At the Roots of Product Placement: The Mere Exposure Effect

The present study aims to analyze the effect of product placement on attitude change and takes into consideration psychological models ofthe mere exposure effect. A sample of high school students watched an excerpt from two widely-distributed movies in which several productswere shown by using the technique known as product placement. The results indicate that students who saw the commercial brand liked theproducts more than those who didn’t see it. This effect, in line with the literature on the product placement effect, seems to be independentfrom the recognition of the brand in the movie excerpt. This study also shows that, in the high involvement condition, one exposure is enoughto produce a positive attitude toward the brand.