Wanting what you See & Hear: Product Placement in Music Videos

Music Speaks to Everyone

They say love is the universal language but it’s really music. The world needs music more than ever and music is everywhere these days. You can listen to any artist or song you want with a quick search, stream radio stations from across the globe, and have an almost limitless library of music with you wherever you go.

Brands & Products are the Co-Stars of Music Videos

Computers, tablets and phones have become virtual jukeboxes, but they are also the perfect screens for music videos. It’s storytelling in short bursts. Look around and you’ll see people watching music videos on their commute, waiting for a flight, during a lunch break, between classes or at home to escape. And where there are music videos, there are music stars, and where there are stars comes product placement and branded marketing. Star, meet your co-star.

I Want to Be Like You… Talk Like You, Walk Like You

Obviously artists get paid to have certain brands front and center. Well, some may be off to the side and slightly subtler but fans pick up on what they see. It’s like a treasure hunt. And if they think that a brand is something their favorite artist likes, the association becomes solid, and they’ll want those products, too.

The bigger the star, the bigger the cost but getting those eyeballs on your brand and growing awareness is key. The artist becomes an influencer for the brand, and sometimes, the brand becomes an influencer for the artist. Think of it as an integrated marketing and brand chicken and egg. Sometimes one comes first,
sometimes it’s the other.

Brand Integration Spending Rocks and Pops

After a several year lull, product placement spending in music videos is back. Brands see the value of getting a younger and more diverse set of eyes on their products. Whether it’s what the artist is wearing, eating or drinking, or something they have in their room or on their person, those products pop and get noticed. What people see and hear is what they want.

Recent examples of product placement in music videos.

Dior – Blackpink music video

Coinbase – Charlie Puth music video

LIFEWTR – Doja Cat music video

Gucci – Nigo ft. A$AP Rocky music video

Zoox – Khalid music video

Bottega Veneta – Drake ft. Future and Young Thug music video

PS5 – Lil Nas X music video

Be an insider, not an outsider. 

Marketing has evolved past the era of interruptive ads. Now, brands and musicians collaborate together for the benefit of each other. Get started by creating an account on HOLLYFY.com