Product placement: Why it’s everywhere in 2025

Summary

Style-ish Podcast Summary

Episode: Product placement: Why it’s everywhere in 2025
Hosts: Rhiannon Joyce & Madison Sullivan Thorpe
Date: November 13, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of Style-ish delves into the omnipresence of product placement across TV and film in 2025. Rhiannon (Rae) and Madison (Mads) explore why product placements are so prevalent, different types of placements, what works (and doesn’t), streaming platforms' pivotal role, and the emotional impact on audiences. They illustrate ideas using recent high-profile examples—especially the Netflix series "Nobody Wants This," "Stranger Things," and "Emily in Paris."

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Redefining Professional Generosity (00:55-02:27)

• Mads’ “Word of the Week” explores the limits of the term “girls’ girl” in a professional setting, suggesting there should be a term that better encapsulates “generosity of spirit” when women help each other with careers and creative projects.
  • Quote (B – Mads, 01:44): “I kind of want to reframe the phrase girls girl… we need a unicorn word.”

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2. Product Placement in "Nobody Wants This" (03:00-04:23)

• The show’s season 2 is saturated with product placement, including brands like Dunkin Donuts, Jennifer Meyer, DoorDash, Flamin Hot Cheetos, Airbnb, and especially Estee Lauder.
• The hosts and their team noticed just how obvious the placements were and debate whether casual viewers notice as much as industry insiders.
  • Quote (A – Rae, 03:36): “Honestly, I’d be shocked if most people missed it… even the average person would have clocked that one.”

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3. How Product Placement Works: The Three Types (04:25-05:46)

• Classic Paid Placement: Brand pays for a specific level of visibility/length on-screen (e.g., Estee Lauder in "Nobody Wants This").
• Organic Placement: Brands send products in the hope they’re used, without a formal deal.
• Unsolicited/Script-Based Placement: Brands are referenced organically, often for realism, without company knowledge (e.g., Peloton in "And Just Like That").
  • Memorable moment (B – Mads, 05:25, re: Peloton): “Big… sadly passes away after having a heart attack on said Peloton. Honestly, terrible for brand.”
  • Peloton’s stock dropped 10% overnight (05:32).

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4. The Rise in Streaming Platform Placements (06:09-09:03)

• Netflix and Amazon Prime are repeatedly cited as primary venues increasingly using product placement.
• Rae issues a transparency disclaimer: Shameless Media has worked with Netflix and Amazon, but maintains editorial integrity (09:03).

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5. Case Study: "Stranger Things" Product Placement (09:32-12:14)

• Notably features brands like Coca Cola, Burger King, Cadillac, and Adidas.
• Netflix claimed these placements were not paid, but included for period authenticity (setting: 1985).
  • Quote (B – Mads, 10:30): “The Duffer Brothers… really wanted to integrate brands that they felt were relevant and contextual to the time.”
• Impact: Estimated $15 million USD in total placement value (Coca Cola's share alone—$1.5 million).
  • Quote (A – Rae, 11:44): “That’s free advertising.”

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6. Contrast: Overt vs. Contextual Placement—Emily in Paris vs. Stranger Things (12:14-14:55)

• "Emily in Paris" is perceived as a “pay-to-play” show, with every episode feeling available for branding—sometimes detracting from viewer immersion.
  • Quote (B – Mads, 12:46): “It just felt like the show fell into the brands. And that is really jarring for me.”
• Yet, brands get immense reach: Emily in Paris S3 had 17.6 million viewing hours for an approx. €500k–€1 million placement (14:29-14:48).
  • Mads: “Bang for your buck” (14:48).

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7. Fake Brands vs. Real Brands—Does it Work? (15:35-16:43)

• Some shows implement fictional brands (e.g., Parks and Rec, Breaking Bad), but studies suggest viewers find them jarring and disengaging.
  • Quote (A – Rae, 16:02): “Fake brands actually really disengage a consumer and the viewer finds them quite jarring.”

