Life is getting much more difficult for the Hong Kong
film industry. Production companies are currently grappling
with the decline of the local market. Some companies
have opted to focus on the mainland market or
overseas distribution. But others have tried to make
ends meet by using product placement.
Product placement can be considered collaboration
between a show and a product. The sponsored article is
promoted directly or indirectly in the program. Product
placement is not new to Hong Kong show business. With
the relaxation of local broadcast rules in Hong Kong,
most locally-made television programmes have tried this
approach to increase their profits.
Product placement has been used in Hong Kong films
in the past. But the products generally had a long-standing
relationship with the actor or the film company. Andy
Lau is one of the best examples. When he appeared in
ads for a cigarette brand and a green tea drink, the
products appeared in a movie with him, too. But the
product was only shown for a second or two. Though
audiences did not welcome this kind product placement,
it was still deemed to be at an acceptable level.
The situation has gone into overdrive in past two
years. In Nobody’s Perfect, the first ten minutes are
packed with taglines from advertisements you can see in
Hong Kong every day - electronic payment services,
dental services, internet broadband providers and
karaoke bars. The tagline and the name of a mainland
brand of wine and an online game repeatedly appear in
Vincent Kuk’s All’s Well Ends Well 2009. The most
extreme example was Barbara Wong’s Wonder Women
(2007), in which an explanation of the benefits of a
massage chair is forced into in the dialogue at the end
of the movie. It was the same as the TV commercial that
was running at the time. Audiences didn’t like it one bit.
Too much product placement could be speeding Hong
Kong cinema’s decline. Over the past few years, the
number of local films fell to around 50 a year. Although
quality improved, the films failed to break even locally.
When the gross for local films fell below HK$5 million, film
companies were faced with a difficult situation. Some
tried to tackle the shortfall by shifting their major market
overseas, or to the mainland. This meant producing
genre films like action, crime and martial arts. Some of
these flopped at the local box office, but this was balanced
by cash from the mainland box office and overseas
film sales.
This approach doesn’t work for local romantic comedies.
That’s because they don’t play well in international
markets. So product placement, which can give a
production a steady and predictable income, has
become a preferred part of this genre. Product companies
like it, too, as they can directly connect with their
target audience. It’s usually cell phones, broadband
services, and shopping malls which are showcased.
Films heavy with product placement last year included
L For Love, L For Lies and Connected - films targeted
at the younger generation.
Product promotion may help a production company’s
cash flow - but it also ruins the film. For instance,
Nobody’s Perfect not only has product placement for
products, but also for singers on the Gold label.
Audiences criticized the film for going too far, especially
as the script had to bend to accommodate the products.
This dissatisfaction was reflected in a sharp box office
decline after the first weekend.
If this situation continues, a movie might simply
become the bi-product of an advertising campaign. So
film companies should consider moderating product
placement, even if it is cost-effective.
Ryan Law