A Comparative Study of The Product Placement of Coca-cola, Dunkin's Donut and Wyndham Hotels

For this practicum, I watched two shows, America’s Got Talent and American Idol. In America’s Got Talent, they featured Dunkin’ Donuts as well as a segment for Wyndham Hotels. In American Idol, the main sponsor was Coca-Cola. One interesting aspect is both shows contained an element for food, specifically beverage products. Wyndham Hotels is obviously a hotel chain, as its name suggests. All companies strategically selected these shows due to their nature and demographics to best promote their products.

The first businesses are Dunkin’ Donuts and Coca-Cola. In context, they were usually presented on cups or tumblers, most notably near the judges on the shows. Along with featuring branded items, Dunkin’ Donuts also had segments on AGT such as “Dunkin’ Save” and a “Dunkin’ Lounge” to further promote their name, both of which help the show feel more connected and interactive towards the viewers (Fremantle Media 2016). All in all, the occurrences of these brands delivered the message that their products are energizing and popular, in the effort to bring them exposure from younger audience members.

And, since AGT and AI are both talent shows with regular people as contestants, they promote the idea that the best and most gifted individuals use these brands, and the “average joe” aspect helps to make it accessible to everyone. Another aspect is Coca-Cola’s entire campaign across multiple shows, for the ubiquitous appearances of this brand make the viewer feel excluded and like an outsider if he or she did not purchase from the brand as well, much like a social normality (AdvertisingAge 2011). Dunkin’ Donuts is a shop chain that specializes in breakfast foods such as donuts and coffee, while Coca-Cola produces a variety of soft drinks. Their integration in competitive shows forms the impression that they help boost competitors to be better and more prepared through their consumption of such products.

Next, Wyndham Rewards, described as “the award-winning hotel loyalty program of Wyndham Hotel Group,” makes a regular appearance in a segment known as “You’ve Earned This” on AGT, which recaps the winning performances throughout the season (Broadway World 2016). This sponsorship makes a great deal of sense, since these reality competition shows normally take place across multiple cities, meaning a lot of travelling takes place throughout its duration. This endorsement gives the notion that the best place to stay when travelling is at a hotel within Wyndham’s network, as well as utilizing other travel features it provides. More specifically, the rewards aspect makes the audience more inclined towards believing the program is prestigious and earned through hard work. This would appeal more to younger adult to middle-aged demographics, between ages eighteen through forty-nine, since they tend to travel more, and that they make up a larger percentage of viewership (Hipmunk 2016, TV by the Numbers 2015). In conclusion, by advertising a hotel chain to the largest group of travelers, Wyndham Hotels gains strongly in this field.

With everything considered, companies tactfully choose which shows to sponsor based on the type of content they have, and the dependent variable, the viewer demographics. Because America’s Got Talent and American Idol appeal more to young and middle aged audiences, Dunkin’ Donuts, Wyndham Hotels, and Coca-Cola all presented their products to seem popular, relatable, and prominent.