Nielsen: Product Placements Rose 6 Percent in First Quarter

NEW YORK, May 5: According
to the Nielsen Company, the number of product placements in prime-time U.S.
broadcast and cable television rose 6 percent in the first quarter of 2008.

Eleven measured broadcast
and cable networks were included in the report: ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, MyNetwork
TV, NBC, A&E, Bravo, HGTV, MTV and TLC. Nielsen notes that broadcast
television placements jumped 39 percent during the first quarter of 2008, while
cable television placements remained flat at less than 1 percent. There were
117,976 brand occurrences on cable and broadcast networks in the first three
months of the year, according to Nielsen Product Placement Service. The most
prevalent placement type on broadcast television was "foreground,"
which represented 35 percent of all product placements. On cable television,
"wardrobe" placements were most common, accounting for 32 percent of
all placements.

The top ten prime-time
programs on broadcast network television featured 15,404 product placement
occurrences in the first three months of this year, compared to 8,893
occurrences in the same time period in 2007. NBC’s The Biggest Loser, with 3,977 occurrences, was the top program in
terms of the number of placements, followed by FOX’s American Idol with 3,291 and NBC’s The Apprentice in third place with 1,646. Four of the top ten
programs aired on The CW, including Pussycat Dolls Present and America’s Next Top Model, and six programs had more than 1,000 placements.

The top ten featured
brands on prime-time broadcast network television increased by 52 percent in
the first quarter of this year, from 4,253 occurrences in 2007 to 6,453 during
the first three months of 2008. Coca-Cola, primarily through its association
with American Idol, was again
the top brand, with 2,380 occurrences for this time period. The February 21
episode of American Idol with
Coca-Cola was well received by the viewing audience, with nearly 60 percent
recognizing the brand and responding positively to it. Following Coca-Cola, 24
Hour Fitness Centers (1,545 occurrences) and Pussycat Dolls Lounge Nightclubs
(479 occurrences) rounded out the top three brands on broadcast television. Six
of the top ten brands are associated with sports/exercise. The top five product
categories on broadcast network television had more than 1,000 placements each.
Among these, soft drinks ranked first with 2,502 placements. Of these,
Coca-Cola accounted for 2,380. Apparel, fitness centers/clubs, football team
and exercise equipment also made the top five.

Meanwhile, the top ten
cable programs that featured product placements accounted for 59,308
occurrences in the first quarter of 2008, an increase of 16 percent from 50,940
during the first quarter of 2007. American Chopper on TLC was again the top program, with 16,164
placements. Bravo’s Project Runway came
in second with 9,816 placements, followed by TLC’s L.A. Ink in third with 5,684. Half of the programs in the
top ten air on MTV and another three air on Bravo.

The top ten featured
brands on prime-time cable network television in this year's first quarter
accounted for 17,356 occurrences, a 28-percent increase from 13,501 occurrences
in 2007. Under Armour Apparel was the top brand, with 2,960 occurrences for
this time period, mainly through its association with the program Real World
Road Rules Challenge. Each brand
in the top ten placed more than 1,000 placements. The top-performing placements
included Home Depot on the February 10 episode of HGTV's Color Splash, Flow Power Tools on TLC's American Chopper and Hershey's integration on Bravo’s Project
Runway.

With 18,307 placements,
apparel was the number one product placement category on cable television
during the first quarter of 2008. The top three apparel brands each had more
than 1,000 placements during the first quarter: Under Armour Apparel (2,960 occurrences),
Orange County Choppers Apparel (2,264) and Big Black Apparel (1,149). Nike
Apparel and Sean John Apparel also ranked among the top five apparel brands.

—By Irene Lew