The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership.
Have you ever bought a product based solely on product placement in a movie or television show? I hadn’t either, until last week.
Product placements are when a consumer brand pays a production company to feature its products on-screen. Placements can be passive, like the Coke the judges on “American Idol” are seen drinking, or more pronounced, sometimes to a cringe-worthy extent. In the final episode of “Frasier,” Niles gives Frasier a package of “Milanos, that cookie you like so much.” Seeing how his love for that particular product was not mentioned in any of the 263 previous episodes of the show, I think we can assume Pepperidge Farms paid handsomely for the shoutout. In the Netflix series “Longmire,” the eponymous sheriff notably drinks only Ranier beer. However, that is a little more organic since the Longmire character in the books also favors that brand. I’m guessing the author, Craig Johnson, wasn’t compensated for the literary mention, although his standard fee for speaking engagements is “a six-pack of Ranier, preferably cans.”
Rarely, though, has a product placement been so evident and hokey as the one for something called Takis in the Amazon Prime YA series “The Wilds.” Basically, an entire episode is based on a bag of the snack that washes ashore – no seriously – on the deserted island where the story takes place. And, amazingly, it’s not the first time Barcel, the owner of the Takis brand, has been so obvious about paying to get their product in front of their target audience. In the movie “Boy Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse,” Takis play a significant role in the laboratory accident that unleashes zombies on the world.
In the interest of better understanding my fellow man, I set out to find these magical snacks that teens are apparently willing to die for. It wasn’t a long or arduous search. It turns out Takis are pretty ubiquitous in convenience marts. I bought a four-ounce bag of the flavor called “Fuego,” which was explicitly mentioned on “The Wilds.” The only other flavor available at the store where I made my purchase was “Nitro,” so … okay.
Takis are tubular corn chips. Basically, a rolled-up Dorito. True to the “Fuego” name, they are relatively spicy, similar in flavor to Lime and Chili Fritos, but a bit hotter. Like most other snack chips, they are coated with a flavored powder that annoyingly turns the fingers of your “snacking hand” red. I had hoped their shape might lead to a less messy eating experience, but, alas, no.
Were they tasty? Sure. Would I go out of my way to choose them over any other brand of snack chips? No. But I suppose that’s the point. The reality is it’s hard to differentiate yourself based on flavor, so creating a “buzz” around your product is critical to success, and that’s why companies are willing to pay millions of dollars to get their products directly in front of their target audiences.
I do wonder, though, just how far a production company would be willing to go, even if the price was right …
“Hey, Dakota, wanna come over to my place, listen to some Megan Thee Stallion and take a hit of Geritol?”
“Geritol? Isn’t that for old people?”
“No, man, it’s so rad, you’ve gotta check it out.”
Geritol and chill.
Rampant consumerism, bringing the generations together.