Most of us have become familiar with product placement in movies, music videos, and even video games at this point. Although it’s in nearly every major blockbuster, you can’t help but roll your eyes every time a film focuses on a product that isn’t relevant to the film. It’s hardly ever subtle and tasteful. In fact, in most cases, it even feels like the films are nothing but extended adverts for a certain beverage or device. Still, we have to appreciate that while these brand names are getting a form of advertising and brand awareness, they are also helping production companies around the world bring our favourite movies to life.
Product placement is a great way to get a large audience’s brand recognition, especially when it is in a movie. Let’s take a look at some unforgettable examples of product placement in movies and on the silver screen.
1. McDonald’s – Mac And Me
There are few things as cringe-worthy as the blatant punt for McDonald’s in 1988’s Mac And Me.
Someone at Mickey-D’s saw Spielberg’s E.T. and thought it would be a great way to sell burgers to kids of all ages. That person clearly didn’t believe in subtlety.
In the scene above, the alien, cleverly named Mac, visits a McDonald’s, where kids are randomly dancing and having the time of their lives. To make it even more insulting, Ronald McDonald, the clown, even makes a cameo.
I’ve been to McDonald’s hundreds of times, and I’ve yet to see this kind of behaviour. Heck, I have yet to see Ronald McDonald there.
2. Krispy Kreme – Power Rangers
You probably weren’t the only one who felt like eating doughnuts after watching the latest Power Rangers movie.
The film was literally littered with Krispy Kreme boxes and mentions, and the plot even involved a Krispy Kreme location. Talk about the overuse of product placement.
My favourite has to be the scene where the villain, Rita Repulsa, actually stops to eat a doughnut in the middle of world domination.
3. General Motors – Transformers
Let’s face it: as cute as he is, Bumblebee is a walking, talking advertisement for General Motors.
In the franchise’s first movie, the character is a transforming 1976 and 2006 Chevrolet Camaro. Moreover, most of the other car-changing robots are from GM, too.
Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise has become a neat way to sell cars and toys.
4. Ihop – Man of Steel
Not even the DCEU is safe from deliberate product placement.
In Man of Steel, the Son of El seems to enjoy fighting around IHOP (International House Of Pancakes) for some reason.
Hell, one of his childhood friends even happens to be a manager there. It’s remarkably convenient.
I wonder if Superman gets a discount?
5. Twinkies – Zombieland
Twinkies are the cornerstone of any zombie film.
Okay, maybe they’re not. But they definitely should be.
Zombieland uses snack cake as McGuffin in the 2009 film. Hey, it worked. You couldn’t wait to see Woody Harrelson’s Tallahassee finally get one.
6. Converse – I, Robot
Will Smith plays a bad-ass detective who has a special hate for robots in the action sci-fi flick I, Robot. But while he hates technology, he has a special weakness for all things old and classic.
In the film, we see Smith advertise Converse All-Stars a few times, even pulling a brand-new pair out of the box.
When was the last time your boss complimented you on your shoes?
7. Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Hut – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are famous for their love of pizza. It only makes sense that an advertiser would want their product to be the Turtles’ choice of pizza.
While the ’90s Turtles preferred Domino’s Pizza, the 2014 characters got their pizza from Pizza Hut.
8. Nike – Back to the Future
It might be thirty-some years later, but we’re still talking about the Nike sneakers worn by Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) in Back to the Future.
The self-lacing Nike Mags became a reality in 2015. It was one of the most successful product placements of all time.
9. Coca-Cola – Superman
Who can forget the classic scene where Christopher Reeve’s Superman spins and tosses Terence Stamp’s General Zod into a Coca-Cola sign?
It is easily one of the most memorable product placements ever.
Just ignore the large Marlboro truck that Superman gets chucked into and focus on the cool exploding Coca-Cola signage.
10. Ray-Ban – Top Gun
Back in the ’80s, Top Gun gave Ray-Ban a massive boost in sales when Tom Cruise famously wore Aviator sunglasses in nearly every scene. Everyone and their grandmother felt the need… the need for giant black sunglasses.
