Tom Cruise And His Role In Risky Business

A notable example of product placement in a well- known movie is Tom Cruise and his role in the 1983 film, Risky Business. “Tom Cruise sported Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a line once slated for cancellation by the sunglasses manufacturer. Sales of the Wayfarers increased dramatically during the run of the film, which catapulted both its star and his shades to pop culture stardom” (Nathanson). The sale of over 360,000 pairs of Wayfarers was sold during the year of the film 's release. The product was persuasive in the purchase of consumers, which means that the “advertising” of the sunglasses worn was effective enough to see an increase in sales for Ray-Ban. This example also shows how movie product placement can help struggling companies become more successful by simply having a famous actor wear their product. The use of …show more content…
Yes, Tom Cruise is entertaining in the movie, but he’s much more persuasive to consumers because of his famous background. I believe that when an individual sees a celebrity, like Tom Cruise, wearing a pair of sunglasses or any other material of clothing, the popularity of the product increases. And in this case my belief seems to be true because of the increase in sales that Ray Ban experienced after the movie’s release.
Also, the use of children’s products in movies like Toy Story, have been known to have product placements, maybe not as noticeable like in Wings, with the long pause on the item that was being advertised. The way in which Toy Story has used product placement is through their narrative. The toys that make up the characters in the movie are the products that are being advertised. By including brand name toys in the narrative, it gives consumers an adequate amount of information on each toy that informs the customer about the product. Also, by including the name brand toys in the narrative the message is