Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
With Valentines Day just around the corner, couples around the world will surely be watching the film ?He?s Just Not That Into You,? which is based on the famous book written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo.
The newest ?Chick Flick? stars Jennifer Anniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, and Justin Long. Aside from the stars, there are also confirmed product appearances in the film. One of which is the renowned social-networking site MySpace.
In the film, Mary (Barrymore) attempts to meet people through MySpace.com. However, her friends tell her that MySpace is not the place to be looking for men. Moreover, her closest friends told her that it might be a ?Sleazy? platform to meet people in. As the movie ends, Mary closes her MySpace account, an act that gave her utmost liberation and freedom.
Question is, did MySpace know about this product placement?
Chris Matyszczyk from CNET News reacts, ?Of course, there’s also the extremely cynical idea that the movie was produced by New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros, while MySpace is the full brother of 20th Century Fox. But I can’t believe anyone would stoop so low merely for commercial reasons.?
Matyszczyk does have a great point. However, there is an equal counter argument. Whether the product placement was paid for or not, it still brings attention to the site, which is beneficial. As long as the name recall of the site is passed onto the audience, the site benefits. It?s just a matter of straightening perception.
If we have learned anything in marketing, it is that sometimes controversy can work.
