How to Get Product Exposure Through Movie Product Placement

Through the years product placement has been a big part of the movie industry. Advertisers pay a small fee to get their products in a movie with the hope that movie goers will see the products and rush out to buy them after the film ends. In some cases the company may donate their goods for free based on the amount of sales they’ll get later. Product placement can be a great way to spread the word for your product, but first you have to get it in the movie. Read on to learn how to get product exposure through movie product placement.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Wait for the film company, producers or set designers to come to you. When it comes to product placement, some people are just lucky. Someone associated with the movie may find your product and decide that it would be perfect for the film. In the case of "Sex and the City," the woman in charge of dressing the actors actively sought out the items for the movie and arranged the deals.
2. Subscribe to "Backstage" or another similar magazine devoted to actors and talent scouts. This shows you what movies are currently casting or in production, which can be helpful. If no one comes to you, you’ll need to go to them and first you’ll need to know what movies are coming up.
3. Research the movie using the Internet Movie Database. Once you search for the movie you’ll find a list of all the actors, producers, directors, writers and anyone else associated with the movie. In most cases you can also find contact information for those individuals.
4. Send a letter along with a copy of your product to everyone associated with the film. Your letter should clearly state why you think your product would be a good fit with the movie. It’s a great idea to send products to up and coming actors who aren’t used to getting free things yet. They might just send your name along to the director.
5. Contact marketing executives at various film studios in the same way you did above. Send them a letter along with a free sample. These executives can be found by searching the Internet Movie Database. If the executives think you have a good product, they’ll consult you about working out a product placement deal.

Tips & Warnings

• Cold calling or sending your products out can result in some negative or downright nasty responses from people working on the film. In some cases you may lose your product and never hear back anything.
• Don’t send your products to a movie unless you’re sure that your product will fit with the theme of the film. For example a movie set in the 1800s will have no use for computers, cell phones or any other technological items.