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8. What Works & What Doesn’t in Product Placement (16:43-20:28)

• Overt placements (e.g., Estee Lauder’s serum bottle perfectly positioned) can break immersion (16:58-17:13).
  • Rae: “It just felt a little bit eye roll for me.”
• Creative fixes discussed, e.g., making placements part of the scene (podcast hosts recording an ad within the storyline, 17:59-18:32).
• Speculative examples of “good” future placements:
  • "White Lotus": Aperol or Grey Goose for high-maintenance characters; Apple devices; Emirates for travel (18:36-20:20).
  • "James Bond": Already famous for placement, but new opportunities with Amazon to offer shoppable props and merch inspired by the series (20:30-22:32).
    • Quote (A – Rae, 22:00): “Maybe it’s less about the product placement in the form of… your BMW… but more building out that experience and storytelling. Like merch.”

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9. Subconscious Marketing & Audience Reaction (22:58-24:34)

• Definition shared: Subconscious marketing leverages subtle cues, not overt messages, shaping perceptions through affinity bias.
  • Quote (A – Rae, 23:31): “It hits the part of our brain that makes associations, not decisions.”
• Authentic, contextually relevant placements (like in "Stranger Things") work because they're subconscious—not forced.
• People feel less “sold to” and more like part of the world.

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10. Audience Friction: Why Does Product Placement Annoy Us? (24:34-27:44)

• Overt placements disrupt escapism, making consumers feel like they’re watching ads in supposed entertainment.
• Contrast in disclosure: Social media creators must tag #ad, but TV shows require no such transparency (25:32-26:07).
  • Quote (B – Mads, 25:42): “We’ve got content creators… held to the highest standard… but then we’ve got all of these ads in TV shows and there’s no disclaimer…”
• The challenge for 2025: Authentic nostalgia is increasingly hard to use—contemporary placements can feel more intrusive (26:26-27:21).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On how product placement can backfire (Peloton example):
  B (Mads, 05:25): “Big… sadly passes away after having a heart attack on said Peloton. Honestly, terrible for brand.”

• On striking the right balance:
  B (Mads, 12:46): “It just felt like the show fell into the brands. And that is really jarring for me.”

• On overt vs. subtle placement:
  A (Rae, 16:58): “I found it too overtly obvious. I think the bottle strategically placed next to the phone… you don’t need it to be that obvious.”

• On subconscious marketing:
  A (Rae, 23:31): “It hits the part of our brain that makes associations, not decisions.”

• On audience expectations:
  B (Mads, 24:39): “We are constantly being sold to… entertainment is escapism, and to feel like you’re watching an ad feels like… you’re back in the everyday.”

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Timestamps for Crucial Segments

• 00:55 – Word of the Week: “Generosity of Spirit”
• 03:00 – Deep Dive: Product Placement in "Nobody Wants This"
• 04:25 – Three Types of Product Placement Explained
• 05:25 – Example: Peloton’s disasters in "And Just Like That"
• 09:03 – Streaming platforms’ role and disclaimer about industry ties
• 09:32 – Case Study: "Stranger Things" product integrations
• 12:14 – Contrast: "Emily in Paris" and the perils of pay-to-play
• 14:29 – Value of TV/streaming placement vs. traditional TV ad
• 16:02 – Real vs. Fake brands and audience disengagement
• 16:58 – What doesn’t work: Overt, obvious product shots
• 18:36 – Imagining great placements ("White Lotus", James Bond)
• 22:58 – Subconscious marketing 101
• 25:32 – The fairness of disclosure rules: #ad on social but not on TV
• 26:26 – Why nostalgia works—and why it’s harder now

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Final Thoughts

Rhiannon and Madison conclude that great product placement must feel inseparable from the world of the show—either because it’s driven by nostalgia or deeply embedded in story and character. When it feels shoehorned or too obvious, it breaks the spell of escapism and annoys viewers in an era when advertising is otherwise highly regulated. They argue that the future of product placement will hinge on creativity, authenticity, and transparency.

Transcript

[A]

Shameless Media. This episode of Stylish is brought to you by Anz Business. Start right. Worry less about the what ifs and focus on what's next. Hello, guys. We are back again with another Friday episode. If you're new here, I'm Rhiannon Joyce and this is my lovely co host, Madison Sullivan Thorpe. Every fortnight, we like to come on here and analyze the world's brand creative campaigns, bit of fashion and beauty trends, and all of those useful career stories and tips. Okay, it's my favorite time of the week. It's word of the week time. Mads, it's your turn. What's your word of the week?

