Product placement in television drama: do information overload and character attribute matter?

Including branded information within media contents is an emerging yet important area of marketing communication. This research investigates in two studies the effects of information-overload and television character attributes (involvement, favorableness) on placement recall and viewers’ attitudes towards the placed product. Results of Study 1 show that though information-overloaded placement enhances placement recall, it generates negative attitudes towards the placed product; yet, involvement with the television character dampens such negative effects. In contrast, viewers in non-information-overloaded placement condition report lower recall but more positive attitudes towards the placed product. Study 2 further investigates the main effects of character attributes. Results reveal that product placement associated with a favorable character is more effective in generating placement recall and positive placement attitudes than placement associated with a less favorable character. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.