Examining the automaticity of product placement effects

Product placement is a controversial topic that has grown in popularity (Russell & Belch, 2005). The introduction of new technologies has allowed consumers to evade traditional television advertising (Lee & Faber, 2007). Whilst Peters and Leshner (2013) suggest that a consumer’s cognitive processing of product placement could be due to subconscious influences on the consumer, researchers are yet to empirically examine this notion. This is linked to studies on priming, a topic that has attracted much researcher interest (e.g. Shen & Chen, 2007). This paper aims to assess the automaticity of television-show product-placement effects on a consumer’s brand attitudes and purchase intentions to examine this notion. A theoretical model and propositions are presented to guide future research.