but Jenner is intrigued nonetheless.Instead of angry chants and calls for change, these
protesters smile, laugh, dance, and fist-bump one another as Skip Marley croons, “We are the
movement/This generation/You better know who we are,” in the background. Rather than wry
slogans aimed at injustice, the marchers’ Pepsi-blue signs carry large peace symbols and calls for
unity. Jenner, unable to resist the crowd’s joie de vivre, rips off her blonde wig, wipes away her
lipstick, and joins the movement.
The strangeness of the harmless dissent gets absolute crazy in the advertisement's last minutes
when the dissidents arrive at a line of unsmiling cops. The group stops. Jenner gets a Pepsi out of
a cooler and strolls over the separation, giving the soft drink to one of the officials. With an
uproarious pop and bubble, he opens it and accepts a taste as the group goes wild. The cop grins
to his accomplice. Permitted to proceed with their walk, the words, "Live Bolder. Live Louder.
Live for the time being," move over the screen as the dissidents stroll toward the camera.
After the advertisement debuted, individuals on Twitter were quick to call attention to that it
trivialized complex relations between law authorization and networks of shading, particularly
following various fights around the nation encompassing police shootings in these networks.
Numerous individuals compared pictures from the advertisement close to genuine photographs
of conflicts with the police. Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr's. little girl, tweeted a
photograph of her dad being pushed by a white cop and stated, "If just Daddy had would have
thought about the intensity of Pepsi."

After the film ‘YehJawaaniHaiDeewani’ released, the producers of the film had to run into a
legal troubleas the makers of Roohafza on Monday moved the Delhi High Court seeking an
apology from them for presenting the popular squash in bad light.

Popular roohafza that is widely sold in India.

In the movie it was observed that the main lead actor in the film said that roohafza tastes bad
and it is a very old fashioned drink which harmed the image of the popular brand Hamdard from
India. As the makers of Roohafza moved to the Delhi High Court seeking an apology from them
for presenting the popular squash in bad light. Tolerating a supplication by Hamdard National
Foundation, the creators of Roohafza, that an exchange in the as of late discharged film
YehJawaniHaiDeewani focused on the "immaculate notoriety of a family unit drink", the Delhi
High Court has limited the movie producers from realizing it on TV.
The court has likewise given notification to the chief, maker and exchange journalists of the film,
requesting that they answer to the suit recorded by the establishment. "The litigants (producers),
their operators, delegates, chosen ones or some other people following up for their sake are
limited from discharging the home video rendition of the film of some other adaptation of the
film on satellite TV or internet which contains the frightful discoursed as grumbled in the suit,"
administered Justice Manmohan Singh, who has now requested that the respondents answer to
the supplication on July 15. "By all appearances case is made out by the offended parties for
encroachment of trademark," the court said. The court request went ahead an order suit
documented by the establishment, the maker of Roohafza. They guaranteed the item is an easily
recognized name in and outside India and the film Yeh Jawani Hain Deewani contains
questionable discoursed about the beverage.

References
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https://study.com/academy/lesson/comparative-advertising-definition-examples-quiz.html

Kenton, W. (2020, April 1). Comparative Advertising. Retrieved from Investoedia:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/comparative-advertising.asp

Middleton, A. (n.d.). 23 Types of Advertising Appeals Most Commonly Used by Brands. Retrieved from
Visme: https://visme.co/blog/types-of-advertising-appeals/

Mohammad, S. (2017, October 13). The Examples Of ‘Fear Appeal’ In Advertising -Emotional Branding.
Retrieved from Medium: https://medium.com/@shahmm/neglect-the-fear-emotion-and-your-
brand-would-pay-penalty-in-the-later-life-30ef3cf9f032

Newbolt, C. (2017, September 15). The Humor Appeal (Advertising). Retrieved from The VCG:
https://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2017/09/15/the-humor-appeal-advertising/

Peters, T. (2020). Council Post: Why Brands Should Take Advantage Of Product Placement. Retrieved 4
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