Advertisers turn to A.I. to mobilize product placements H-o-l-y m-o-l-y, p-r-o-d-u-c-t p-l-a-c-e-m-e-n-t! This ancient advertising ruse now has an A.I. twist. New tech acts as a seamless way to drop virtual versions of real-world sodas or shampoos into the settings of videos on YouTube and TikTok. More creators and advertisers are grabbing this opportunity to make extra cash.
A TikTok from dancer Melissa Becraft demonstrated a Bubly poster, a PepsiCo product, hanging on her apartment wall as she danced to a Shakira song. Another duo, HiveMind, featured an animated can of Starry soda, also owned by PepsiCo, on a table during a band chat. Meanwhile, a YouTube video for the “AsianBossGirl” podcast exhibited a display of Garnier hair products. Virtual product placements have been available for years from startups and streaming services such as NBC’s Peacock and Amazon Prime. But the recent surge has taken place on social media, and it includes brief and animated messages showing sponsorships. Rembrand, a startup, is responsible for this recent wave of product placements on social media platforms, using technology for quick and easy ad purchases. However, it plans to evolve into a self-service platform by the middle of this year, with creators and brands directly connecting to run digital product placement campaigns.
