Product placement on social media
Social media is accessible to us all, but knowing how to use it doesn’t necessarily mean you are using it to its maximum potential. While being a social media expert is hardly important if you’re using certain apps for personal purposes, if you’re a business, excelling in your social media marketing is key to staying on top of the game in your field.
There’s lots that can be done behind the scenes to improve your social media outreach, but all of it is fairly pointless if the content you are posting to your feed is failing to make the desired impact. To succeed as a business on social media, you have to know how to achieve the correct balance between advertising your brand and entertaining your audience. An easy way to combine the two is to experiment with product placement in your images.
What is product placement?
Product placement on social media refers to giving exposure to your products by means of including them in lifestyle shots in which the product isn’t necessarily the key focus of the image. This could be in your own images, or in somebody else’s, such as through a celebrity or influencer endorsement. The key to a successful product placement is to not give off the deliberate impression of advertising; rather, the product should naturally fit into an image or video and add to the overall composition without being an overwhelming feature. If you would like your clothing product placement to be the center of attention then take a look at our clothing photo guide for social media.
Who is excelling at product placement?
Knowing where to start with product placement can be fairly daunting, and if you’re uncertain, it’s worth taking a look at some of the successful campaigns ran by the biggest brands on social media, and taking inspiration from those. Once you start actively looking out for it, you’ll realise that product placement is everywhere, and you should be able to easily find a few good examples from a business within your own industry that you can learn from.
Below are a few examples of brands that have successfully implemented product placement into their social media strategies on Instagram, both on their own platforms and through influencer and celebrity campaigns.
Neal and Wolf, influencer campaign
Styling and haircare brand Neal and Wolf successfully implemented product placement in a campaign with UK-based influencer Scarlett London. The product, a Blow-Dry Balm, is not the main feature of the image, but is part of a wider lifestyle shot that doesn’t give off too much of an advertorial impression. Because the image is creatively shot and has a more personal feel, it is more fun for social media users to look at, giving a higher likelihood of more successful brand exposure for Neal and Wolf.
Adidas, FIFA collaboration
Sportswear company Adidas worked with FIFA in a product placement post on its Instagram account which features England women’s footballer Becky Sauerbrunn. Product placement works particularly well in this image as the main focus of the shot is Becky and her football medal, rather than the jacket she is wearing. However, the renowned Adidas stripes are still clearly presented within the image, promoting the brand without excessive advertisement.
Popchips, celebrity campaign
UK crisp manufacturers Popchips implemented product placement into a number of celebrity endorsement campaigns, including this image, posted to Love Island’s Wes Nelson’s Instagram account. The reality TV star has added humour to the shot, so that although the product placement is less disguised by other features than in other images, the audience’s focus is on Wes, and the entertainment value takes away from its advertorial purposes.
Tips for product placement on social media
If you’re keen to give product placement a go yourself on social media, take a look at the following tips for success:
– Reach out to influencers (if your budget will allow)
One of the easiest ways to implement product placement on social media is to reach out to influencers and celebrities to work on a collaboration for your product. An influencer can take the majority of the hard work away from you, coming up with their own ideas for images and adding their individual personal touch. Be aware, though – influencers and bloggers with a larger social media following will expect payment from brand collaborations, and you must be willing to part with your cash for a feature.
– Get creative
There’s no reason why you can’t give product placement a go yourself, and there are plenty of ways you can get creative and include your product in the most unexpected of shots. Many brands have had success in the past from creating deliberately incongruous images, which is always worth a try – if you’re selling herbal tea, for example, why not photograph a mug in the middle of a crowd at a rock concert? The more entertaining you can be for your audience, the more successful you’ll be at creating an impact.
– Don’t be obvious
In the same way that obvious product placement in a film (like when the camera lingers for far too long on that Heinz ketchup bottle) is plain embarrassing, the same goes for social media images and videos. Unless your image is clearly for advertorial purposes only, try to avoid product placement that practically screams about the product in your audience’s face. It’s better if the product isn’t a main feature of the image, unless you can find a really unique, humorous or entertaining way to make it so.
– Know your target audience
When it comes to product placement, knowing your audience is key to a successful campaign. There’s no point collaborating with fashion bloggers if you’re trying to get your wireless phone charger in front of more eyes – because it will most likely end up in front of the wrong eyes. Make sure you keep your target audience in mind when you’re considering product placement; think about age, gender and spending trends, and how these factors will affect the sort of content they’ll be interested in seeing. Be wise, and don’t waste your time trying to appeal to the wrong audience.
