You will receive a total of 1 dining table, 3 side chairs and 1 bench.
Table: 47 1/4″L x 20″D x 35″H
Chairs: 17 1/2″W x 20″D x 35″H
Bench: 36″L x 12 1/4″W x 19″H
Finish: Cappuccino
Material: Wood, Leather Like Vinyl
5pc Dining Table, Chairs & Bench Set Cappuccino Finish
Table features rectangular top.
Chair features ladder back.
Chair and bench feature cushioned seats, wrapped in a durable leather…
Tavern 3 Piece Counter Set with space saving convenience. This set features a simple rectangular table on long sturdy legs with two backless counter height stools . Stools tuck neatly under the table when not in use. Assembly required. Assembled Size: 42″w x 22.25″d x 36″h….
The Baby Einstein Company’s “video board books” were designed as music-focused developmental tools to stimulate babies’ brains (prompted by research proving that exposure to classical melodies can improve verbal ability, spatial intelligence, creativity, and memory in youngsters). Now the company is expanding into other art forms, including color and art. The idea remains the same–taking bold…
The setting is the wonderful 2,000-seat Marin Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael, the last of 12 acoustic shows John and Jerry played that winter. It’d been a solid tour, with sold-out concerts in a number of cool East Coast venues. But this was a hometown show – literally – so the air was both relaxed and festive. The twelve songs collected here on a single disc are the complete two-set …
Enjoy the luxurious comfort and superior cleanliness of a bidet in your own home, without expensive remodeling. The Astor Bidet Fresh Water Spray Non-Electric Mechanical Bidet Toilet Seat Attachment converts any standard toilet into a bidet in just a few minutes – no special tools or plumbing skills required.
The Luxe Bidet MB110 Non-Electric Fresh-Water Bidet Spray with Single Nozzle easily attaches to any standard two-piece toilet without the need for special tools. Featuring one fresh water connection and one nozzle, this premium bidet offers a hygienic and comfortable alternative to rough toilet paper.The MB110 Fresh-Water Bidet Spray with Single NozzleAt a Glance:Connects directly to fresh-water s…
GunVault NV300 Nanovault Safe 9.5X6.5X1.75 Cable Black Combo NV300. Note: Please check your state regulations, hunting regulations, etc before placing an order for any of our items. Your order may be canceled if the item is not able to be shipped to your state due to their regulations….
Product Placement in China: A Branding Opportunity
Chu Yuxun is still excited after her battle against campus bullies. Her hair appears wet and messy. Suddenly, her piano teacher appears and recommends a new shampoo brand, insisting Chu needs silk protein to improve her hair’s condition. The camera then zooms in on the Slek shampoo logo and holds the image on screen for what seems like an eternity.
The passage above may sound like a TV commercial, but actually it is one of the many product placement scenes from a highly popular yet controversial TV series in China “Let’s Go Watch Meteor Shower” often simply called Meteor Shower. The so-called “youth idol drama” tells the life and struggle of four wealthy boys and a poor but pretty girl studying in the same college. The love story reflects clashes between different social classes in China.
Scenes containing product placements appear approximately every five minutes during the show, according to an unofficial calculation conducted by a group of viewers who were outraged by the many brands’ constant appearances1. In fact, the product placements are one of the main drivers behind the controversy surrounding Meteor Shower.
By examining the use of product placement in this popular Chinese TV series, we will gain insights into ways it can be used effectively by brands. This article will give an overview of product placement, discuss the brands featured in Meteor Shower, and review the successes and the mistakes they made. As we will see, product placement can contribute to brand stature and increase brand equity. However, the use of product placement must be carefully aligned with brand strategy before it can effectively build brands in China or abroad.
Overview of Product Placement
Product placement is already a multi-billion dollar business in United States and is still growing2. For example, in Project Runway, the popular American fashion design competition show, viewers will “accidentally” see many brands, ranging from the make-up that the models wear to the sewing machines the designers use. A more obvious example is the hit movie Transformers, where the entire production could be considered product-placement; the cartoon series was originally created to boost toy maker Hasbro’s sales. Starting from early 2000s, Chinese viewers began to see more and more product placement in their movies and TV series.
