In recent weeks a reality TV phenomena has swept across the British nation as it seems UK audiences can’t get enough of ITV2’s latest reality output ‘Love Island’. Viewers up and down the country have become obsessed with the series, with BBC News commenting on the show and even UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn backing Marcel to win.

With a reported 4.5 million tweets sent about the show, 2.5m sent during the episodes and a record 13.3million viewers so far, brands too are drawn to the show looking to capitalise on every opportunity from product placement to licensing.

Ministry of Sound is a recent example of an organic product placement, hosting a ‘Ministry of Sound Summer Party’ in the Love Island villa just as two new faces arrived. Featuring a branded pool party, with a mix of branded floats, album signage, pillows, sunglasses, balloons as well as verbal mentions by the cast members, the audience were in no doubt of the placement. One day after the episode aired, Ministry of Sound’s new album ‘Marbella Collection 2017’ hit number 1 in both the Dance and Official Albums Chart, showcasing the power of Product Placement within TV.

Another product that has appeared on the show and has become immensely popular, is the Love Island water bottle. Contestants in the house have personalised bottles which they carry throughout the series. ITV are monetising the placement by making the products available to purchase through their official Love Island app whereby they can also use the app to vote.

The shows producers have also negotiated licensing deals with most prominently Primark producing Love Island clothing and merchandise featuring the contestants many catchphrases.

When the contestants leave the series is when they truly benefit as loved-up couple Dom and Jess have proved. These ex-Love Island contestants, have been inundated with offers to promote brands on their Instagram pages since their departure to a combined 1.6million followers. Brands including AX Paris, Boohoo Man, Nutri Buddy, Sony Playstation’s Destiny video game all see the benefit of tying in with the shows new personalities.

The Love Island phenomenon wont be limited just to the UK as ITV are set to make millions from selling the Love Island format worldwide. ITV are hoping to emulate the success of Big Brother, which started in Holland and resulted in the format being replicated in more than 40 countries around the world.

Big Brother has also been a popular platform for product placement, with brands including Morrisons, Maximuscle, Very.co.uk, Microsoft, L’Oreal and Weetabix  choosing the series to promote commercial partnerships.

Film Distributor Lionsgate partnered with Big Brother to raise awareness and generate buzz of the film ‘Nerve’. To integrate the placement, a ‘Nerve Centre’ was created in the house with viewers asked to tweet dares for the housemates. Verbal mentions were included when housemates were asked if they ‘had the Nerve’ before each task and advertisements for the film created to top and tail the ad breaks also promoted a Nerve competition for viewers.

Probably the most famous of all reality stars, the Kardashians, have been entertaining viewers and promoting brands since 2007. From the clothes they wear to the restaurants they dine in, with a global audience on offer, brands find placing in the show very appealing. The Lumee phone case is a great example of placement where the case is used by several members of the Kardashian family not just as a phone case, but showing the functionality of the product as it lights up for better selfie images.

Extending to social placements, The Kardashians reportedly charge as much as $300,000 per placement, with brands including Fit Tea, Lyfe Tea, Lilly Lashes, Hype Energy and many more all benefitting from the Queens of Instagram promoting their products.

It’s clear that as the appetite of reality TV grows more and more brands are realising the benefits of being placed in or associated with this latest television sensation, especially when it comes to targeting the hard to reach millennials.

6:00 AM. My working day starts early, checking emails that have come in overnight from the US; from studios, record labels, costume designers, Producers etc. I never reply straight away but it gives me a head start on the day as I can start prioritising what I need to do on the school run.

7:45 AM. Luckily my middle child’s school gate opens at 7.30am, which means I can be at my desk by 7.45am. The next hour I have the office to myself and is probably when I’m most productive; working on presentations, pitches, reading scripts and responding to those US emails from my most recent trip to LA.

8:00 AM. I also follow up on the trades as even though I don’t contact productions on a day-to-day basis like I used to, I still like to know what is going on, especially when there are big projects that I have a personal interest in, like Blade Runner 2049.

9:00 AM. The rest of the office starts to arrive and we have a catch up about last night’s television and any clients that may have appeared on screen, with any exposure clipped and sent to clients with the corresponding media report. We will then usually re-tweet, post a link or image relating to the placement.

