An Argument Against Product PlacementEmbedded marketing, or product placement, is a form of advertising that integrates the product into a non-commercial environment such as films and television shows. Product placement is not a new trend; it has been in place since the early years of the film industry. However, it began to spread in the 1930s when the Owl Cigars company invested $250,000 in the film “Scarface” to place their product in the film (Lindstorm, 2008). It has been argued that product placement can benefit both the sales of the film and the product. However, others disagree stating that its negative effects outweigh its positive effects, as it can have a negative impact on the content of the film in which the product was placed, on the product sales and ethically. benefits for films because branded products act as sponsors for films; companies pay money to the film producer to show their products in specific scenes in the film, which allows the director to get better actors and shoot in better locations. While this may be partially true, product placement can harm a film by interrupting or distorting the film's storyline. While companies pay money to have their products put into a movie, they expect them to be placed advantageously in the movie. Therefore, companies pay more money to get their product to look as good as possible in a movie. This causes the director to deviate from the script in order to adapt to the products placed there and to encourage companies to invest in the film. For example, according to Santos, in the film “Goodbye, Lenin!” » two companies, Coca-Cola and Burger King, refused to place their ...... middle of paper ......s/10.1080/10454446.2013.724370 Lindstrom, M. (2008). Buyology: truth and lies about why we buy. New York: Doubleday. Nunlee, M., Smith, D., Katz, M., A. (2012). Negative product placement: An evolving theory of product disparagement and unfair competition. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness. 6(2), 11 – 27. Retrieved from: http://www.na-businesspress.com/JMDC/NunleeM_Web6_2_.pdfRedondo, I. (2012). The behavioral effects of negative product placements in films. Psychology and Marketing, 29(8), 622-635. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mar.20548/references Snyder, SL (1992). Films and product placement: Is Hollywood transforming films into commercial discourse? University of Illinois Law Review. Retrieved from: http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/unilllr1992&id=311&collection=journals&index=journals/unilllr#311