Bad Guys, Bad Brands? How product placement on cool movie antagonists alters brand recall, purchase intention and brand perception

Abstract

This thesis addresses a gap in the product placement literature by addressing the effects of placing products on movie antagonists. The research explores if different characteristics of these antagonists will alter the effects. Drawn from the literature on coolness and aesthetics we manipulate a cool and an uncool antagonist to test their effects on brand recall, purchase intention, and brand perception. In addition, the study accounts for mediating effects of fit, and moderating effects of product placement attitudes are tested. Utilizing a cross-sectional research design in the form of an online survey, three character manipulations are tested to add a quasi-experimental element. The findings uncover interesting insight regarding the product placement literature.

Surprisingly, these findings suggest that the cool antagonist shows a negative effect on the consumers brand recall, suggesting their complexity may obscure the brand message. The same counts for purchase intention as the cool antagonist yet again shows negative effects, heightening the possibility for potential confusion among consumers. However, the uncool antagonist displays a positive influence on purchase intentions. Moreover, for brand perceptions the risk of brand transgressions is revealed, as the uncool antagonist shows adverse effects. Additionally, the results indicate that fit maintains its importance in product placements, and product placement attitudes have positive interaction effects. The results extend todays literature on product placement as it explores these placements on unconventional characters. Thus, the theoretical and managerial implications highlight the opportunities that lie within these placements.