[B]

My word of the week is almost. I want to reframe a word that already exists, and it's the phrase girls girl. And I think that in a professional or business sense, when someone's helping you, being a girl's girl doesn't cut it because it's so much more than that. To me, girls girl is like when someone gives you a band aid in the club bathroom, that's girls girl. But I've had so many instances lately of just women being really generous of time and spirit and. And I love the phrase generosity of spirit, and I feel like that's what it truly is. Had a great brand founder that I was like, frantically voice noting, being like, can you help me with margin structure? What do I do here? Just a lot of moments lately where I feel like I'm, like, really asking a lot of people and unashamedly so.

[A]

Or you feel like you're asking them something that is a little bit on the nose. It's like, are they going to be.

[B]

Willing to share this 1000%. And are they comfortable and also acknowledging that you're asking a lot of them? I think that's the catalyst of it as well. And really important disclaimer. My whole point is I kind of want to reframe the phrase girls girl. Because I think that if someone's helping you with career or a campaign or you're calling a friend about an idea or you're needing help on something, I think that we need a unicorn word.

[A]

We need a unicorn word. We should come up with this. That can be our task for next fortnight's word of the Week.

[B]

Yeah. I would love you to come back with what the word should be.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It needs to be like the spider of info sharing. Girls girl.

[A]

No gatekeeping.

[B]

No gatekeeping. No troll poppy.

[A]

Okay, I can do this.

[B]

Great.

[A]

It'll probably be like two words. We never stick to One.

[B]

We're so bad.

[A]

All right. We have a big episode to get into. So season two of Nobody Wants this came to our screens from the 23rd of October. And ever since, we've seen a lot of commentary online about the product placement on the show. Missions are also spoke a little bit about it in Shameless last week. So if you haven't seen the show, it's a Netflix show where a hot rabbi and an LA podcaster become love interest. Sounds a bit random, but it's actually quite good. And they have to work through their cultural differences, disappointing family members in tow. So that's the general theme this season.

[B]

Has been dripped in product placement. According to an article by the Guardian, brands such as Dunkin Donuts, Jennifer Meyer, a jewelry brand that's pretty popular with celebrities in the U.S. doorDash, a pack of Flamin Hot Cheetos for something different.

[A]

A lot about that one. Yeah.

[B]

Airbnb. And how could we forget the Estee Lauder?

[A]

It was so prevalent.

[B]

So prevalent. Like, it reminded me of being on a cosmetic photo shoot where you're like, asking the model to be like, turn the pack closer to the camera. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't obstruct the front. And you're like, basically asking a model to, like, awkwardly hold a serum jar.

[A]

Yeah, it was. Honestly, I'd be shocked if most people missed it. I do think I'd love to know the average person if they're clocked into that or if it's a marketing thing from our point of view, because we work in the industry. You've worked in beauty for many years. I would say that even the average person would have clocked that one. It was pretty obvious, I think.

[B]

And no, hate to my mum here, but, like, Mum has never worked in this industry in her life. I think Mum could have probably even clocked that that was a product placement.

[A]

Yeah. We actually ended up having a lot of back and forth on our Slack channel about how product placement works. There was so much to really understand and we really wanted to know why there's such a negative sentiment around it and why both brands and productions use it. And because we were talking about it so much and everyone was kind of doing that thing where they get their backup and I'm like, oh, there's something in this. Like, this is going to be a juicy episode and I think people will care as much as we care.

[B]

Opinions that are said with their chest.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You know, so there's three types of product placements and we thought that we could explain how they often work. So the first is the classic paid placement, which is what we've seen a lot of in Nobody Wants this. So that's a deal brokered between a brand and a network or a studio that can carry contingencies such as how visible the brand is or how long it stays on screen. Estee Lauder. Yeah. Nobody Wants this was a paid placement for those playing along at home. The second is organic, and that's where a company will often send or provide free product in the hope that it will be featured or written in without a brand or company's knowledge. And the third way, according to an article published by variety in 2025, which accounts for 90% of all product placement in TV, film or cinema, is that a product is written into a scene or without the company's knowledge. And the best example I have of this is the Peloton that featured in episode one of. And just like that.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And the City spin off, famously. I mean, do you know.

[A]

Spoiler alert.

[B]

Do you know that their shares. Yeah, sorry, if you haven't watched it, do you know that their shares for Peloton fell 10% overnight?

[A]

I did read that.

[B]

That's insane.

[A]

Yeah. So for those playing along at home, Big, who was one of the main characters in Sex and the City series, carries love interest and in just like that, sadly passes away after having a heart attack on said peloton. And honestly, terrible for brand.