The crime comedy is well-known for the appearance of a young Tom Cruise as Joel Goodsen. In a particular scene, the actor sports a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.
Cruise is known to this day for always wearing a pair of sunglasses in nearly every movie he is in, a theme that could have been started with Top Gun and Risky Business.
11. Nokia – The Matrix
The Matrix used a lot of phones. All of them were from Nokia. All of them were cool. All of them became must-have items.
That’s a really good example of product placement in movies. To this day, I associate Nokia with The Matrix.
12. Heineken – Skyfall
In 2012, James Bond broke tradition and did the unspeakable. Instead of having his usual Martini “shaken not stirred”, he opted for a Heineken beer.
Ian Fleming probably rolled over in his grave.
Either way, the sponsorship probably saved Skyfall, which had problems with the budget and the studio.
13. Mini Cooper – The Italian Job
Aside from the Mini Coopers on display, most people probably don’t remember much about The Italian Job.
Who acted in it? What was the story about? Nope, nothing.
All everyone remembers are those beautiful British cars (they are not Italian).
14. Wilson Sporting Goods – Cast Away
Who can forget Wilson from Cast Away?
Who knew that we would feel so emotional about a volleyball? I’m not sure there is a more famous ball in the world today.
While the idea might have simply started as a product placement moment, Wilson from Wilson Sporting Goods might have become one of the most iconic “characters” in the movie.
15. Head & Shoulders – Evolution
Shampoo once saved the universe. At least, that’s what Evolution had us believe.
The movie’s main characters use Head & Shoulders shampoo to destroy the alien organism trying to take over the earth, with a minor flaw in their plans.
While it’s obvious that this was done mostly for product placement, the excuse was that Head & Shoulders contains selenium, the element that they needed to destroy the organism.
Unfortunately, this isn’t true, but Evolution had all of us fooled. I don’t know if they sold more shampoo after this, but it was an interesting attempt.
16. Aston Martin – James Bond: Casino Royale
If anyone in the business is known for driving classy cars, it is James Bond. It couldn’t have been any more perfect to have a stunning Aston Martin as a part of the James Bond film Casino Royale.
While it’s doubtful that the general watcher is Aston Martin’s target audience, the placement of the car in the movie with an iconic character like James Bond definitely gave the global brand an even higher level of prestige.
17. Wayne’s World
There was a running joke about product placement in Wayne’s World, mainly thanks to a one-minute-long scene that included brands like Pizza Hut, Doritos, Reebok, Nuprin, and even Pepsi.
The irony is that the scene is about how the two main characters (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) want to refrain from bowing to the marketing strategy their production company is trying to get them to participate in.
18. Reese’s Pieces – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Young Elliot (played by Henry Thomas) uses Reese’s Pieces to lure E.T. out of hiding, strewing them about in a kind of Hansel and Gretel-type fashion.
Far Out Magazine has an interesting story about why Spielberg used Hershey Foods’ Reese’s Pieces. Mars Incorporated owns M&Ms and wouldn’t consent to the filmmaker using their candy in his movie.
The funny part is that Mars Incorporated missed out because the movie increased the sales of Reese’s Pieces by more than 300%.
19. Dr Pepper – Forrest Gump
We all know and love the hilarious moment when Tom Hanks’ character Forrest Gump drinks “about 15 Dr Peppers” and tells the president of the United States that he has to go to the bathroom.
20. Taco Bell – Demolition Man (American Release)
Even the dystopian future isn’t safe from fast food franchises, as Taco Bell made its way into the movie. Having one “The Franchise Wars”, Taco Bell is a part of every food chain in America and was converted into a gourmet restaurant, becoming one of the only options for “fine dining” in the dystopian future.
21. Panasonic Batteries – Toy Story (Japanese Release)
Toy Story was famously a movie with little to no product placement in the film, other than Panasonic, who paid to have their batteries appear in the baby monitor of the Japanese release. In every other movie version, the batteries are just some generic AA batteries.
22. Beats Headphones – Jurassic World
Early in the movie, Zack Mitchel (Nick Robinson) wears a pair of Beats Headphones. He wears them throughout the less thrilling parts of the movie to drive home the idea of him being an angsty teen who escapes the boredom of “dumb” dinosaur exhibits.
