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"Title of the article"

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Title of the journal or the magazine or newspaper in italics

The article was published (if there isn’t one, you should probably reconsider using this source)

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"Smoking is rarely presented realistically as an addiction that leads to disease and death or that causes anguish and suffering in smokers' families" according to Annemarie Charlesworth and Glanz A. Stanton.

smoking is often portrayed in a romanticized form in media

went down from 1950s to 1980s and then rose again by 2000

More prevalent in children's media than adult media

Companies like Disney did not shy away from including both good and bad characters smoking

Tobacco and cigar companies had a hand as they needed the public perception of cigars to change

The portrayal of smoking also pushed gender stereotypes of how women and men dealt with anguish

these stereotypes can be seen to have influenced how impressionable children saw smoking as a form of release

A notable negative effect which product placement has been held accountable for in the past decades has been an increase of smoking addictions in the younger generation. According to Annemarie Charlesworth and Glantz A. Stanton, while cigarettes have been a commonly found product advertised through product placement in media, it was strictly done so by adult characters, mainly men, to show a desirable version of masculinity between the 1890's-1950's. However, following the CART regulations which considered smoking as a non-consumer-friendly product, cigarettes and tobacco were not as commonly seen in cinema. This also aligned with greater understanding of health damage caused by nicotine in medicine. Nevertheless, with the new practices of "under the table" practices and "tie-in" deals between film producers and advertising companies, cigarettes not only returned to the big screen, but seemed to pose a new threat to viewers. Rather than being mostly found in the hands of burly men, tobacco was seen smoked by a majority of underage characters in media created by young audiences. The growing feeling of nostalgia for different times in the 1990's-2000's, coupled with the emotional desperation that is common at a young adolescence caused many minors to form smoking addictions, according to Charlesworth and Stanton. A great cause for the shift came as a result of the negative perception and press in the media of smoking at the time and the need for companies such as "Marlboro" to shift public perception of their product. By depicting their product to a young and not yet highly perceptive audience, companies could get away with continuing to advertise non child friendly products in children's movies. Though age ratings existed at the time, the severity of actions such as smoking had fallen from R-rated to PG-13 by the 2000's. According to Charlesworth and Stanton, "All children's animated feature films released from 1996 to 1997 depicted at least 1 character smoking" and furthermore, "Leading actors smoked in 60% of popular films from 2002 to 2003." This had a catastrophic and direct impact on the youth of that generation. A report done by Charlesworth revealed "...experiment with nonsmoking 9th graders from California examined the effects of viewing an antismoking advertisement before a smoking movie. For adolescents who did not see the antismoking advertisement, smoking scenes generated significantly more positive arousal, led to more favorable beliefs about a smoker's stature, and increased their intent to smoke. These effects were not found in adolescents who viewed an antismoking advertisement before movie smoking." This result shows that without a clear warning of the product placement, audiences are susceptible to normalizing harmful behavior. Another study conducted in Vermont shows the consequences of the smoking exposure. "After adjusting for covariates associated with adolescent smoking initiation, adolescents in the highest quartile of exposure to smoking in the movies were 2.71 times more likely to have started smoking than those in the lowest quartile of exposure. Fifty-two percent of smoking initiation was attributable to exposure to smoking in the movies, a larger effect than that associated with cigarette advertising (34%)."

product placement is profitable

9-billion-dollar industry

untrustworthy

exploits people while they don't pay attention

has spread since 1900s

implemented from viewers skipping adds

dangerous for youth

"Paid exposure of products within visual and auditory content" according to McPherson.

Product placement is implemented to attract viewers and therefore is glamorized in the media that portrays it

"Lost" shows characters heavily struggling to open machinery that was advertising the episode. They were only able to do so when they got the key you need to open the machinery in real life

Adult products such as tobacco and condoms have historically been the most desperate to appear on shows as they have an incentive to need glamorization.