[B]

So bad for brand. That's one you probably would have wanted the heads up on.

[A]

Maybe that's why they didn't give them a heads up, because there's no way.

[B]

They would have approved it. No way. A brand is going. Fantastic. Okay, we're going to get into why you might be seeing even more of this specifically from Netflix. Because when we started researching, Ray and I were like, wait, there's a real theme here. We're bringing up a lot of Netflix. And Amazon prime came up as well.

[A]

It did?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

A lot of streaming platforms were really top of mind when we were talking about the theme of product placement.

[B]

Totally. So we're going to deepen it, get into it. But that will be right after a word from today's sponsor, Ray. A lot of our listeners are at that point where they're wanting to break free from the 9 till 5 and start their own thing, enjoying all the flexibility and creative freedom that comes with it.

[A]

Totally. It's a super exciting time at the moment. Even in my circles, there's people going freelance, building portfolio careers and starting new businesses.

[B]

Oh, I'm the exact Same. And I feel like the general consensus is that it's equal parts exciting and intimidating. I've definitely struggled with that in my journey. Knowing if I'm doing everything right and focusing on the worst case scenarios.

[A]

Yeah, that's only natural. We've teamed up with Anz Business Start, Right, for this exact reason. They're on a mission to support new business owners so they can start their business strong from day one.

[B]

Yes. And it's not that we're not confident in ourselves. It's that we've never been shown how to run a business like writing a business plan, setting up your account, managing cash flow. Where were these classes in school?

[A]

I know. Right on top of the practical stuff. Anz Business Start. Right. Aim to shift our mindset too, so we stop dwelling on the worst case scenarios and start thinking, what's the best that could happen?

[B]

Guys, Anz Business Start, right is helping small businesses go from great idea to great business. Just search it to get started.

[A]

Thank you so much to Anz for making this episode of stylish possible.

[B]

Product placement as a whole has a pretty long tenured history. It started on radio, which surprised me.

[A]

Surprised me too.

[B]

And it started with soap brands sponsoring audio soap operas and then integrating their products into the stories themselves. Like, what are you saying? Like we had a scrub.

[A]

A dub.

[B]

Dub in the tub.

[A]

Oh, yeah. And also like, can you imagine the sound effects? Sorry, it's a radio format. No, don't. My mind went somewhere else anyway.

[B]

Okay, well, let's stay away from that. Keep your head out of the guttery and enjoys.

[A]

I'll do my best.

[B]

But it started appearing in silent films in the late 1800s. But I think it would be really interesting if, as we said, we deepen Netflix because as we said, it came up a lot. And Netflix in particular, their relationship with product placement.

[A]

Yeah, I think what was interesting is a lot of the recent examples we gave some subconsciously, I don't think we registered that they were all Netflix series. And then once we pieced it all together, we're like, oh, this is interesting. But also, as you said before, the general theme of product placement in streaming platforms as a whole. When we had a conversation about the summer I turned pretty on our Wednesday episode a few weeks ago, that product placement conversation came up again there. So, yeah, it just seems to be across the board of streaming platforms very prevalent at the moment.

[B]

Totally. And I felt like that meme with the red string that's across all the images. It was like we were talking about all these shows and then we're like, yes, streaming.

[A]

I do want to say up top that Shameless Media has partnered with both prime and Netflix, who will be mentioned throughout this episode. This is in no way sponsored. You guys know that everything that we do editorially, we hold a lot of integrity, and there's no influence from any of our brand partners that we've worked with in the past.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Thanks for the disclaimer.

[A]

Yeah, I know that was a real. Really rolled off the tongue as well.

[B]

I know. I'm like, not our first time doing one of those. Okay. So one of the shows that we brought up when we were talking about this was Stranger Things.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And off the top of your head, what are some of the brands that you recognize before you started researching?

[A]

Coca Cola. Yeah. Straight up. Straight off the bat, Coca Cola.

[B]

I had Burger King.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I had Adidas.

[A]

Adidas.

[B]

Adidas featured really strongly in, I believe it was season three. Yeah.

[A]

So interestingly, season three.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I want to deepen this a bit because I did a lot of research on the side of what our senior producer, Kate, gave us around specifically the Stranger Things Season 3. There is actually a really robust research piece about measuring the effectiveness of the product placement in series.

