Relationships between Product Placement, Comic Books, and Comic Book Readers: Discursive Essay

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Relationships between Product Placement, Comic Books, and Comic Book Readers: Discursive Essay

The Hershey Company publicly attributed a 66 percent increase in Reese’s Pieces (Reed and Dutka 1989) revenues to a famous and unforgettable product placement in Universal Studio’s E.T.: The Extraterrestrial (Kennedy and Spielberg 1982). E.T succeeded in pairing with Reese’s Pieces, 20th Century Fox became the first Hollywood film studio to publicly give producers a structured method for product and advertisement placement in its monetary reward films (Harmetz 1983).

Product placement in cinematic history may be the predilection of an extraterrestrial tourist for candy treatments. Product placement in mass media began in 1895 with the contractual inclusion of two Lever Brothers soap cases in Switzerland’s Washing Day at Alexandre Promio (Newell, Salmon and Chang 2006). By 2006, the product placement market, including film, television, and video games, was valued at $4.24 billion (Cohen 2006). Recently one channel started actively experimenting with product placement, a channel neglected in research: comic books.

Literature Review

They want to provide more insight into both aspects in order to address our research question regarding product placement on social media. This will lead to product placement construction, its history, efficacy, and ethical issues.

Social Media

This section describes the social media history and how they have developed into an important part of the current media landscape.

History

Communication has always been part of human society. The steam-powered rotary press was introduced in this century, leading to a newspaper industry where organizations could communicate through a unique channel to the general public. Goff (2013) begins by mentioning the electronic media, such as radio and television, which in the 20th century extended that model. However, the Internet came up in the latter decades of the 20th century and moved in as a new type of media. Therefore, the Internet allows people to respond to communication messages and interact with each other, thus differentiating themselves from the aforementioned mass-media channels. Thus 21st century is the explosive time of social media transmitted communication (Mangold & Faulds, 2009).

Social Media Usage

Social media covers a range of online data sources, which include blogs, collaborative websites, social networks, and websites for content sharing (Mangold & Faulds, 2009). In the case of product placement, Facebook, youtube and Instagram are three main platforms for social media use. Companies actively use social media to create brand communities, gain insight into consumers and increase product or brand awareness (Singh et al., 2012). Gunawan and Huarng (2015) It was discovered that the influence generated by social media, such as the word-of-mouth of other social media users, affects the view of consumers towards products or brands and their intention to buy.

Product Placement

Marketing is described as a technique of advertising to subtly sell products through appearances in movies, televisions, or other media (Business Dictionary, 2015).

History

Old sales practices used for more than a century now (Newell, Salmon, & Chang, 2006). It was first introduced by Unilever, who deliberately put their Sunlight Soap back in a Lumière movie in the 1890s (Sung, de Gregorio, & Jung 2009)the successful example is James Bond movies. Until now, the Bond franchise has endorsed world-renowned brands such as Bollinger champagne, Aston Martin cars, Church shoes, Samsonite suitcases, Smirnoff vodka, and Rolex / Omega watches (Kuhn & Westwell, 2015). (Rose, 2014). They begin using these social platforms to promote brands, products, and services by having celebrities, bloggers or social media influencers create posts that incorporate a promotional message to publicize the product on social media (Liu et al., 2015).

Effectiveness of Product Placement

Experts say this is why it’s particularly effective because it seems very credible to users (Meldrum, 2014). The public is sensitive to this and begins to complain about the regular infomercial scenes in TV shows and movies (Rose, 2014). To some extent, it increases a brand’s recall and recognition, but at the same time, viewers realize that eventually, it’s all a marketing industry persuasion attempt (Cowley & Barron, 2008). Increasing the perceived prominence of products and brands being deliberately placed results in negative attitudes and beliefs that need to be resolved (van Reijmersdal, Neijens, & Smit, 2009).

Legal Issues and Critics

EU audiovisual media services policies, product placement is permitted in fictional programs such as films and TV shows which are considered as light entertainment. News, children’s shows, political, and religious programs, however, do not allow any kind of product placement. Also, cigarettes, tobacco as well as medication, only available on prescription, are not allowed to be placed in any kind of program.

Concepts and Models

The main constructs being explained are the balance theory, brand perception, and purchase intention. All three concepts are relevant, as our research question aims to investigate the effects of product placement on brand perception and purchase intention.

Balance Theory

This balance theory was proposed by Heider in 1958 as a motivational theory of attitude change. As seen in Figure 1, the theory consists of a three-point cognitive structure with relationships among each other (Heider, 1958). Each, so-called triad contains a person and their perception (P) of an attitude object (O) and a third person or object (X) (Solomon et al., 2013). According to Chang and Cheng (2014), individuals are always in search of a balance within the triad. However, this balance may be positive or negative depending on the individual’s feelings towards other actors (Woodside & Chebat, 2001).