The office is open plan which is what I like, to be in the heart of the office, as opposed to being shut away in my own office. It means that everyone hears and is involved in everything, which is really beneficial especially when coming up with ideas.

We have a great team who are brilliant at what they do and I don’t think there is anyone better with their skill set, from tracking down productions to client liaison.

We are currently working across a number of pitches in the office, so whoever is working on a presentation will always share the document for everyone to review, to make sure it answers the brief and always good to get a different perspective.

The nice thing about our client list is that the brands we work with are so varied. So one minute you could be talking about the costume for the latest Marvel movie, the next you are sourcing a 1930s whisky label, to filming on board a cruise ship or negotiating brand exposure for a music video.

11:00 AM. After meeting with an old client for coffee; who has moved on to a new company and is interested in our services, I head back to the office via Oxford Street and Selfridges. Not for shopping but for inspiration and new brands that we could potentially approach.

13:00 PM. Lunch is usually at my desk and done in 10 minutes!

13:10 PM. My background is a copywriter and so I am always looking at AdAge.com or the recent advertising award winners from D&AD and Cannes Lions for inspiration. I share them with the office and encourage them to share things they have seen too so we can discuss and see how we can apply them to what we do.

What’s especially interesting, is that more than ever advertising and PR agencies are looking at creating engaging content and finding out ways to get it in front of the biggest and most relevant audience possible, which is what we have been doing for the past 17 years through product placement.

14:00 PM. It’s now 9am over in Atlanta, where there are a number of productions we are currently working on. We begin to get emails/calls and start speaking with production crew about supplying products.

15:00 PM.In London, I’m on the phone to the UK distributor of a forthcoming big Christmas release where we’ve product placed a client, to discuss potential opportunities for them to promote their association.

16:30 PM.  The emails from LA start to fill up the inbox…speaking with the studios about forthcoming releases, touching base with our LA office and see what the status is of upcoming productions.

18:00 PM. We arrive at a preview screening of “Transformers –The Last Knight”, the latest summer blockbuster we worked on. We always try to make sure we see a cut of the film before it is released, so we can let our clients know what their exposure is like and then help them leverage their exposure.

For Transformers, with the placed item in question being a leather jacket worn by Mark Wahlberg’s character and having already appeared in most of the trailers and promotional posters in Cannes, we are confident what the exposure will be like.  And sure enough, within the first 10 minutes the jacket is there in glorious IMAX 3D.

After the movie, I WhatsApp the client in Italy to inform them and the response I get, is simply ‘Top!, which from a client of few words means they are pleased.

20:30 PM. After the screening, we head off to Volvo’s Midsommar Party (nothing to do with Midsummers Murders, which coincidentally also features Volvos) being held at the stunning Kensington Roof Gardens. It’s a great opportunity to socialise with clients who we have been working with for over 7 years now and know them well on a personal level!

00:00 am. I respond to a few emails from our colleagues in LA before plugging in my phone and switching off.

Darryl Collis is Director of Seesaw Media-the Industries leading Product Placement agency.

– 22nd Feb 2017 –

Over the last few years, it’s become strikingly evident that more and more consumers are shifting their viewing habits away from the constraints of TV schedules and are opting for SVOD services such as Netflix & Amazon, Hulu, YouTube and live streaming platforms that allow them to watch what they want, when they want. With the growth of SVOD content, more and more brands are also migrating to these platforms, following their audiences by diverting budgets from traditional viewing channels to these platforms.

Continue reading Is SVOD changing the TV landscape?

– 9th Feb 2017 –

A new year, a new look website and a brand new infographic giving an insight in to Seesaw Media and the world of product placement.

In 2016 alone, we have secured over four hours and over £13 million worth of prominent on screen exposure for clients within high profile films, award winning television and talked about SVOD productions reconfirming why more and more brands are integrating product placement into their overall marketing strategy.

Not only have we achieved significant brand exposure for clients within some of the most talked about productions of 2016 including ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’, ‘Batman vs. Superman’ and ‘The Night Manager’, but we have also generated additional exposure through media coverage as well as premiere sponsorship and promotions.

To find out how we can do the same for your brand or service please contact us on [email protected] or +44 20 8343 2022