Top 10 Times Product Placement Ruined a Scene

Top 10 Times Product Placement Ruined a Scene

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Times Product Placement Ruined a Scene.

For this list, we’ll be looking at incidents when companies paid the big bucks to have their item on the silver screen, only for it to be too obvious and/or cheesy, wrecking key moments in the movies.

Which was the best use of product placement in cinema? Let us know below!

#10: IHOP

“Man of Steel” (2013)
The most in-your-face product placement comes when a character’s story is written to shoehorn in the big brand. Take 2013’s “Man of Steel.” When you think of Superman, the International House of Pancakes isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. But in this movie, the duo are intrinsically linked. Along with saving a bus-load of kids from drowning, Clark Kent also rescued bully Pete Ross. After this trauma, Ross became nicer to Clark Kent. Years later, he’s now a manager at the local Smallville IHOP. During the big battle with Faora-Ul, she and Supes crash into the restaurant, ruining the meals of customers, and causing the audience to wonder how much IHOP paid for the destruction of the building.

#9: Hershey's

“Wings” (1927)
Fun fact, not only did 1927’s “Wings” win the first ever Academy Award for Best Picture in 1929, but it’s also the first Oscar-winner to have over-the-top product placement. All about two rivals-turned-besties joining the American Air Service, this silent film had Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Richard Arlen as Jack Powell and David Armstrong, respectively. As David and Jack are going through cadet training, something catches the latter’s eye. We then get a delightful, old-timey, in-your-face shot of a bar of Almond Milk Chocolate. When Jack shifts the items below it, the bar flips over, showing it to be made by Hershey’s, which, apparently, pilots adore.

#8: Krispy Kreme

“Power Rangers” (2017)
Have you ever taken a break during your world-conquering to go and grab a snack? No, same, but apparently, that’s a weakness for Rita Repulsa. For the 2017 film “Power Rangers,” the producers took their brand deal to the extreme. Ten scenes involved either an image or a direct reference to the doughnut brand Krispy Kreme. But the most egregious has to be near the film’s climax. With Rita’s forces laying waste to Angel Grove, she dips out to a Krispy Kreme restaurant to grab herself a tasty treat. Then, in the space of a couple of minutes, the chain’s logo appears multiple times in various shots. It’s bizarre.

#7: Nike Air Jordan

“White House Down” (2013)
With the US government undergoing a mercenary coup in 2013’s “White House Down,” you’d think president James Sawyer would have more pressing matters on his mind than his shoes. Played by Jamie Foxx, Sawyer attempts to pick up a weapon from a fallen merc as he showcases his Air Jordan IV Fire Reds to the camera. Only the baddie is alive, barely, and grabs Sawyer, causing him to fall over. He’s then booted in the face repeatedly as the president tells him to get his hands off his Jordans. Shoes and product placement got weird in 2004’s “I, Robot,” too. Set in the future, Will Smith’s Del Spooner takes time out of the story multiple times to name-drop his “vintage” Converse All-Stars.

#6: Popeyes

“Little Nicky” (2000)
While it’s considered one of Adam Sandler’s better films, “Little Nicky” was let down in a big way when it came to product placement. So much so that the 23rd Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards in 2000 nominated the movie for “Most Annoying Product Placement” for its use of Popeyes. In one scene, with help from Mr. Beefy, Nicky tries the concept of eating with the fried chicken, finished with an expletive endorsement. But later, it gets worse. With Nicky using his powers for good, he summons a massive box of Popeyes to entice the demons. After having a taste, they, too, make a way too obvious endorsement and switch sides due to how good that chicken is.

#5: Apple

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014)
Apple loves getting its brand in Hollywood movies. And in 2014, the tech company appeared in 9 of the 35 number-one films, according to Brandcameo. One of the movies that really highlighted their product placement was “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” With Cap and Black Widow on the run, they pop into an Apple store to see what information is on the mysterious USB. Within the scene, we see the names of various products, witness the computer working really well, that the store is super popular, and their staff are helpful and friendly. The scene felt more like an Apple advert than a tense MCU moment.

#4: Marlboro

“Superman II” (1980)
While Superman and smoking don’t go hand-in-hand, Marlboro owners Philip Morris International changed that when they reportedly paid over $40,000 in 1979 to have their product in “Superman II.” Having turned Lois into a smoker for 1978’s “Superman,” the filmmakers made it more prominent in the sequel as she became a chimney. But the worst offender was near the film’s end when General Zod chucks Supes into an over-the-top marked Marlboro van. The vehicle is seen regularly in the background before it plays a bigger part in the scene. Apparently, vans like this don’t even exist in real life due to security reasons. Reportedly, there are over 20 shots involving Marlboro in “Superman II,” giving Phillip Morris its money's worth.

#3: Pepsi

“World War Z” (2013)
On top of ignoring most of the book’s plot, 2013’s “World War Z” paused to sell the audience Pepsi. After injecting himself with a potentially dangerous pathogen at the World Health Organization medical research facility to make himself invisible to zombies, Brad Pitt’s Gerry Lane took a break. He walked to a well-lit Pepsi machine to get a drink and proceeded to down the can’s refreshing contents. After making the cans fall to cause the zombies to rush past him and away from the walkway, out of context, it seemed like they were more interested in the free Pepsi than munching on humans. It’s a bizarre sequence.

#2: Heineken

“Skyfall” (2012)
As everyone knows, James Bond likes to drink vodka martini as much as he likes his spy shenanigans. But 2012’s “Skyfall” took a different path, and not many were happy about it. After being declared deceased and enjoying “retirement,” Bond is seen drinking Heineken. While it’s not the first time the brand has appeared in the franchise, it is the first when Bond has swigged it. Reports estimate Heineken paid as much as $45 million for the product placement. Another time Bond products went OTT was in 2006’s “Casino Royale.” As he and Vesper Lynd chat, she comments on his Rolex watch. After he corrects her that it’s Omega, she describes it as “beautiful.”

#1: Beats Pill

“Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014)
If there’s one thing Michael Bay films love more than lots of dramatic explosions, it’s squeezing in as much commercialism as possible. The most intense is arguably “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” especially one bonkers scene. Stanley Tucci’s Joshua Joyce plays with “transformium,” showing off what it can do, before uttering, (*xref “Do you like music?”) That’s when it goes downhill fast. Joyce turns the alien metal into the Pill speaker while announcing its name as he shills it to the audience. According to Brandcameo, the movie showcased a massive 55 brands on screen. But it failed to add in Wulong Karst Tourism, who paid for the privilege. So, they took Paramount to court and later won $295,000.