Sep 30

A Summer of Love for Product Placement

It’s now September and the close of summer hails the end of another series of hit ITV2 dating show, Love Island. Millie and Liam have been crowned our winners of the seventh series, and the villa’s last remaining couples have packed their bikinis and infidelities away to return to millions of fans in the UK. However, arguably the most important popularity contest has yet to be decided. 

Throughout the series, Love Island has been linked to various brands, having coupled up with no fewer than nine: Tinder, Boots, Cloud Nine, JD Sports, WKD, Spotify, Wrigley’s Extra, JUST EAT, and I Saw It First. Reportedly raising over £12 million before the show even began, such partnerships have been integral to the programme’s financial success. This, in turn, has had a knock-on effect for ITV’s external revenues, which were up by 27% compared to 2020 levels at the end of the first half year ending 30th June, according to Variety. Such partnerships included television adverts surrounding the programme, Love Island-licensed packaging on retail products, and Love Island-themed app integration, alongside traditional product placement within the show’s format.

Arguably the three most notable partnerships were those which utilised product placement, promoted directly by the show’s stars. Enhanced by ITV’s launch of shoppable TV – a new AI-based feature in LG TVs that allows viewers to read about and purchase products featured on screen –  product placement in Love Island has led to an increase in sales and brand awareness for its partnered brands. In some cases, brands gained double the exposure through this method, showcased across the TV screen and the phone screen as contestants made use of footage from the show and photos from the villa on their social media profiles. Let’s take a look at Love Island series 7’s top three placements…

 

1. I Saw It First: Fashion Partner

The Love Island 2021 finalists in I Saw It First looks [source: ISAWITFIRST.com].
I Saw It First began its relationship with Love Island in 2019, which introduced 250k new customers to the fast fashion retailer and saw the dress that Molly Mae wore for her final date sell out in 10 minutes. Returning as the show’s official fashion partner for the seventh series, I Saw It First did not only kit out the real-life contestants with clothing and accessories to wear in front of the cameras. They also sponsored the new interactive Love Island game, I’ve Got A Text!, providing looks for its fictional characters so that players could wear I Saw It First virtually at home, and allowing them to shop these  through the app in reality as well. The official Love Island app also provided links for the I Saw It First pieces worn in each episode so that viewers could watch and shop at the same time.

Now you know why the contestants aren’t allowed to wear any brand logos, other than the Love Island fashion house Rewired.

 

2. Boots: ‘Feel Good’ Partner

The Boots x Love Island Pamper Box
The Love Island Pamper Box, sold only at Boots [source: Boots.com].
High-street pharmacy Boots provided beauty and wellness products for the contestants this year as the programme’s official ‘Feel Good’ partner. Ease of shopping was encouraged by shoppable TV and the designated Love Island page of the Boots website on which viewers could (and still can) ‘GET THE ISLANDER LOOK’ by browsing through edits of the contestants’ favourite products or buying the Love Island Pamper Box, stocked with a mix of the islanders’ picks. Items placed in the show ranged from Boots’ in-house lines Soltan and No7 to their independent brands like Fenty and Huda Beauty. Boots products were clearly used throughout the series and, most memorably, served as the girls’ ‘spa day’ at the finale as the islanders prepared for their summer ball, with Boots reporting a 90% increase in Huda Beauty sales due to their involvement with the show.

 

3. Spotify: Music Partner

Mabel performing at the Spotify Party on Love Island series 7
Mabel performing at Love Island‘s Spotify Party [source: Twitter.com – @SpotifyUK].
Spotify returned for its second series as the official music partner of Love Island, creating the official Sounds of Love Island playlist where viewers could track down songs played on the show. This has boosted the popularity of artists such as Switch Disco, whose song ‘Everything’ was played in the opening episode, resulting in a 185% increase in streams the week after. Spotify itself gained exposure by hosting a party for the islanders with a logo-emblazoned bar and live music by pop singer Mabel, who tweeted a clip of the event to her 100k+ followers.

 

 

Overall, it appears that Love Island hasn’t lost its popularity with the public, ending on a record-breaking final despite its mid-season drop in viewing figures, and it is equally popular with the fashion and lifestyle brands who have continued to profit from the show’s #loyal fans. As such an attractive partner, it will be interesting to see which brands’ heads turn next year and who the show chooses to couple up with for summer 2022.