Branding at the movies: Apple leads the way... again

If you're ever in need of a hero, you could do a lot worse than Jack Bauer. Jack has busy days. When he's not averting the many surfeits of disaster compressed into 24-hours (sure it's contrived, but it's entertaining), Jack apparently goes shopping.

By Christopher Lazley

4 Apr 2011

How else could you explain his clear brand preference for Apple Mac? Not a few plot cliffhangers have hinged upon Jack's penchant for Mac-branded products. And is it by chance that those intrusive FBI agents always use Dell machines?

In truth, strategic product placement saturates the film industry. Essentially, it's the insertion of brands into contexts that aren't otherwise geared toward brand promotion (such as movies). According to Brandchannel, an online exchange that tracks new directions in brand development, Apple topped the list of product placements in 2010, making an appearance in roughly one-third of the year's top films. It beat out contenders Nike, Chevrolet and Ford (24%), and Sony, Dell, Land Rover and Glock (each of which appeared in 15% of top films). Looking back more broadly, BrandChannel notes that Apple-branded products have appeared in over one-third of all the top-grossing films at the US box office between 2001 and 2010, more than McDonalds and Nike combined.

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About the author

Christopher Lazley is a contributor on [[www.memeburn.com]].