Popular reality TV shows such as "American Idol" charge high amounts of money as they are more watched

Companies will pay more money for their products to only be used by protagonists as it will subconsciously make viewers believe the products are of high quality

"German viewers, for instance, are particularly angry about it because several broadcasters this year have been found to have accepted illegally money for product placement" ("Lights, Camera, Brands; Product Placement").

"Some people think that paid product placement is sinister, and that it should be banned, or at the very least clearly disclosed in credits at the end of a program. ("Lights, Camera, Brands; Product Placement").

Following the release of E.T product placement did not become a dying practice by any means. Instead, it needed to find ways of adapting within the new regulation filled environment of televised media. Large advertising firms began to create "shady" ways of implementing products into shows and movies. These firms began to create brand associations rather than blatantly including products within an episode or segment ("Lights, Camera, Brands; Product Placement"). Large companies with monopolies over certain products would create strong branding and clear associations which would then later draw consumers to their brand. They did this by paying film producers to implement recognizable aspects of their products rather than the name brand itself. A notable example of this would be Coca Cola. Though nowadays the brand can be seen in many instances of product placement advertising, the same was not common during the 1900's and early 2000's. Instead, Coca Cola depended on a nostalgic feeling of Christmas warmth they had garnered in the 1950's, which allowed them to establish insignia around "THE" red soda to be had in wintertime. Due to this, every winter when seasonal movies would debut, Coca Cola profits would exponentially rise without fail. In other cases, such as the show "Lost", protagonists were in a situation in which they needed to open a machinery door in order to survive on an island. The machine itself was a placed promotional product and to subliminally prove its safety by being impenetrable without a specific key ("Lights, Camera, Brands; Product Placement").

The evolution of product placement from old movies made to promote tracks and rails shows how prominent it has become in pop culture

Consumerism is defined as "the preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods"

As media continues to push more products in every film and series, it forces consumerism on the audience who is unwillingly exposed to it

arguments by experts are made that viewers have some knowledge of what awaits them when they consume large amounts of media

that does not include children however as they are too unaware at that life stage

The shady practices are not always present and things such as "rational persuasion" do not cross ethical lines

They do exist with products that advertise unhealthy or unrecommended substances

"...it tends to be misinterpreted and therefore deceives and in some cases, is even considered “subliminal” in manner" according to Hornick.

Consumerism is defined as the preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods" according to Leigh-Ann Hornick. By this definition the impact that the growth of product placement has had can be compared to the growth of consumerism. As product placement has evolved throughout history consumerism has been risen parallelly. As product placement started in the 1890's till the 1950's, only one to two advertisements could be seen within movies and TV shows of the time. Following the CART and E.T restrictions of the 1960's and 1980's, the increasingly "under the table" and "shady" practices became popularized and routinized within media. This push for the normalization alarmed hawk-eyed consumers, but it did not raise enough suspicion as to affect profits. Therefore, the discrete version of the practice became the new staple amongst advertisers and film producers alike. Unlike the early product placement days where consumers were more aware of the distinction between substance and product, consumers nowadays have grown up and been indoctrinated in a product placement filled society. In direct parallel to the number of advertisements in recent media, addictions to shopping and psychological reliance on spending has increased. These practices exposed to young children have become alarming to parents and educators as children are subliminally influenced on purchasing or experiencing "adult products" such as alcohol and tobacco. Even when the product is innocent as a chocolate "Reese's Pieces", it can have a tremendous and rapid response from audiences. However, specialists have defended marketers who use these practices by stating that it falls under the category of "rational persuasion". This claim puts responsibility on viewers for the ways in which they interpret the media they consume. According to author of "Ethics and Manipulation", Micheal J. Phillips (qtd. in Hornick) "...it tends to be misinterpreted and therefore deceives and, in some cases, is even considered “subliminal” in manner." Hornick adds, though this method may not be as deceptive as it seems, it has been proven to affect consumers psychologies towards purchasing both consciously and subconsciously.

