10 Most Obvious Movie Product Placements

And there are probably a lot more to come
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 26, 2010 10:11 AM CDT
10 Most Obvious Movie Product Placements
Bumblebee, an autobot from the movie "Transformers", walks past a model standing next to the Chevrolet Camaro on display at the Beijing Auto Show in Beijing Sunday, July 26, 2009.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Iron Man 2—with its “$100 million marketing bonanza” featuring tie-ins and cross-promotions with Burger King, Dr. Pepper, Audi, 7-Eleven, and more—proves that “selling out has officially become the way to get movies made,” writes Jo Piazza on PopEater. With that in mind, the 10 most blatant examples of product placement in film:

  1. Transformers: Bumblebee the Autobot is also a 2009 Camaro—and General Motors paid $3 million for the honor.
  2. You’ve Got Mail: Even the title is a shout-out to AOL. The movie’s theme? “If you don't use AIM, you will indeed die alone...just like you've always feared.”

  1. Mission: Impossible: It’s a good thing Ethan Hunt isn’t a PC. Certainly his Apple products play a big part in his ability to save the world.
  2. Cast Away: “We've never been able to decide if this product placement was good or bad for the FedEx image. The FedEx plane did crash (not a good thing), but in the end Tom Hanks delivers the package (good thing).”
  3. ET: One of the most well-known examples of “post-modern placement,” ET’s deal with Reese’s Pieces scored the candy a 65% increase in sales.
For the complete list, and some fun videos, click here. (More Cast Away stories.)

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