[B]

I read this same article. I know exactly where you're going.

[A]

This article was so good, so much so that Netflix actually came out later on and gave comments saying that none of the brand's features in season three were paid. So they've gone on record saying that they were all organic and that the Duffer Brothers, who are the directors of Stranger Things, really wanted to integrate brands that they felt were relevant and contextual to the time in which Stranger Things is shot.

[B]

Totally. And season three was centered around 1985.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So, like, what I love about this, right, is Coca Cola featured? Yes. Coca Cola, like, obviously a brand that was as prolific as it was in the 80s. Turns out they also loved at 3pm Cokes is, you know.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, didn't exist then, but, you know, just a Coke. Coca Cola actually had a failed campaign called New Coke in 1985 where they tried to, like, kind of, like, rebrand it. Anyway. They actually brought that packaging back into season three of Netflix, Stranger Things, to contextualize it to that time.

[A]

So they've really lent into the nostalgia and, like, the truth of product in that time as well. Which, to be honest, is what makes Stranger Things such a strong show, because they do feel that you are transported back to this moment in time.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And that is critical when it comes to product placement. It can so easily pull you out of the viewer experience. I do want to flag that the total estimated value of all the product placement that was seen in Stranger Things Season 3 equates to 15 million USD. And according to the report from Concave Brand Tracking, Coca Cola was number one in total visibility. And the total valuation of their product placement through season three is 1.5 million USD.

[B]

It's insane. That's free.

[A]

That's free advertising.

[B]

Cadillac also featured in that list, as did Adidas and Burger King, who I mentioned. But I think to your point, the reason that this worked so well is because it was contextual to the time that the like series is set in. It felt nostalgic, but never transactional. It didn't feel like an ad. It felt like context of the story and where we were like, yes, these are teenagers who would have jobs at BURGER King's or McDonald's or the like. So it didn't feel like a Burger King ad. Do you know what I mean?

[A]

I know exactly what you mean. It actually propelled the story along. Whereas some of the poorer examples of product placement I've seen are a little bit kitschy and missions are. I spoke a bit about this when it came to Emily in Paris in the Shameless episode last week. They spent a portion of the episode talking about how product placement can be quite jarring and how it can really disrupt the viewer's experience. How have you found that as a.

[B]

Viewer, Emily in Paris? To me, it just. It felt like a Pay to Play model, and it just felt like every episode was for sale.

[A]

It was, yeah.

[B]

And I mean, you've got two Netflix series here, and in total contrast, you know, it feels like the brands fell into the world of Stranger Things and Emily in Paris felt like the show fell into the brands. And that is really jarring for me. TV and cinema and movies are supposed to feel like escapism. You want to be drawn into their world, and the minute you feel like you're thrown back out into your own and you feel like you're watching an ad or you're being sold to, it removes all of the mystique and the joy and the escapism.

[A]

I totally agree. To play devil's advocate with Emily in Paris, I actually think it worked because she works in a marketing firm. So it was a little bit of a bottom bump for me. Like, as a viewer, I'm like, okay, this is so glaringly obvious. A paid feature. And the pay to play language is really important. That is actually the term that they use when a brand does have A sponsored episode feature which McDonald's did in season three of Emily in Paris. Bit of a reoccurring theme here. I've just clocked that it's always season three. It seems to be very strong. But I would say, do you think.

[B]

That'S maybe because the cars start demanding. Yeah.

[A]

So they're like, fuck, gotta stop getting more brands. And in these shows and we can afford them.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll take a soda sponsor. We'll take a fast food sponsorship. Perfect.

[A]

So Place to Be Media developed the partnership between Emily in Paris and McDonald's in season three. And they said that their company budget for product placement ranges between €500,000 to €1 million for a scripted placement. So that's the specific pay to play.

[B]

Totally. And I want to contextualize this because people might be going like €500,000 if you want to buy a TV slot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

On free to air TV here in Australia. And you want to run that ad for six weeks, you would spend a.

[A]

Million, easily the amount of money that's being spent in tv. So I would say based on the spend versus the views, because Deadline reported the Emily In Paris season three was watched in total 17.6 million hours.

[B]

I'm saying that's bang for your buck.

[A]

Bang for your buck when you look at that spend versus those views.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's cheap as chips.

