Brand Personality of Products Placed in Television Programs: The Effect of Involvement with the Product and the Program

Abstract

Solomon Four Group experimental design was used to test four hypotheses examining the effect of involvement with the product and involvement with the program on perceptions of brand personality, following exposure to a "product used by character" scenario in a popular television soap opera. One specific instance with a specific brand was investigated. The hypotheses were tested using Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Results indicated that a used-by-character placement can lead to changes in consumer perceptions of the personality of the brand, with minor adjustments in perceptions of the personality traits of a brand resulting from a single product placement exposure. Results also indicate that this effect is not dependent on a consumer's level of involvement in the product category. Further, these results were found irrespective of a consumer's level of involvement in the program itself. This suggests that product placement may be used to facilitate change in perceptions of the personality of a brand across the entire viewing audience, not just those who hold a personal attachment to the program itself.