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Last week, Netflix delivered E.T. to our door. The kids had never seen it, and it'd been years since I sat down to watch. I'd even forgotten it was in our queue. When Elliott starts dropping the Reese's Pieces, my oldest asked for some clarification. "Well, he's using the Reese's Pieces to show E.T. how to get to his house," I answered. Nothing much more was said at the time. The next day, however, my wife came home with a big box of the peanut butter treats. Seems the boys simply had to try some. Half an hour later, the colorful shells were being used to lead me all over the house to discover various caches of toys. Subsequently, the candy was officially declared as "our favorite."
25 years later and the M&M's brand is still paying for not listening to Steven Spielberg.
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Record a comment from your computer right now. Be pithy.
Everything I need to know about advertising I learned from Star Wars
goddammit, JJ. it's a well-known fact that i have an irrational-yet-very-real fear of that freakin' extraterrestrial.
here's what i don't need at 5:20 on a monday: open my bloglines, see a new AC post, click and BAM! color photo of my nightmare since childhood. i'm just glad your boys didn't have a similar reaction to that creepy little freakazoid.
i'm going home to cry now.
Posted by:Andy Woolard | October 01, 2007 at 05:24 PM
Great story - cool to take a step back and look at just how big the picture REALLY is.
Posted by:Eric | October 01, 2007 at 05:26 PM
I saw this over the weekend on some show about candy brands. Pretty interesting. They credit E.T. with launching the product placement craze.
Posted by:bg | October 01, 2007 at 09:02 PM
But look at the heartburn eating all that candy caused! Maalox should have somehow got in on that deal.
What about the suckcess of Mac and Me?
Posted by:Michael Seaton | October 01, 2007 at 09:22 PM
I heard the story of the Reese's pieces vs. M&Ms back when I was 6 and I'll never forget it. In fact, everytime I see RPs, (which is pretty much only at the cinema) I think of E.T. and that sad story.
The lesson here: Spielberg knows his stuff. Find a way to say "yes".
Posted by:Prescott Perez-Fox | October 01, 2007 at 10:58 PM
oh and by the way, I'll take product placement any day over the cheesiness of someone drinking a can of "ite" like you might see in re-runs of Saved by the Bell.
Posted by:Prescott Perez-Fox | October 01, 2007 at 10:59 PM
So M&M's is kinda like Verizon wireless who had first crack at the iPhone and declined. Then that makes AT&T like Reese's who actually agreed to take the iPhone. Crap! So AT&T is supposed to be my favorite?? I won't get an iPhone because of AT&T. Stupid second rate peanut buttery AT&T!! :)
Posted by:Mr. I Told You So | October 02, 2007 at 01:16 AM
Mr. Told You So...you funny.
Posted by:American Copywriter | October 02, 2007 at 08:16 AM
I'm with Andy. ET is utterly terrifying... then, now, and forever. I can't even think about Reese's Pieces right now.
Posted by:RyanB | October 02, 2007 at 11:06 AM
Oooh. I forgot about the pieces. Luckily I live a mere 357 feet from the local supermarket. I'd drop their name but I have yet to receive any compensation for previous endorsement.
Posted by:Jac Madsen | October 02, 2007 at 02:58 PM