In general, product placement can be categorized into three types: screen placement, script placement, and plot placement 3.
Screen placement: Brands’ logos or packages appear in TV shows or movies.
Script placement: Brands’ names are written into the scripts and mentioned by the characters.
Plot placement: Brands take a major role in the plot. (For example, Pontiac Firebird in Knight Rider and Aston Martin DBS in James Bond movies.)
All three types can enhance branding efforts by increasing brand awareness, developing brand relevance, or delivering a brand experience, to name a few. Plot placement is often the most effective of the three types for building brand equity.
Brands Featured in Meteor Shower Though the audience accused the show of being crammed with more than a dozen featured brands, there were actually only seven brands that paid the production team while others were merely free placements, according to the show’s producer4.
The seven brands were called “production partners” and were given credit at the end of each episode. They were:
MG and its sister brand Roewe, both owned by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC)
Metersbonwe, China’s leading casualwear apparel brand
Slek shampoo, owned by China’s C-BONS Hair Care, acquired by Beiersdorf in 2007
Tsinghua Tongfang computer
Xiangpiaopiao instant tea with milk
Cityexpress GPS Device
Asia Gulf Hotel, based in Xiamen, Fujian Province where Meteor Shower was set.
While admitting a lack of experience and sophistication in product placement, the producer of the show was proud that these seven brands are all Chinese and that the show is promoting domestic products.
Brand Stature of Local Chinese Brands So why did the product placement in Meteor Shower become so controversial? Actually, the problem lies in the brand stature of the featured products. Brand stature relates to a brand’s past performance and is determined by brand esteem and brand knowledge. Most Chinese brands do not yet have strong brand stature; however, they often possess brand strength, which is formed by differentiation and relevance.
In short, some viewers found it unbelievable that wealthy customers would purchase the local brands shown in the Meteor Shower TV show. For example, they wondered why upper class characters would wear Metersbonwe, play video games on Tsinghua Tongfang computers, drink Xiangpiaopiao, and use Slek shampoo. Because some viewers found the product placements implausible, it detracted from the effectiveness of this branding effort.
When implemented effectively, product placement is a good way to build esteem and knowledge to enhance brand stature. TV series characters can appeal to a particular target market, and unlike a short advertising spot, there is enough time to build the brand in the minds of consumers as the plot unfolds.
Now let’s discuss the successes and mistakes that were made by the brands featured in Meteor Shower to see what we can learn.
Product Placement Successes and Mistakes Apart from being China’s very own, the brands featured in Meteor Shower are all second or lower tier brands in their respective industries. Associations with the wealthy characters in Meteor Shower are evidence of the brands’ attempts to widen their markets and be perceived as higher-end.
For one, the motives of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation’s (SAIC) were clear: they wanted to create differentiation between their own MG and Roewe brands. This is why viewers see wealthy youngsters in Meteor Shower driving MGs while their parents are chauffeured around in Roewe vehicles.
Founded in Britain, MG brand was in 2005 bought by Nanjing Automobile, which was later acquired by SAIC5. MG is over 80 years old, yet is still not well known by many Chinese consumers. In the show, the leading male character “happens” to love car racing. He owns an MG and holds racing competitions with his peers, all of whom drive MG cars. Not only do the car-racing scenes highlight the performance of MG vehicles, they also convey a brand message that MG is sporty, hip and young.
Meanwhile, Roewe brand was created by SAIC after they were unable to buy rights to the Rover name from BMW. In 2009, Roewe is one of the fastest growing brands in China and seems to have much stronger brand awareness than MG. Positioned as a brand targeting the middle class market, Roewe’s attributes of dignity and modesty were showcased in the TV series. This placement gave Roewe brand a high-end touch to enhance its brand stature.
