Influence of Product Placement Strategy used in TV Series on Nigerians

Technological advancement has provided more media options for audience to choose from, leading advertisers to seek new strategies to reach their target audience. Product placement strategy is considered one of those strategies as it is a kind of advertiseme nt interwoven with media content in order to reach its audience. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of product placement strategy in TV series on Nigerians. The study makes use of a mixture of cultivation theory and uses and gratification theory. The purpose for embarking on this study is to find out how effective product placement is on Nigerians. The study makes use of quantitative methodology. 280 Nigerians living in the city of Abuja, Maitama metropolis in the summer period of 2016 participated in answering the in-house questionnaire. The first section of the questionnaire contained demographical questions while the second section contained information relating to respondent’s knowledge about product placement. The final section explored the perception and attitudes of the respondents towards product placement strategy in Nigerian TV series. Findings show that respondents are influenced by product placement and their attitudes change based on the featured products in Nigerian TV series. Also, it was revealed that people don’t mind watching TV series with product placement as it enhances the overall view of the program by making it appear more realistic. Further research can be done in the area of product placement as regarding culture. Also, a content analysis of specific TV series or programs against particular products can be done.