23. Oliver Peoples – Fight Club
Suppose you don’t know what I’m referring to off the bag. In that case, you have to recognise Tyler Durden’s signature red sunglasses that he is famous for wearing and is one of the most featured of any brand’s products in the film with a good couple of minutes of screen time.
They weren’t the only sunglasses seen on the character in the film, as he was well-known for the look of sunglasses with nearly any outfit. Still, they were definitely one of the most iconic.
24. Wonka Chocolate Bar – Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
This one might be cheating because of the order in which things transpired, but it still needs to change the fact that it’s one of the most famous product placements ever.
After Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory came out in 1971, the Wonka Brand was created in the wake. Demand for the chocolate bar skyrocketed, so Nestle bought the Wonka brand, founded “The Willy Wonka Candy Company, and started distributing the iconic chocolate bars.
25. White Castle – Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
While most product placement scenarios last only a few minutes, what better marketing technique could you ask for than the name of your restaurant being in the movie’s title? Not only is it the title, but the whole point of the entire film is precisely what the title says: Harold and Kumar go to White Castle just for those little burgers.
26. Carl F. Bucherer Watches – John Wick 2
One thing that Keanu Reeves’ assassin is known for is the impeccable way that he dresses. Co-director Chad Stahelski explained to Worldtempus why they chose to work with this particular brand of watches, saying they wanted something classic that wasn’t overused or too well-known.
27. Papa Johns – Uncharted
Mark Wahlberg’s Victor Sullivan is going through a city looking for an ancient ruin in a rare movie where a video game was adapted into a movie and was pretty successful. A Papa John’s has been built in front of it. While we don’t see it for long, Sully says, “I’m literally in a Papa Johns right now”.
28. Red Crown Gasoline – The Garage
Starring Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, the 1920 movie is one of the first known examples of product placement ever. Taking place in the early 1900s, it would be sacrilege to keep this silent film off the list.
Despite being black and white until it was colourised, it still stands as a moment in history, as the first product placement ever.
29. Beats Pill – Transformers: Age of Extinction
One of the products that was quickly displayed was the Beats Pill, which was seen and also made part of the script. We only see it briefly, but the movie contributed to when everyone was using Beats headphones and the Pill.
Honourable Mention
So, now that we have covered the 29 best product placements of all time in movies, ones that were great and ones that were a bit cringy but memorable nonetheless. The rest of these are honourable mentions because they don’t fit into the movie category. Still, they deserve some attention nonetheless.
Quentin Tarantino managed to fool the world into thinking that his fictional brand of cigarettes, Red Apple Cigarettes, was genuine, thanks to his use of the fictional brand in a couple of his movies. The signature Tarantino cigarettes were seen in movies like True Romance, Pulp Fiction, and From Dusk Till Dawn. They even had their own billboard in Kill Bill (oh wow, I’m just now getting that pun. Well done, Tarantino).
Manolo Blahnik – Sex And The City
This one is relegated to the honourable mentions section because it is part of the television show product placements rather than movies, but it still deserves a moment. In Season 6 of the show, Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw stands up for herself and her love for her Manolo Blahnik heels.
Lacoste – Stranger Things
Again, I’m cheating on this one by including TV shows, but it wouldn’t be comprehensive without including this one. Jason Carver, played by Mason Dye, wears a Lacoste shirt for the entire second episode of season 4.
Cocaine in Scarface and meth in Breaking Bad
White Castle in Harold and Kumar
That was already in the list, did you not read it?
Starbucks in Austin powers
How about American airlines in the Home Alone movie? :)
what about foodfight
I don’t car me if there’s product placement in movies or shows. If it’s done right, that is.
I saved up and got myself the Nokia 7110 because it was similar to the one used in The Matrix. Also, Oakley is a brand that shows up in a lot of movies, especially in movies relating special forces or extreme stunts.
Very true
That Krispy Kreme product placement in Power Rangers was freaking awful.
Burger king in MIB2
All the iron movies with the audis
How is Demolition Man and their Taco Bells/Pizza Hut NOT on this list?