On the other hand, the only thing viewers perceived from Slek’s product placement in Meteor Shower was its ubiquity. The shampoo bottles were placed in bathrooms and living rooms alike— even the airport displayed Slek ads. There were characters popping up and talking about Slek in slogan-like language, similar to the piano teacher example at the beginning of this article. The on-screen placements of Slek were so plenteous that it appeared unreal, and eventually viewers were offended. This is detrimental to brand stature, especially the esteem dimension.
Conclusion Broadcasted and co-produced by Hunan Satellite Television, Let’s Go Watch Meteor Shower was the highest-rated TV program during its time slot almost every night since it premiered on August 8, 2009. On August 29, the season finale generated Hunan Satellite Television’s highest rating in 2009.
With the success of the first season, the production team is gearing up for season two. It will be interesting to see how many brands will stick to Meteor Shower as their platform for product placement and how their brand stature will be affected over the upcoming years.
As product placement is still in the early stages of its development in China, it represents an area of opportunity for brands to execute brand strategy and build brand equity. We’re sure we’ll see more companies utilizing this platform in the years to come.
2 eMarketer. (2009, June 15). Does Product Placement Work? 3 Russell, G.A. (1998). Toward a framework of product placement: Theoretical propositions. Advances in Consumer Research, (25)1, p. 359 4 http://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2009-08-15/11302655121.shtml 5 MG Cars. (2009, September 5). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
About the Author
Vladimir Djurovic is the founder and Managing Director of Labbrand, a Shanghai based innovative brand agency specialized in brand research, strategic and creative services. Labbrand website at: http://labbrand.com/ is also the portal to Labbrand branding blog: http://www.labbrand.com/brand-source
and reviews of branding related hot topics, with a special focus on China.
507-6875 Features: -Chute delivers plugs into right the palm of the hand.-Each dispenser is sealed and disposable, plus completely recyclable.-Put ear plugs right where they are needed.-Easily mounts on virtually any wall.-High visibility dispenser. Specifications: -Brand Name: Meteors .-Body Material: Foam.-Color: Green.-Includes: Mounting Bracket & Hardware.-Type: Uncorded.-Quantity: 500 per di…
MOL6870 Features: -Price Is For One Pair -Minimum Order Of 200. -Meteors unique curved design provides exceptional comfort. The contours follow the shape of the ear canal which means less pressure at the smallest diameter of the earplug. Meteors innovative undercut design affords a secure fit, all day long. Plus, they have the highest independently tested NRR 33 available, a bright green color …
MOL6970 Features: -Price Is For One Pair -Minimum Order Of 100. -Meteors unique curved design provides exceptional comfort. The contours follow the shape of the ear canal which means less pressure at the smallest diameter of the earplug. Meteors innovative undercut design affords a secure fit, all day long. Plus, they have the highest independently tested NRR 33 available, a bright green color …
Our Mens Hooded Sweatshirts are made of a fully machine washable cotton blend for a warm, versatile and comfortable fit every time. Support your team or your Country!!!…
Our Juniors Ladies T-shirts are made of a fully machine washable cotton blend for a cool, versatile and comfortable fit every time. Support your team or your Country!!!…
Our Mens T-shirts are made of a fully machine washable cotton blend for a cool, versatile and comfortable fit every time. Support your team or your Country!!!…
Professional OE-Type Power Steering HosesACDelco Professional Remanufactured Steering and Drive Products are the ideal replacement parts when you need uncompromising quality and solid value. Remanufactured using the TS16949 process and thoroughly tested, they are ready for years of trouble-free service. From Remanufactured Rack-&-Pinion Gears and Integral Gears, Remanufactured Power Steering Pumps…
A1 CARDONE POWER STEERING CYLINDER, REMANUFACTURED — The Highest Quality, Reliable, Direct Replacement Parts Available, Remanufactured To OE Specs Or Better, Core Charge Is Refunded When We Receive Your Rebuildable Old Steering Cylinder…
Want to quit smoking? Cigarettes are terrible for your health, yet they’re hard to let go of. Yet read on for some strategies and tools that can help you quit smoking for good.
