Finally, Avatar falls.
Dear John is now the number one film, opening up the competition for the number one spot in our brandcameo count. Will last year's top-placed product, Apple, jump out again? How about last year's runners-up Ford, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser?
No. No. No and... yes. While Dear John may have been heavy on the heart, it was light on the brands. Budweiser, while technically making an appearance, did so only because of a Bud poster in the background of a scene. Lacoste clothing was used to identify a preppy jerk. Trailways buses transported the hero. Also, due to circumstances disallowing email, the young lovers came to rely on the United States Postal Service to anchor their love story. Then there were a couple of local Charleston, North Carolina, brands that made major scenes.
However, the brand that benefitted the most is the United States Postal Service. The beleaguered postal delivery brand has been struggling as email is the preferred medium for most correspondence, and private delivery brands like FedEx have pulled ahead thanks to lower overhead. The USPS is a bland government entity, but the film does notably feature a USPS delivery man. Even better for the USPS, however, is that the entire core of the film's romance hinges upon the lost art of the written, and snail-mailed, letter.