Author(s): Ä°pekOKKAY
It is common to include branded products in mass media programming. Previous research has focused more on media attitudes to film and television product placements. The viewer/listener/reader may not be aware that the product, which looks like merely a reflection of ordinary reality as when watching a movie, television show, music video or when playing a video game or even reading a book, is in fact a truly manufactured structure that reflects the exchange of goods and services between the advertiser and the celebrity or the producer and a potential consumer, containing an implicit advertising message. In this study, it was determined to what degree the ethical issues were being observed in product placements by seeing what kind of an attitude was adopted against unethical products in mass media and in product placement activities. As a result, in product placement applications; smoking, alcohol, weapons, obesity-causing foods and drugs were found to be unethical by their nature. It has also been found that those who are more frequently exposed to product placements are more inclined to accept further product placement. It has been determined that the sense of artificial closeness and belonging created by product placement applications also applies to products that are unethical to be advertised on mass media. It may not always be noticed by a consumer that there is a product placement application within his/her attention span. Therefore, it has been determined that people are unconsciously influenced by brands that they are seeing without realizing the harmful effects of the manipulative process.
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