Product placement in media began with the industrial revolution

railroads had a large role in kickstarting it

the masses were not originally optimistic about this practice

Coca Cola created a large campaign which is still ongoing

They incorporated classic insignia which is now associated with them directly by pushing it through cinematic media

"Influence consumer behavior" according to Newell.

"Reciprocal promotional exposure" according to Newell.

To understand the shift in nature from straightforward messaging into hidden messaging, the evolution of product placement in cinematic media must be explained. According to Jay Newell, the earliest examples found between motion picture product advertisement is found in the Lumiere Brothers production of 1895 where the father-in-law of the Lumiere brothers, Frank Clark, who was the head of a beer production facility, could be seen pouring his beer into glasses within "The Card Game" movie. This planted the seeds of product placement and proved to be profitable which caused them to later create the first official contractual "tie-ins" with a Swiss businessman and UK based soap company. The web of connection and business relations allowed the Lumieres to show a widespread audience their movies, the soap company to gain product exposure within those movies, and the businessman to create an advertising firm. This model would only be the first brick in the road towards a 9-billion-dollar industry. Starting in the 20th century, the "tie-up" relation gained popularity as a result of Edison movies which created promotional relations between rail marketers and film producers. The marketers would provide Thomas Edison with free rails for his movies, and he would in turn show labels of these companies, as well as include segments where characters praise the rails. However, "tie-ups" proved difficult as television networks were getting restricted by advertisers on how much time they could run their shows and how much needed to be advertisement sections, cornering producers into singing product placement contracts instead. Throughout the 1950's and 1960's, NBC's Continuity Acceptance Reports or CART began to limit the advertisements that could be allowed on their TV network in response to the constant control by advertisers. According to Newell's article, the CART justification was unethical promotion of products concerning "sexuality, alcohol, crime, racial stereotyping, violence, juvenile delinquency, religion, profanity, and advertising credibility." Though NBC aimed to limit product placement access Colombia Pictures amongst others did not reject the mass amount of profit they could gain from the practice. Therefore, even with pushback from networks and the public opinion, product placement grew exponentially and took over media across the 1970's. However, all of this came to a head with the release of E.T in 1982.

Children younger than 8 are the most susceptible

Lacking advanced cognitive skills

Media that is heavily influenced by marketing raises addicted consumers

FTC enforces protections against the exploitation of children

Past trials that used forms of exploitation on consumer low self-esteem have worked in the past.

Young children to young adults are susceptible to self-esteem issues

Teens have gotten larger allowances

12-19 spend 103 dollars on average weekly

Tv channels have increased causing some to be specifically for children

"Advertising campaigns" directed to children by appealing to them visually and aurally

"Marketers expand their presence in the public schools" according to Calvert.

people see around 5k adds per day

5.3 trillion ads shown across medias per year

most ads are centered around themes that use pathos

colors and hues strongly impact the way an audience reacts

Greens and yellows and blues

showing images that seem innocent such as children and small pets creates an emotive response from an audience that will want to pay attention and feel a protective human nature towards these creatures

real examples like "Coca Cola" "Dove" "Google"

Creating long-lasting branding associated with your product can be achieved through product placement

"Coca Cola" now associated with red colors, Christmas and glass bottles

"Effective ads focus on what consumers feel, rather than on what they see or understand, to elicit the desired response" according to ("Thinking vs Feeling: The Psychology of Advertising").

