The 10 most embarrassing product placement scenes in movie history
Depending on if you’re a cynical old traditionalist or an idealistic dreamer, cinema will either be appreciated as a purely money-making project or a dream-catching pursuit of art. Regardless of your position, one thing that is a certainty is that the majority of movies are made for financial gain, with the likes of Disney, Universal, Paramount and Warner Bros all chasing box-office figures, no matter how innocent they purport to be.
Although box-office revenue is the primary source of revenue for these aforementioned companies, another rather gluttonous tactic they use is brand collaboration, feeding their insatiable appetite for as much money as possible. These collaborations come in the form of product placement, with movies featuring a physical item or the name of a company predominantly in one scene or throughout the whole film.
Some movies have been able to ingeniously stitch product placement into their movies; just look at how 1992’s Wayne’s World parodied the practice whilst benefiting from the very brand collaborations it was mocking. Yet, unfortunately for audiences, countless movies have featured brands so blatantly that it’s insulting to our eyes and ears, causing eye-rolling moments and, in some cases, physical nausea.
Take a look at our list of the ten most embarrassing product placement scenes in movie history below.
10 terrible product placement scenes:
10. Cast Away (Robert Zemeckis, 2000)
The Robert Zemeckis movie Cast Away is the only film on this list to have received pretty considerable Oscar attention, with the lead star Tom Hanks being given a nomination for his contribution. Following Chuck, a FedEx executive who goes through an emotional transformation after surviving a catastrophic plane crash, the movie is pretty much just a glorified advert for the transport company.
Bizarrely, FedEx never gave any money to the production team of Cast Away, despite it playing such a prevalent role in the film. Still the movie’s ending suggests that their delivery drivers can get a package delivered no matter what.
9. Man Of Steel (Zack Snyder, 2013)
Fan-favourite filmmaker Zack Snyder sprinkled countless moments of product placement throughout his 2013 movie Man of Steel, mentioning the camera brand Nikon, as well as Budweiser, CNN, Warby Parker glasses and 7-Eleven. By far the worst of these moments comes when Superman fights with an extraterrestrial being just outside of a Sears and an IHOP, with the movie taking its product placement credentials to new heights.
Remarkably, over 100 global promotional partners gave the movie $160million to get their products in the superhero flick, making 2013’s Man of Steel one of the most product placement-heavy films ever made.
8. Uncharted (Ruben Fleischer, 2022)
“I’m literally in a Papa Johns right now,” Mark Wahlberg’s Victor Sullivan states in the 2022 movie adaptation of the popular video game series Uncharted, immediately sullying the legacy of the franchise. After bringing up the pizza chain, he proceeds to engage in a fight sequence with various goons, coincidentally advertising the cleanliness and vibrancy of your local Papa John’s restaurant.
Starring Tom Holland, the movie is inspired by the globe-trotting adventures of the Indiana Jones series, telling the story of Nathan Drake, a spiritual descendant of Sir Francis Drake, the iconic English explorer.
7. The Internship (Shawn Levy, 2013)
It’s immediately obvious which brand Shawn Levy is promoting during his 2013 movie The Internship, with the search engine Google playing a major part in the film’s plot. Telling the story of Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson), who take up an internship at the company despite being almost totally tech-illiterate, the film is a half-decent comedy that breaks no rules of filmmaking at all.
It gets away with its product placement a little, considering that it makes no secrets regarding the film’s clear collaboration with Google, but this doesn’t totally excuse it from being guilty in the eyes of critical movie fans.
6. Mac and Me (Stewart Raffill, 1988)
In a similar vein to the previously discussed Shawn Levy movie The Internship, Stewart Raffill’s peculiar 1988 film Mac and Me is guilty of more than merely having some product placement moments, the entire film is a glorified advert. Although apparently not funded by McDonalds, Mac and Me features a hilarious amount of product placement, most notably being known for an entire scene that takes place in a bustling restaurant.
The scene is taken to ridiculous new heights when a dance breaks out, and Ronald McDonald, the brand’s mascot, can be seen boogying in the background. It’s truly unforgivable stuff.
5. Transformers: Age of Extinction (Michael Bay, 2014)
Much like Man of Steel, which we discussed earlier in this article, Michael Bay’s 2014 film Transformers: Age of Extinction was stuffed full of product placement, with countless brands paying big money to have their products featured. A staggering 55 brands collaborated with Paramount, including the likes of Budweiser, Cadillac, Coca-Cola, Gucci, Red Bull and Victoria’s Secret.
It’s difficult to pick out just one terrible product placement moment in the movie, but we’ve opted for the moment when Mark Wahlberg’s Cade crashes into a truck carrying Bud Light bottles, gets out of his car and takes a swig of one whilst arguing with a civilian. Classy.
4. Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)
James Bond is supposedly one of the most stylish and sophisticated characters in movie history, yet he’s also one of the greediest, constantly collaborating with brands to get a bit more cash on the side. We should clarify that it’s really the companies behind the franchise, Sony and MGM, who are the real gluttonous folk, forcing Bond to use countless Sony tech products whilst strapping an Omega watch around his wrist.
This comes into play during one laughable moment when Eva Green’s Vesper asks Bond if he’s wearing a Rolex, only for him to simply reply, “Omega”, during the revolutionary movie in the series. The moment indeed feels ripped from a bog-standard TV advertisement.
3. Power Rangers (Dean Israelite, 2017)
In 2017, after many years of trying, a live-action Power Rangers movie was finally released for fans across the globe. Telling the story of five teenagers with superhuman abilities, the movie, which starred Naomi Scott, Elizabeth Banks and Bryan Cranston, was something of an overwhelming critical and commercial disappointment, with fans being critical of its half-hearted nature and pretty obvious product placement.
The worst of this comes when RJ Cyler’s Billy gazes upon the fast food restaurant Krispy Kreme like he’s looking at the Ark of the Covenant, prompting the start of an insufferable scene where silly hijinks occur in the haven of all things sweet.
2. What Women Want (Nancy Meyers, 2000)
Speaking of movies seeming to insert fully-realised adverts into their movies, Nancy Meyers shamelessly collaborated with Nike during her 2000 film What Women Want. Starring Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt and Marisa Tomei, the movie tells the story of a cocky advertising executive who becomes able to hear what women are thinking, turning him into the most chauvinistic magician possible.
Yet, plot aside, the unbelievable moment of product placement comes in one sneaky scene where Gibson’s Nick presents a Nike advert to a board of co-workers, with Meyers allowing the whole commercial to play out.
1. Jack and Jill (Dennis Dugan, 2011)
There’s absolutely no denying that the worst product placement scene of all time came during the Dennis Dugan movie Jack and Jill. There are countless awful scenes in Adam Sandler’s dismal comedy about two warring siblings, but the moment in which Al Pacino creates his own Dunkin’ Donuts song before performing it in a restaurant is by far the worst, even making it onto our list of the worst movie scenes of all time.
The Oscar-winning actor and icon of 20th-century cinema reduced himself to a mere commercial puppet in this awful scene. Tony Montana would grimace at his scene and likely bring the Donut establishment to its knees.
