Marketing to the postmodern consumer: advertising effectiveness of product placement in reality television

Abstract

The world as we know it is rapidly transforming into what is frequently referred to by many scholars as the era of „postmodernism‟. The postmodern consumer is more flexible, instinctive, more individualistic in preference and needs, and builds an identity through the products he/she consumes. Postmodern consumers are exposed to increased levels of advertising clutter and are becoming difficult to reach via traditional media. As a result, marketers have found alternative methods to get their message across and have looked at innovative ways to engage postmodern consumers and have turned their attention towards non-conventional advertising practices such as product placement within mass media entertainment. Reality television has emerged as a prominent genre in South Africa among young adults (Generation Y) and the incidence of product placements within these shows has grown substantially over the past few years. With marketing spend allocated to traditional television advertising (when marketing to Generation Y), the research aims to explore if traditional television advertising is effective compared to product placement in reality television in creating brand awareness and brand identity. It also aims to identify if product placement in reality television can be integrated as an element in IMC strategies.