According to ("Thinking vs Feeling: The Psychology of Advertising"), the most effective and persuasive tactics used by advertisers that directly attract audiences has been deemed the "Psychology of Advertising" by Walter Dill Scott in 1903. His understanding of the craft and later studies done in the future by psychologists have proven the efficiency of certain traits that trap viewers into considering certain products more seriously than others. According to ("Thinking vs Feeling: The Psychology of Advertising"), there are three types of main tactics used in product placement. Rational content which appeals to ethos and attracts the logical side of consumers. This tends to include statistics and graphs, allowing the viewer to rationalize purchasing the product advertised based on high ratings. Though this is the most common way of advertising to consumers it has also been the least successful across the history of product placement. Rather, causing an emotional response to the product advertised is a much more effective alternative. By creating a bond between audience and product, though parasocial, it will increase the chances of a purchase. Companies such as "Dove" with their "Real Beauty" campaign were able to touch on the pathos of their viewers by pushing a message of self-acceptance and love for one's unaltered image. This campaign focused on women and targeted it so that they became the center point of the campaign as well as the main consumers of the new line of bodywash and deodorant. Thus, it was used in many movies targeted at young women such as the "Barbie" movie of 2023. Lastly, the way colors as well as light are portrayed can dramatically change the mood and message relayed in an advertisement. Especially in the case of product placement where the themes, story and mood have been preplanned, a product needs to carefully decide what mood it wants to align with to have the greatest impact. Coca Cola has also perfected this color-based persuasion as exemplified by their "Happiness Factory" campaign where they cultivated an environment of optimism and warmth which aligns with their previous nostalgic theme. They used their signature red color as well as the constant associations of the drink with scenes of summertime campfires or wintertime carols. In a world where people are exposed to around 5 thousand advertisements per day brands focus on emotive responses as stated in ("Thinking vs Feeling: The Psychology of Advertising"),"Effective ads focus on what consumers feel, rather than on what they see or understand, to elicit the desired response."

Certain characters are specifically made to look more colorful and joyful in order to appeal to a younger audience

Children are the most susceptible audience

their frontal cortex has not developed yet so they lack the skills to be able to differentiate the movies from an advertisement

Brand deals between companies and movies push for characters usually shown to younger audiences to be tied to their products

kids see 40k advertisements per year

Children before the age of 8 cannot form grounded thoughts about their surroundings and have no past experiences to rely on

Parents being present does not change the effect the advertisements have on the children

"Although the kinds of products marketed to children have remained much the same, the buying power of children and adolescents has increased exponentially over time" according to Calvert.

According to Sandra L. Calvert, the reason for the number of ethical concerns and restrictions put on advertisers as well as justifications given by films against close "tie-ins" have historically centered around the younger generation is because they are the most susceptible to manipulation by adults and media. Children are the most easily exploitable demographic. According to Calvert, children see around 40 thousand advertisements a year as of 2008. This number only increased in the following years. Considering that advertisers are implementing persuasive tactics which prey on vulnerable and unassuming areas of human brains by exploiting the pathos and color associations, it is reasonable that children struggle the most with pointing out advertisements within content. Especially with the extreme normalization of product placement in media, it is impossible for children to distinguish what involves an advertisement from what does not. Adults have experience in the real world and their education as well as longer exposure to films and media has allowed them to gain a larger palette and therefore create distinctions. Adults are also more disillusioned by certain products which they may have tried themselves and do not believe highly glamorized versions of them shown on TV. While children dream to experience "adult" things such as smoking, drinking and spending their own large sums of money, most adults have already made decisions on how they feel on these topics and would be less likely to be persuaded by media. This strong impact also comes from the deep connection that children form with fictional characters and attempt to replicate those characters' behaviors. Adults are statistically less likely to do so. Children's media is also filled with cartoonish and colorful, eye attracting insignia. Characters such as SpongeBob were molded to be round, bright and cheerful in order to be easily marketable and easily tied to certain products. He is now in most "Nickelodeon" products from juice boxes to plushies.

The biggest factor to take into account of the addictive behaviors is the lack of perception of children

Adults are less influenced by product placement as they are more suspicious of something they are aware as being an ad

Children cannot see the difference and therefore become quickly influenced

By teaching children in families and schools to grow awareness and advance perception skills they will be less likely to be influenced by the media around them

giving them different pieces and asking them to point out the product placement

Visual/aural

teaching them distinctions between advertising filled media and non-advertising filled media

Train children on understanding contrasts between different kinds of product placement and take into regard why the companies would advertise this product on that media

"Students sharpen their critical visual literacy skills" according to McPherson.

