Product Integration: Four Christmases
Four Christmases stars Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn and opened in theaters November 28th and grossed $31.1 million dollars that opening weekend. The movie is about a couple that is forced to break their family-free holiday tradition and visit each of their families on Christmas day.
It is evident that throughout the movie there is full-fledged product integration — when a brand becomes inextricably identified with the content of a show. Their black Range Rover clocks the most screen time transporting them to each painfully awkward family visit filled with a tense Taboo game and beat downs by two brothers who aspire to be UFC fighters. The movie is filled with references to brands. Kate is always on her BlackBerry, takes an e.p.t. pregnancy test, and speaks of Saks Fifth Ave. The couple buy the nephews an Xbox as a Christmas gift which they become ecstatic over and prefer to their dad's gift of a flashlight.
Some of the other featured brands throughout the movie include: Apple, BlackBerry, Budweiser, CBS, Doritos, e.p.t., HP, Range Rover, Rockem Sockem Robots, Saks Fifth Ave., Stanford University, Taboo (Game), Transformers, Ultimate Fighter Championship, Wesleyan University, Xbox, YouTube
The product integration was a success in Four Christmases because it was subtle. While they were visiting one family, you did see the many beer cans of Budweiser and notice the sister-in-law mention her secret ingredient in her holiday casserole, Doritos. The product integration was both realistic and believable. For product integration to be succesful the logo’s got to show and the audience has to identify the brand.
The stars in the movie, Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, are young and well known actors and incorporating products into their movie is a pretty wise move. The placement was done strategically, as they knew who the target audience for the movie is and placed products appealing to that audience. Because of the target audience the products also have to pass the "coolness" rule. Because identifying with a film is personal, “lifestyle” products are more likely to be successful.
In the movie, the characters played an akward game of Taboo, which was one of the funnies parts of the movie, and I found myselft going out that same week to look for the game to play after our Thanksgiving meal. So, I would definitely say that the product integration did its part. I also doubt that I am the only that was enticed by the product integration in this movie.
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