A recent example of the brand M & M’s product placement is in a newly renewed tv show called Superstore. This show is about a group of all different employees who go through the everyday craziness of working in a big store together. The M & M’s brand product placement is front and center in the snack vending machine the employees often hang out in while on breaks.
While this show is showcasing multiple product placement’s in the vending machine. It shows four different kinds of M & M candies in the vending machine. The reason M & M wanted their product in this show was to appeal to working people, families, and the average person who watches this show for the irony and relatability of the characters to one’s own life.
If the characters in the show enjoy M & M’s and get them out of their vending machine at work to relax and kick back on break, M & M’s thinks you will want to start eating them on your breaks at work with friends. Or even eat them to relax at home. The product placement of four different M & M ‘s allows even the newer M & M products to be showcased and get recognized besides the regular flavor of M & M everyone knows. This is smart product placement because you see it without even realizing it because it’s not so in your face that it’s almost a joke. Your eye recognizes the M & M logo even in the vending machine in the background of the scene. It makes you subconsciously want M & M’s or a snack after watching this scene of SuperStore.
Rachel Valentine 
My girlfriend loves this show. She says that there are a lot of different products featured, which makes sense since this show takes place in a store. This is the kind of product placement I like. It just shows up in the background to make the world in which these characters live more realistic and comparable to our world. I’d say its much better than having generic-labeled products or made up brand names, as this just seems artificial. Viewers are able to relate with the show by seeing products they like or may want to try. This leads to them buying the featured product for the first time or perhaps the hundredth time. It helps drive sales in both regards.
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Note: when I say made-up brand names make the fictional world feel more artificial, I mean that if they are over used. I think it is okay if they are mixed in with real brand names. Generic brands on the other hand…those are a bit ridiculous.
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Good assessment John. Relatability is important for brands. It gives the viewer comfort. So the product placement needs to feel natural.
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I like this type of product placement because it is subtle. There isn’t a bag of M&Ms right in front of the camera but there are a few in the back of the shot. This makes it so you see the M&Ms but its not an obvious advertisement.
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I see M&M’s in a lot of product placements because they are such a well-known brand. Similar to Coca-Cola and Pepsi, I feel like M&Ms is one of the most common products used in product placements.
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This is the perfect example of subtle product placement because it is so normal. M&Ms did not go above and beyond to push their product on the show. They have their product in a vending machine, like in every store in America. Simple, normal, and common. I like it.
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“Simple, normal, and common.” Nice assessment.
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Big Box Stores are always ripe for ribbing. Chuck made fun of a Best Buy but their title sponsor Subway led to very limited product placement. 10 Items of Less on TBS did not have an innovative sales team. But Superstore on NBC, benefits from their ability to put product placement into real life situations, like break rooms.
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