The sleeper hit of the summer, The Help, does not have much by way of product placement. But what it does have, it works, weaving various iconic products from the 1960s into the plot about the struggles of black maids in white households during the turbulent Civil Rights era Mississippi.

Cadillac, Corvettes and Coca-Cola: is there a trifecta of brands more emblematic of America's era of the economic ascension? Coke probably scores the best placement of the film in both prominence and role, as two cold bottles are shared by characters during a heartwarming moment of racial transcendency. In the book, Coca-Cola plays an even more important role, as one maid gets one for her employer to calm her after a miscarriage.Continue reading...

When it comes to product placement, Super 8's very name, like Gran Torino or Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, is itself a product. In 1965, Eastman Kodak created the video format that would come to dominate amateur movies for a decade. Even though Kodachrome itself has been discontinued, Super 8 formatted film is still widely made, if not widely available. 

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Super 8 is billed as a homage to Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment films of the 1980s. In plot, scope and feel, that's certainly the case. Even when it comes to product placement, Super 8 tips its hat to Spielberg's legacy.Continue reading...