First of all, if want to stop smoking cigarettes, give yourself a big pat on the back. This is probably the single most important improvement you can make to achieve better health.
I won’t bore you with a list of reasons why you should stop smoking. Chances are you’re all too familiar with them — and have tried numerous times before, but without success.
Why would this year be different?
Let me give you a few important strategies that can really help you quit smoking and stay quit too:
1) You take the task of quitting smoking seriously
What do I mean by that? Exactly what it says. Just because the non-smokers around you don’t think it’s a big deal doesn’t mean they’re right. In fact, kicking the smoking habit may be the most difficult thing you’ll ever do.
Smoking feeds your pleasure circuits in ways few other things do. And the withdrawal symptoms can be hellish. In fact, smoking is more addictive than heroin.
And that doesn’t even get to the social aspects of smoking — the fact that it may be pleasurable, that it’s part of your routine, that you may have built a social life around those cigarette breaks you take throughout the day, and so on. In fact, you may be worried that without smoking you won’t get those breaks anymore.
So the first step should be to acknowledge the enormity of what you’re about to undertake — and promise yourself to be gentle with yourself. AND to give yourself every tool you can to help you succeed. Electronic Cigarettes Reviews
2) Give yourself tools
I stopped smoking myself — many years ago. It was very hard. I stopped many times before I was able to make it stick.
One thing that finally helped me do it was Nicorette chewing gum. That allowed me to separate the pleasurable part of smoking and the social aspects from the physically addictive part.
I was able to deal with those first, while still getting my nicotine fix. But I hated the gum, so eventually, I relied on it less and less.
I also acknowledged that this would be hard. I had proof of it too — all those many attempts that led to a re-start of smoking.
And if there’s a special reason — special to you — that might motivate you to stick with it this time around, by all means, use it. Maybe you’d like to avoid wrinkles, or impotence, or the fact that each time you try to stop — unsuccessfully — you put on another 5 pounds. Electronic Cigarettes Reviews
The Koolatron 12-Volt Portable Soft-Sided Thermoelectric Cooler D13 can be taken anywhere and used to keep food and beverages cool. Perfect for use in a car, picnic sites, hotels, office, etc. For even more convenience the Koolatron D13 plugs into all 12V cigarette lighters. It has a capacity of 14 quarts or twenty 12 oz. cans, and its zippered top and 2 side pouches are stylish, strong and roomy….
Co-produced by guitarist and long-time collaborator Doyle Bramhall II, Clapton features an all star cast of musical collaborations started with the legendary JJ Cale, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Willie Weeks, and keyboardist Walt Richmond – and the sessions later added guests including Steve Winwood, Wynton Marsalis, Sheryl Crow, Allen Toussaint, and Derek Trucks. Clapton created a collection tha…
Recorded in Tempe, Arizona at the band’s Unit 2 studio, Jimmy Eat World reunited with Mark Trombino, the producer on the band’s breakthrough album, Bleed American, and their seminal earlier albums, Static Prevails and Clarity. “We’re very excited about Invented,” said lead singer and guitarist Jim Adkins, “It was great reconnecting and creating an album with Mark Trombino, we can’t wait for our fa…
120V, AC Dual Sensor Smoke Alarm, Wire In With 9V Battery Back Up That Provides Continuous Protection Against Smoke & Fire Hazards, Even During Power Outages, Combination Of Ionization & Photoelectric Sensors Offer The Best Protection Against Both Fast Flaming & Slow Smoldering Fires….
This powerful Milwaukee 12V Cordless 1/4in. hex impact driver delivers best in class performance with a specially designed impact mechanism for top fastening speed and longer run times with a powerful lithium-ion battery that is lightweight and compact. Cordless: Yes, Max. Torque (ft.-lbs.): 850 in.-lbs., Impacts Per Minute (IPM): 0 – 3,000, Drive (in.): 1/4, Speed – No Load (RPM): 0 – 2,000, Volt…
