What if the most effective ads are the ones you don’t even notice? 

Advertisements are everywhere! A billboard in the middle of the road, or a sudden halt to your favorite show, but product placements in music videos are the most powerful marketing tools! You don’t even realize you're being marketed at all! 

Product placements in music videos aren’t just about visibility from the brand, but a cultural time capsule that holds the influence the artist had on society. The right products need to be perfectly aligned with the artist in order to give a lifestyle effect rather than an advertisement. 

Some of the most unforgettable music videos show product placements that have matched the artists aesthetic and pop culture as a whole.

Not only is this concept of product placements in music videos shaping consumer behavior, when it’s done properly, the products align perfectly with the artist and become further away from an ad. Check out this video on how product placement is specifically designed to trick your brain into retaining all the information. 

When did music videos become better at selling than commercials? These celeb music videos were the real influencers before social media was as big as it is now and these are the top 4 product placements in music videos you definitely missed!

‘Telephone’ By Lady Gaga

This pop hit from 2010 takes the cake for most iconic product placements in a music video, featuring over 10 different brand logos. If you thought Lady Gaga and Beyoncé couldn’t get more amazing in their ‘Telephone’ duet, you thought wrong! 

These two managed to perform, entertain and market a handful of products to us at the same time.

To mention a few, Gaga’s classic pin up curls were held tight with Diet Coke cans, the memorable kitchen scene shows snippets of Miracle Whip used as a condiment to match Gaga’s bright blue head piece, and the Virgin Mobile phone she snuck into her prison cell.

In an article on Interview Magazine, you can check out the full breakdown of all the product placements in the video. 

Not only is this a huge breakthrough in music video history, it serves as a 10 minute commercial too! A video shows they even made it to the Guinness World Record book for most product placements in music videos ever. 

The music videos product placements are genius on the creative director’s part and the video itself is so entertaining you can't take your eye off it.

Although there aren’t direct statistics about how the product placements in the music video affected the sales of the products, there was huge visibility to all of these brands based on Gaga’s fan base, the Little Monsters. 

‘We Can’t Stop’ By Miley Cyrus 

It was no secret that back in the 2010’s Miley Cyrus was sort of a ‘bad girl’ but behind all that rebellion was a strategic business woman. Cyrus’ legendary music video for her hit song ‘We Can’t Stop’ was one of the first times we were able to see her transition from Disney pop star to an unstoppable force. 

The product placements in her music video not only showcases her party girl essentials but some of the most trendy products of this time.

The music video features products like the Beats Pill by Dre speaker and a hot pink EOS lip balm. I don’t know what other two products scream 2013 has more than those two. 

According to statistics, over 40 music videos from the 2010’s featured Beats By Dre products ranging from headphones to speakers. This was such a culturally significant brand for the decade and was featured in the trendiest music videos of the time. 

While Miley Cyrus was entering her rebel era, she was also adapting to the times and showing her fans that she was just as cool as the products they were loving.

Product placements in music videos not only promotes products, but it used to promote an entire brand an artist is trying to portray to their fans and Cyrus did an excellent job at doing so.

The consistency of celebrities using Beats by Dre in their music videos resulted in them selling their company to Apple for almost $3 billion dollars. That is a brand explosion if I’ve ever heard of it! 

‘Formation’ By Beyoncé

Sometimes, even when celebrities MENTION a word or phrase, they instantly influence a ton of fans. This scenario happened when Beyoncé released her music video for her song ‘Formation’ and she says, “When he f**k me good, I take his a** to Red Lobster”.

Although this is a vulgar line, the buzz for Red Lobster skyrocketed when Queen Bey mentioned she would be going. 

Beyoncé is such an influential pop sensation so it's no wonder that when she mentions a chain like Red Lobster, the popularity rises. According to statistics, there was a 33% sales boost during Red Lobsters ‘Lobsterfest’ promotion because of the video. 

Red Lobster was not in on this surprise pop up mention in Bey’s song, but they were thrilled to see the results of her impact on her fans. They even renamed their infamous biscuits ‘Cheddar Bey Biscuits’ for the time being! 

‘Focus’ by Ariana Grande

All those ‘Arianators’ out there are SAT when it comes to Ariana's amazing music but her videos are just as entertaining as her vocals. Her music video to her hit song, ‘Focus’ features a product that was totally life changing to Samsung's company. 

The Samsung Galaxy Note was undeniably implemented into Grande’s music to showcase their luxurious smart phone, in competition with the iPhone and Apple products. This was an excellent way for Samsung to put their product on the market, considering how adored Ariana Grande is by her fans. 

As seen in the image, this feature of the Galaxy phone highlights that you are able to write notes on the screen without even unlocking it. Grande's secret note to her fans was such a legendary way to show off how cool this phone really is. 

The whole music video plays into the space-like vibe that the ‘Galaxy’ phone gives off. What a great way to make an entire commercial out of a pop sensations song! Samsung was definitely doing something right with this one. 

Product Placements In Music Videos: The Power of Marketing 

Part of being a marketing girly is finding innovative ways to campaign new products. Product placements in music videos are so impactful and as marketing girls, our need to investigate them is important to feed into.

The marketing world is ever changing and brain chemistry is always aware of the subconscious signals the world gives. Product placements in your favorite music videos are put into your brain and you don’t even realize! That's the power of marketing! 

To find more information on other marketing tools and insights, check out Sky Society’s newsletter and Linkedin for more! 

🪽 Written by Tori Bertrani