[B]

Especially when you take a brand like Augustinus Bada, which was featured in the show. It's a prestige luxury skincare brand and they've now got this duo partnership. Yeah. Emily in Paris is a younger viewer. You're building brand awareness as a lead way into launching a more accessibly price point brand. Bloody genius marketing, in my opinion.

[A]

It's also a great way to cement your brand into culture, which is why I think product placement has really surged in 2025. I do want to say on Emily in Paris just for a little bit longer because. Mads, off mic, you and I were talking about how interesting it is that they work with existing brands that we all know and love, like McDonald's, but they also make up their own brands.

[B]

Love a six piece nugget. They do. And it's interesting. We've seen it a lot. You know, Parks and Rec had their own fake beer. Breaking Bad had a fake cigarette.

[A]

So did Mad Men. They had the same one.

[B]

Yeah. And so it's interesting, right? Because you know, in one part it's like, okay, we're like not selling you anything, but it's also in a. Pulling you out of that, you know, I guess realism, that you kind of want to balance that escapism of the show, but you still want it to feel realistic as a world.

[A]

Yeah. In the Variety 2025 piece that we mentioned, up top, there was a lot of commentary around fake brands actually really disengage a consumer and the viewer finds them quite jarring. So I would say that there is a case for real brands to be integrated into a show or a film or even a. I don't know, back in the days. I remember the Swarovski Crystals in the JLO music video. I feel like product placement in music videos in the. Huge, huge.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But it definitely has a place. It just has to be subtle or feel authentic to the show.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I do find it is a little bit kitsch and a boom boom when it's so glaringly obvious. But as I said, up top for Emily in Paris, it kind of worked for me.

[B]

So I guess to summarize all of this, Ray, and obviously we've contrasted the overt of Emily in Paris with the, I guess subtle or nostalgic tie in of Stranger Things. Let's go back to Nobody wants this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you think they nailed the product?

[A]

Sorry, I didn't even let you finish. I do this all the time. I'm like, no, no, no, no.

[B]

Why?

[A]

Because I found it too overtly obvious. I think the bottle strategically placed next to the phone while she's on FaceTime. You don't need it to be that obvious.

[B]

No.

[A]

They could have integrated this product in a way that felt seamless and felt really authentic to how you do. Speak to your friends whilst you're getting ready. I just didn't need the perfect bottle turned perfectly to the camera zoomed in. It just. It just felt a little bit eye roll. For me, nothing quite beats that Friday feeling of finishing the workweek and spending time with your partner or friends. If that's on the cards for you and you're looking for something new to toast the end of the week with, download the Dan Murphy's app to get inspired. You'll find out exactly what's new and what's trending when it comes to drinks. Then drop into Dan Murphy's to pick up your selections and never aimlessly wander the aisles again. Remember to choose to drink wives. And thank you so much to Dan Murphy's for making this episode of Stylish Possible.

[B]

Funnily enough, I was thinking about this a lot because I was like, okay, like I'm in marketing. How would I have done this if I was Estee Lauder, and I'm like, they have a podcast. Have them record an ad. Yeah, we record ads. Have them be like, no, I don't want to talk to you. We have to do this ad for Estee Lauder.

[A]

Like, have it which is real.

[B]

I don't know why I did, like, this American accent. I'm terrible at that. But I was like, that's what podcasts do. That feels believable. Or have them, like, film it so that it feels like they're overtly having to product, place, make it better cast.

[A]

Film the ad during the podcast. As you said, that would just contextually make sense.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, so what film or TV brand do you think could pull it off really well in the future?

[B]

I'm so glad you asked me this, because I really sat on this last night before I came in, and I was like, white Lotus. White Lotus could do this well, and I will talk future season, which we know is happening, but I'm going to talk in the context of last season.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And now we. We all know the infamous Piper. No, but imagine, like, she was, as a character, very high maintenance. Victoria was very demanding. Imagine it was like, you know, the way that she was talking about her medication. It could have been like, mommy needs her aperol, and aperol could have sponsored that. Or it could have been like, oh, no, I only have. I only do Grey Goose. You know, like.

[A]

Yeah. And it feels authentic.

[B]

It feels authentic because, of course, she would be high maintenance and only drink a particular type of alcohol. The other one that could be subtle is that everyone had an Apple device. The dad's on the laptop, the teenager who's high maintenance. Like, we know that they kind of have these really evolved characters each season. It could be like, everyone's got a phone. Someone's got, like, the new colorful, like, iPad, Someone's got the laptop. The kids are, like, watching them in the pool. Like, it's a very easy way to never have to reference the tech.

