Internet Fastest Paid Product Placement Segment

The Internet is now the fastest growing segment of the paid product placement industry, according to a new outlook from media industry economic analyst PQ Media. While still one of the smallest product placement mediums in the branded entertainment category, paid product placements grew 11.1% to $40 million in 2009, a year in which the overall marketplace declined 2.8% to $3.61 billion, according to the PQ Media Global Branded Entertainment Marketing Forecast 2010-2014.

The availability of content through the internet, mobile devices and social networks, the difficulty of reaching more elusive target consumers, and the transformation of personal communications due to these developments have made it more important than ever for brands to invest in strategies to engage target consumers in captive locations for extended periods of time through the power of emotional connections.

The full report provides many online examples of branded entertainment marketing strategies including, among others, Lady Gaga’s 9.5-minute video for Telephone, which includes 10 product placements and generated more than 4 million views in its first 24 hours, as well as her video for Bad Romance, which also includes multiple placements and has been viewed over 230 million times.