Product placement has been proven to have a direct psychological effect on the younger generation which is likely to cause addictive natures festering within children as consumerism advances. Though the intent is not always malicious from advertisers, the constant subliminal exposure combined with the lack of cognitive understanding in children endangers them and rises ethical concerns, according to McPherson. Educators in contact with children and pediatric neurologists advise parents and teachers alike to educate the younger generation on understanding product placement. Through creating a safe environment where children can ask questions, distinguish commercials from content and not fall prey to addiction. According to McPherson, the best way to aid children would be to assist them in understanding and digesting content. In other words, teachers would help students advance their media literacy. Activities such as watching different segments of films and dissecting them in order to distinguish the film from the advertisement and point out the product placement will aid students in finding patterns within the content they consume. In comprehending and creating unique and thought-out judgement, children will not create addictions at an early age or develop them later as they would be able to notice red flags and subliminal messaging. By implementing these shields against media manipulation at a young age, children avoid the negative effects that can occur from product placement.

Partaking in dangerous activities inspired by media children consume

Learning deficiencies stemming from childhood addiction

Obesity being influenced by product placement and celebrity worship in media

Pepsi experiment

Home alone experiment

Smoking addictions growing as cinematic media becomes more influential than familial influences

Youth risk behavior being concerned for children in America

Alcohol addictions becoming more common amongst young adolescents after being exposed to it overtly in cinematic media

young actors being cast in roles that advertise alcohol

"Five critical types of adolescent health risk behaviors" according to Escobar, Soledad and Anderson.

These tactics have been proven to be efficient, yet highly dangerous in certain context. According to Chaves et al, due to the lack of cognition at early ages, parents have become increasingly worried of the effect which product placement has had on their children. This stems from the increase in aggression, smoking, obesity and learning deficiencies that have begun since childhood. Studies done by these researchers have given staggering and concerning results. From the 1970's to 2003, childhood obesity rates rose to 17% from the original 5%. Obesity is not an exception in the matter as smoking rates as well as aggression rates found in children have dramatically risen. Pediatrics from National Health Examination have noticed the tie between childhood delinquency and product placement in media. The media itself has replaced the influence of the parental role, according to Chaves et al. This is due to the increased screen time afforded to children as well as their increasing dependency on trends that circulate. According to Chavez et al, when companies such as "Marlboro" notice that they can gain a new audience, sheltered from their parents on separate channels, who are not able to distinguish their product placement in the newest movies and are inclined to fit in, children pay the price.

neurotic behavior comes from the confrontation of social or political issues that are thrusted upon teens

confusion leads to delinquency when not confronted well

Dangerous for girls and boys alike to seek constant approval or let it persuade them by people who could exploit them

children are sheltered from the world and therefore lack an understanding of how to combat its issues

Children are blind sighted by the cruelty of their environment when they reach adolescence

They cling onto their old lives and try to find fragments of it

Older people who can profit from this will find ways to exploit desperation

"All the dangers of adolescence are caused by inadequate training to cope with the three tasks of life" according to Adler.

The lack of comprehension from children can be seen from the studies of researcher and top student of world-renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler in his book "the psychology of Life" where he speaks on the adolescent mind and its weaknesses and impulses in chapter 8. Adler states that neurotic behavior comes from the confrontation of social or political issues that are thrusted upon teens and that the confusion festered within them leads to delinquency when not confronted well. He found that it proved dangerous for girls and boys alike to seek constant approval or let it persuade them by people who could exploit them. He also found that children who are sheltered from the world lack an understanding of how to combat its issues and are instead blind sighted by the cruelty of their environment when they reach adolescence. They cling onto their old lives and try to find fragments of it in escapism. Older people who can profit from this will find ways to exploit desperation.