The Sibylla case: an example of successful product placement

The concept

Product placement’s value to an advertiser lies in the fact that, as a form of advertising that is embedded in a movie or TV-show and cannot be zapped away without missing the storyline, it offers a great opportunity to reach out to the audience. In this week’s egtabite we will show you how the change in Swedish law regarding product placement led to an innovative campaign by TV 4.

The new law introduced in line with the AVMS Directive in 2010 defined product placement more clearly and allowed for its broader usage. TV4 Sweden decided to try, in cooperation with local fast food chain Sibylla, a new way of strengthening the brand of both the advertiser and the broadcaster. The aim was to surprise the audience of a popular show Robinson (Swedish version of Survivor) with emotionally powerful triggers, where the values and strengths of the Sibylla brand were highlighted. In one of the episodes, participants craving for food came across a Sibylla stand and were able to enjoy the food there which led to spontaneous positive and even enthusiastic reactions like: “This is the first time I have cried about food.”

This initiative was also met with positive reactions from the audience. It was the most viewed programme of that evening and 21% of the viewers had a more positive attitude towards Sibylla than before while two thirds recalled having seen the brand in the programme. The sales of the company rose by 15% in comparison with the previous year and it also strengthened the brand internally as Sibylla employees were really excited to be part of this project. The campaign received a widespread response on social media as well.

Why does this matter for egta members?

This creative idea proves that a close cooperation between a broadcaster (in this case through a special team cooperating with all relevant departments) and its client may reflect positively on both brands. At the same time, product placement as a specific type of advertisement needs to be done in a qualitative way and be included naturally in the programme in order for the audience to accept it (52 % of viewers responded that they don’t mind product placement when it doesn’t interfere with content and when it fits within the programme).

In addition it demonstrated how a market leader can take its position to another level and become a go-to sales house for innovative campaigns to serve its clients even better and to strengthen its channel brand.

» It should be noted that product placement and new forms of advertising are something that egta’s EU Regulatory and Public Affairs team are closely looking into, especially through their planned revision of egta’s practical guidelines on the AVMS Directive. egta has also provided trainings for members on product placement in the past. For more information do not hesitate to contact Conor Murray, Head of Regulatory Affairs at [email protected]