Figure 1. Heider’s P-O-X-Model.

Figure 1 shows, how this act of balancing creates the basis for celebrity endorsement. Marketers hope to transfer the celebrity’s popularity (X) to their products (O) in order to change the persons (P) attitude (Basil & Herr, 2006). Though, in order to use the theory of balance successfully, the user should not only like the endorser but also understand the link between the endorser and the endorsed product.

Brand Perception

According to Munn (1960), a consumer’s understanding of a specific brand depends on his physical qualities, such as bottle, packaging, size, advertisement, promotion, and merchandising. Consumer attitude has real impact on the product placement and their packaging. A key factor is word-of-mouth, it always transpires because of the evolving social media and its brand communities, Negative word-of-mouth spreads rapidly and could lead to a tragedy, while positive word-of-mouth can help a brand distinguish itself from the competition, as customers are likely to develop positive attitudes toward the brand.

Purchase Intention

Whitlar, G, and Swenson (1993) defines the purchase intention as a likelihood of purchase, combined with the expectation of the percentage of persons actually buying the commodity. The possibility that a consumer will buy a particular product, resulting from the interaction of his / her need for it, his / her attitude towards it, and his / her perceptions and the company that makes it.

The Buyer Decision Process

The first step in the buyer decision process is the recognition of a need or a problem of a consumer.

The second step in the process is the search for knowledge. Consumers can use different types of sources for their information search: personal sources such as family, neighbors, and friends; commercial sources such as advertising or salespersons; public sources such as mass media and experimental sources in which they examine or use the product.

The third step is to determine alternatives, where customers filter information to make a final choice (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). The evaluation procedure consumers follow is not always the same, as it differs for each individual and it can be based on calculations and logical thinking, as well as on intuition and impulse. (Assaf et al., 2011).

The fourth step is the actual purchase when a customer actually decides to buy the highest ranked alternative (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). Nonetheless, there are considerations that may influence the decision of the highest-ranked option to actually buy. (Assaf et al., 2011).

Afterward, the last step in the decision process includes reviewing the purchase. This consists of comparing performance perceived with expected performance of a product or service (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). The level of satisfaction will lead to either positive or negative word-of-mouth, which influences others decisions from step two of this process (Assaf et al., 2011).

Given that Internet users spend a lot of their online time on social media platforms today, it is interesting to know if product placement on social media influences the decision-making process.

Problem Statement

This study seeks to explore the relationships between product placement, comic books, and comic book readers. As such, the exploratory research questions that guided the development of the research method and analysis are as follows:

R1: What are the general attitudes of readers toward advertisements in comic books?
R2: What are the semantics used by readers when they encounter, think about or discuss product placement in comic books?
R3: What are the attitudes of readers toward product placement in comic books?

Research Objectives

The comic environment is designed to take you a moment away from reality,’ opined Chuck Rozanski, founder of Denver comics retailer Mile High Comics. ‘ Here we thrust aggressive goods from our world into this world of fantasy (Steinberg 2006).

Many shared their appreciation of the practice as a constructive business model while others lambasted it as a breach of trust between publisher and reader. How soon until we’re reading Nabisco’s Action Comics or The Amazing Spider-Man by Coca-Cola? asked one poster (cncoyle 2006); As long as it’s unobtrusive, I don’t mind too much, commented another (MichaelP 2006). Such mainly thin descriptors of consumer behavior pose the following questions: what is the customer attitude and reaction to product placements in comics and what lies below the surface of these brusque answers? Product placement in comic books is a new and exciting research field, ripe for both researchers and practitioners to test.

Research Design

Grounded theory has guided this study’s development, from the adoption of an initial theoretical framework to data collection and analysis (DeLorme and Reid 1999; Lincoln and Guba 1985). Focus groups allowed a moderator to stimulate dialogue between participants in a comfortable and conversational environment to observe the relationships and attitudes of the participants; in-depth interviews yield detailed, unique first-person experiences; and as an Added comparison layer, member testing allowed participants to access data collected and evaluate the researcher’s overall interpretations and findings.

Qualitative Research

The aim was to ‘develop a better understanding of why people act as they do, rather than numerically explaining what people do (Davis 1997, p. 195). Qualitative approaches, used within grounded theory structure.

The grounded theory approach allows the researcher to synthesize new hypotheses and understandings by collecting data and the collection process, rather than by testing preconceived theoretical frameworks (Corbin and Strauss 1990).

The qualitative approach provides a ‘thick’ understanding of the area in question and produces data mature with unique, profound, and experiential perspectives produced by the participant (Denzin 1989, p. 83). This study provides a contextual understanding of the attitudes and expectations of consumers about product placement in comics; that is, an understanding built by ‘the [ consumer’s ] own reference system.’ (Bogdan and Taylor 1975, p. 2).

Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews

Focus groups are scheduled group interviews in which a moderator facilitates dialogue among homogeneous participants to observe their interactions and attitudes (Davis 1997). Focus groups enable participants to ‘expand and refine their own views’ (Davis 1997, p. 198)

Another method of expected and open contact between an interviewer and a respondent is one-on-one interviews in depth. This ‘free, but organized dialogue between the respondent and the interviewer (Davis 1997, p. 197) is less structured than a group discussion but focused nonetheless. Where a focus group conversation may allow participants to engage in lively discussion of a given topic, sharing ideas and observations, a personal interview enables a respondent to provide spontaneous and unmediated responses.

According to Davis (1997), at least two focus groups are recommended, while Morgan (1988) states that three or four groups are enough for a researcher to reach theoretical saturation. Theoretical saturation is the stage at which the group-to-group responses are similar enough that no new data can be ascertained from further observation (Glaser and Strauss 1967).

This research initially estimated the need for at least three group sessions, while theoretical exhaustion seemed to be drawing close after two sessions, as well as the concurrent depth interviews. Examination of the parallel profound interviews have showed strong similarities between participants in themes and attitudes.

Group selection and interview participants are crucial to gathering accurate and reliable data. Because this method works to reveal certain aspects and relationships between a particular group of participants and the topic of discussion, generalizability is not a problem (Morgan 1988; Krueuger 1988). Participants were selected based on their importance to and commitment to the study area.

Participants in the focus group and interview were recruited from local comic book specialty stores to ensure maximum probability that prospective participants were indeed involved in comic books and customers. The researcher ascertained the interest of the customer in comics and general read and buy habits, the customer was invited to participate in the study. Attitudes toward product placement in comics were told to the participants that the purpose of the study was ‘trends in comics and the comics industry’ in order to minimize prepared responses to the specific research subject.

Data Collection

A pre-planned moderator or interview guide was used during both focus groups and in-depth interviews to get answers. Such written guides provide the moderator or interviewer with a standardized visual map to ensure a clear conversation flow and as a means for other key members of the research team to determine the acceptability and consistency of the proposed method (Davis 1997). The focus group discussion guide (Appendix A) for this study and the interview guide (Appendix B) were produced in collaboration with the research committee of the researcher and were pre-tested using staff at a local comic book store.

Focus groups were performed at a local specialty comic book store, and in-depth interviews were conducted at a time and venue convenient to the interviewee, such as a quiet coffee shop or library near the interviewee’s home or workplace. Every focus group started with 10 to 15 minutes of unmediated discussion during which participants were given food and encouraged to mingle freely. After that point, the moderator began to follow the moderator’s script by reiterating the essence of the study, reviewing and gathering the signed consent forms (Appendix C), and reviewing the discussion guidelines. Nonetheless, each session consisted of a discussion of what prompted each participant to read comics as a form of entertainment, a discussion of the general likes and dislikes of each participant in publishers, creative teams, storylines, production values, etc. And those preferences affected his buying decisions, and each participant was given a copy of The Irredeemable Ant-Man No. 10 (Kirkman et al. 2007) and time to read a comic book during the session.

Likewise, individual interviewees were organized in detail, with the interviewer reading an interview guide (Appendix B) to review and collect the consent form and review the interview’s general guidelines.

The discussion of narrative and non-narrative elements continued, as well as the analysis and evaluation of brand appearances in different works, similar to the framework of the focus groups.

Study Limitations

Although this analysis gave rise to many observations concerning ads and product placements in comics, it is important to note the limitations of the research method used and the findings themselves.

Discussions created during research sessions are similar to those participating groups and individuals; specific responses are unique to each participant based on their own experiences with comics, advertising, and product placement.

In this analysis, gender composition of the groups and individual interviews could have been a limiting factor. Though research has shown that only when it comes to controversial products, such as alcohol or tobacco products, men and women vary in attitude and perceived acceptability (Gould et al. 2000; Gupta and Gould 1997), those studies focus on product placement in film and on television. There was some discrepancy in what the male participants reported in this study in terms of attitude and behavior and what was reported by male participants in studies on other channels; therefore, female comic readers might also differ in their reported attitudes and behaviors as opposed to those in placement studies on other channels. Female respondents may even vary in their views as regards comics from male respondents.

Ultimately, because this study relied heavily on direct involvement of researchers and contact with participants during the data collection process, and on subjective interpretation of data during the final phases of the analysis, it is necessary to consider the likelihood of researcher bias and intervention. While participation of researchers and interface plays a part in both quantitative and qualitative methods of study, it can be particularly pronounced in qualitative studies where the researcher is expected to communicate with the participant on a one-to-one basis.

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