Why is the use of product placement important?

I am in the preparation stages of my Thesis study and am aiming to explore the role of product placement in South Africa. What would you find to be an interesting study in regards to product placement, that you feel would be of use?

• Answer:

  I recently did my thesis on product placement in the film industry in the states. Generally I found that there was not a consensus on the research out there. Here were some specific holes though that need more research: 1) Viewer attention to placements based on blatancy 2) Viewer attention to placements based on repetition 3) How attention transfers to purchases 4) How effective product placement is (as Return on Investment) 5) Generally, what makes product placement effective If you are looking specifically for something to do with South Africa, I might compare the legislation between South Africa, the US, and maybe the UK (where the BBC has banned product placement until 2012). It really depends if you are looking at it from the perspective on the viewer (what annoys them or how it affects them) v. the perspective of the business (how much to spend or is it worth the investment) v. the perspective of the film (does product placement turn art into a commercial).