The 80s in eight iconic films – VPRO Cinema

In one of the many unforgettable scenes from Steven Spielberg’s mega hit AND the extra-terrestrial (1982) young Elliott lures the friendly space creature ET into his bedroom with chocolate candies. The script said the candies were M&Ms, but the maker Mars Incorporated thanked for the honor, after which the makers had to look for another chocolate candy. It became Reese’s Pieces, which saw its sales triple after the film.

Companies wanting to pay to show their products in movies happened before, but after HEY it really started. And it also has a name: product placement†

If you look through this lens at movies of the 80s, then you enter The breakfast club (1985), for example, is against a lot of Coca-Cola, while competitor Pepsi’s cola ranks high in the Back to the futuremovies.

Product placement must work, because after that it only increased. Heineken reportedly paid $45 million to put James Bond in it falling from the sky (2012) to induce his favorite glass of vodka martini (‘shaken not moved‘) and switch to the green bottle.

Boring, all these imposed marks, but as a spectator you can enjoy it too. For example, Apple requires that only positive characters be allowed to use their iPhones. So if you see someone with a cell phone of an unknown brand, you already know who the bad guy is.
†Gerhard Busch†