[A]

Electronics are an easy category to integrate. The other one that you had that you haven't touched on, that I want to bring up is airlines, because I think that's a great one.

[B]

Imagine Episode one. If we go back to their first season, they all came in via the boat. But imagine season four opens with them all on the plane. Now, I would say Emirates as an airline. Their business class and first class is very distinct and recognizable. Yeah. There needs to be no logo, no reference, no visual of the outside of the plane. Like, lean into your distinctive asset of the way that your plane is formatted in your seats or even the Emirates bar and have them all interacting in episode one of season four. Getting off to the destination, off the plane. Genius love, if I do say so myself.

[A]

No, I think that was a great one, which is why I brought it up. I saw it in the notes and I was like, I need you to expand on this. I could see you skipping over it.

[B]

You're like, go, be smart. Say the good thing. Be smart.

[A]

No, mine is James Bond. And you're probably sitting here listening. Be like. But James Bond is notorious for product placement. Absolutely. Historically, they have some of the strongest product placement I've seen in any film. Oh, that.

[B]

And milking every dollar of.

[A]

Milking every dollar of it. And it just feels very contextually relevant. But also, apparently some of their deals have racked up to £70 million spent on product placement in total. So they're not shying away from it. They've been doing this for years. What is interesting, though, is that James Bond, the new iterations of the film will be produced by Prime. So coming back to the previous conversation we had around the summer I turned Pretty and the product placement and the partnership with Coach.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In that series. And why it works so well is because they also offered the product to be readily available to shop in an Amazon storefront that was bespoke to the summer I turned pretty. So everything that you saw in that show, you could buy in the Amazon storefront. I would love to see James Bond do this. I think it would also be interesting because a lot of the products that feature in James Bond are quite premium. So we're talking Rolex, BMW.

[B]

I'm trying to buy a Rolex on.

[A]

Amazon, but, like, imagine that.

[B]

What I love about this is like, could we say, you know, I know that the Martini was like the signature drink and then it moved to Heineken. Right. But, like, let's say it goes back to the Martini. Like, you could be buying the glassware James Bond uses.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Do we think we'll get a James Bond moment where he goes, hey, Alexa, play.

[A]

Oh, my God, I think you're bang on. I just love the idea of there being a martini set available on the storefront. I would buy that.

[B]

I would buy that, too.

[A]

So maybe it's less about the product placement in the form of, like, obviously your BMW car and your Rolex isn't going to be available, but more building out that experience and that storytelling. Like merch.

[B]

Yeah, merch. Or even just, like, things that you wouldn't even think of being featured. Like, what if there's a coffee table in his apartment that has, like, coffee table books? Like, the opportunity for Amazon to be able to capitalize on this. And there will be like a, you know, male who goes, oh, my God, I want to have my apartment to look like James Bond's apartment. Who will buy all the coffee table books? Absolutely.

[A]

And the other thing I thought that just popped in my head is the intro song to every James Bond film is always dedicated to a specific artist. What if Amazon also had the exclusive release rights to that song?

[B]

Genius. Let the sky fall. Go, Adela. Bring it back.

[A]

It just feels like to me that Amazon prime are in the perfect place to be able to double dip. They've got the product placement down pat. They've got the storefront set up. I just feel like they've got a great opportunity here.

[B]

It'll be like half a billion dollars worth.

[A]

A lot of product placement. Working or not working really does depend on the subconscious and subconscious marketing. Mads, do you want to tell us what subconscious marketing actually is?

[B]

Yeah, and I'm going to read this, so bear with me, because I wanted to get the literal definition and then it's helpful give our own interpretation. But the definition is that subconscious marketing uses subtle cues and emotional appeals to influence consumers without their conscious awareness tapping into psychological needs and triggers to shape perceptions and purchasing decisions. So, Rae, that's the definition. Why do you think it works?

[A]

I think it works because it hits the part of our brain that makes associations, not decisions.

[B]

Yes. I love that.

[A]

Well, it's actually what you said.

[B]

Should I. Actually, it's in my own bloody show notes. And I'm like, I fucking love it.

[A]

It's in your notes, babe. No.

[B]

And that is called an affinity bias that I didn't even realize I had.

