The Product Placement of the Gulfstream Aircraft brand in the HBO Television Show Entourage
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Conference Track
Marketing Management/ Strategy/ Branding
Publication Date
2012
Abstract
With certain market segments getting more difficult to reach via traditional advertising, many marketers are turning to non-traditional means to gain exposure for their products. Time spent with digital applications such as mobile smart-phones has now eclipsed print and television with some segments. In order to reach some audiences, marketers are depending more on product-placement in television and movies. The following study is a content analysis of Gulfstream aircraft brand placement in the HBO television show Entourage. It has been found that in the sixty-six episodes of seasons one through five the Gulfstream brand was placed forty-eight times with nine minutes and two seconds of total exposure time. In various contexts the placements have been categorized and analyzed to show that a majority of them focus on reinforcing the Gulfstream brand image as being at the highest end of the luxury jet market. A number of the brand placements documented were found to have high levels of plot connection, making them more effective than simple background product appearances. Findings also suggest that the placements were included because the lifestyle the brand represents is synonymous with that of the show’s main characters and the placements give the show a better sense of realism. Thus the brand placement of Gulfstream jets in Entourage is overall a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties.
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
Digital Commons@Georgia Southern License
Recommended Citation
McClung, Steven and Hermann, Shawn, "The Product Placement of the Gulfstream Aircraft brand in the HBO Television Show Entourage" (2012). Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2012. 19.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/amtp-proceedings_2012/19