[A]

No, just to expand on this a bit, and coming back to Stranger Things example, the reason why it worked is because it felt authentic to the environment that we're in. It wasn't brought to your consciousness.

[B]

No.

[A]

It was subconscious. So you were sitting there watching that and you weren't even thinking about it. But then after we read that article and we talked about it, like, huh, that was actually really good.

[B]

Yeah. But in the moment, we didn't clock it 1,000%. And I think, you know, even if you bring it into the everyday of just doom scrolling on Instagram or TikTok, we often feel influenced by things that people are raving about that aren't an adult, because no one likes being sold to people like to interact and feel like there's a connection or that they're gaining an affinity to something without feeling like they're being sold to or marketed at.

[A]

Yeah. So why do you think there is friction between the audience and product placements?

[B]

Because I think I alluded to it earlier when I was saying you're being brought out of the escapism and into reality. We are constantly being sold to. We are surrounded by transactions. Entertainment is escapism. And to feel like you're watching an ad feels like you're watching, you know, free to air TV or that you're back in the everyday. And I want to watch everybody wants this because nobody loves this. I want to watch nobody wants this. Which, by the way, everybody wants this because it's about a couple falling in love in an unconventional way who are not 25 and the hottest thing since Slice. I mean, they're both pretty fucking hot, but they're not 25. And they've both had past relationships. Like, I want that escapism of, oh, my God, this is so fantasy. Like, and it's beautiful and it's fun. I don't want an Estee Lauder ad in the middle of it. And if I'm going to have it, you better be able to do it really, really well.

[A]

You might as well just whack hashtag ad on it. Which is an interesting point that Zara made in the Shameless episode as well. Why are these ads not having to be disclosed in these partnerships?

[B]

You go on TikTok and it's like, hashtag ad, hashtag sponsored, hashtag gifted. Okay, so we've got content creators with, like, you know, being held to the highest standard with a pedestal. We're all ready to kick down if they're, like, not, you know, disclosing paid partnership. But then we've got all of these ads in TV shows and there's no disclaimer at the header of these episodes being like, this is a paid partnership with the following brand. Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. We're just, like, having them thrown at us and they're not really being held accountable.

[A]

It's a big gray area for me. I also wondered because a lot of these partnerships, particularly Emily in Paris and nobody wants this. Netflix and the marketing teams go on record and give media in support of these partnerships around it. Same thing happened with the summer I turned Pretty and Coach and I'm like, is that their way of, like, disclosing it up top?

[B]

I mean, maybe. God, we almost need a part two.

[A]

Just on that alone, I think, fundamentally, the reason why it's hard to nail in 2025 is because you can't lean on nostalgia.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This worked for Stranger Things, and this works for films or TV that I've watched in the past, like the OG James Bond films, because it has that nostalgic look and feel and it feels like I'm being transported back to that point in time. So even if it was paid for, which, according to Netflix, for Stranger Things, it wasn't. Yeah. There was still a lot of brands and a lot of products that were prevalent in that show. It worked.

[B]

Yeah. Or it's got to lend itself, really, to the context and content. So James Bond is a spy. Of course he's driving a fast car. Of course it's going to be a sports car. Now, whether that's an Audi or a BMW, I don't really care. And it doesn't feel like an ad because of course he's getting in some super sexy, fast, speedy car, like them having a partnership with Audi, Porsche, BMW. It makes sense. It's contextual.

[A]

I mean, he's not going to be doing a heist or. Or a car chase down in a Honda.

[B]

No offense to Honda. You do great. But, like, a Honda Civic is not really giving, like, fast, sexy UK underground spy if he's living in a penthouse apartment.

[A]

Yeah, see, that is a partnership. If it dropped, I don't think it would work. And I'm going to leave it right there because I honestly think that's a great place to finish. Sorry, Honda.

[B]

Love you, Honda.

[A]

Love you, Honda. That's all we have time for today. You'll hear Mads, Joe and Annika back on Wednesday. We can't wait to see our Annika and her baby bump as well. It's been so long.

[B]

So long.

[A]

In the meantime, keep talking to us, guys. You can email style-ishameless media.com or you can slide into our DMS over at Stylish Pod. We love hearing from you and thank you to our shameless media team, head of podcast Lucy Hunt and senior podcast producer Kate Emma Burke. Mads and I will see you in two weeks. Love you guys. Bye. This podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri land. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.