The Impact of
Language Barriers on
Product Placement
MASTER THESIS WITHIN: Business Administration NUMBER OF CREDITS: 15 HP
PROGRAMME OF STUDY: International Marketing AUTHOR: Jennifer Hertzberg & Louise Rask
-A Qualitative Study Investigating Swedish Consumers’ Brand
Recall and Brand Attitude Using Netflix Original Series
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the individuals who have aided and contributed in the development of this thesis. They have been an incredible support and without them, this thesis would not have been attainable.
First and foremost, we would like to thank our exceptional thesis mentor, Jalal Ahamed, who, through this process, endlessly encouraged and guided us as well as provided valuable observations and wisdom regarding our topic of study.
Secondly, we would like to acknowledge all the incredible individuals who participated in the interviews and data collection process of this thesis. The time and effort that they invested into answering our questions contributed to invaluable insights and truly aided us in our investigation regarding this research topic.
Lastly, we would like to express our gratitude to our peers in our seminar group, who throughout this process aided us with helpful comments and critiques and thereby continuously aiding us in developing our thesis.
__________________
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Jennifer Hertzberg
Louise Rask
Master Thesis in Business Administration
Title: The Impact of Language Barriers on Product Placement Authors: Jennifer Hertzberg and Louise Rask
Tutor: Jalal Ahamed Date: 2021-05-24
Key Terms: Product Placement, Brand Recall, Brand Attitude, Language Barriers, Influencing Factors on Brand Recall
Abstract
Product placement has long been a popular advertising tool that is still heavily used in today’s market. Therefore, this thesis adds a new construct to the field of product placement, namely language barriers, to see if that can have an impact on consumers’ ability to perceive product placement, in terms of brand recall. Moreover, this study also explores alternative constructs, such as brand attitude, to examine if they have an influence on consumers’ ability to recall brands when viewing SVoD entertainment content containing product placement. Furthermore, the Tripartite Typology of Product Placement conducted by Russell (1998) was applied as the main theory throughout this thesis as a foundation of the product placement-concepts. Additionally, the aforementioned research topics were explored via 14 semi-structured interviews with Swedish consumers, where all participants were within the age group that are the largest consumers of SVoD content. After the data was collected and analyzed, the results yielded that language barriers have a negative impact on brand recall, in terms of verbal placement, and no impact in terms of visual placements. Moreover, some other factors that also impacted the participants’ ability to recall the placed products included brand attitude, personal interests and perception of brands.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ... 1
Master Thesis in Business Administration ... 2
1
Introduction ... 5
1.1 Problem Discussion ... 8 1.2 Purpose ... 8 1.3 Perspective ... 9 1.4 Delimitation ... 92
Frame of Reference ... 10
2.1 Keywords ... 10 2.2 Product Placement ... 11 2.3 Brand Recall ... 16 2.4 Brand Attitude ... 192.5 Language in Marketing Literature ... 20
2.6 Language Barriers Literature ... 22
3
Methodology ... 24
3.1 Research Philosophy ... 24 3.2 Research Approach ... 25 3.3 Research Strategy ... 26 3.4 Research Method ... 27 3.5 Research Ethics ... 34 3.6 Research Quality ... 354
Empirical Findings ... 38
4.1 Streaming Habits ... 38 4.2 Impact of Language ... 41 4.3 Brand Bias ... 44 4.4 Other Factors ... 45 4.5 Gender... 495
Analysis ... 51
5.1 Streaming Habits ... 51 5.2 Impact of Language ... 52 5.3 Other Factors ... 54 5.4 Brand Bias ... 56 5.5 Gender... 566
Conclusion ... 58
7
Discussion ... 59
7.1 Limitations ... 59 7.2 Future Research ... 60 7.3 Contributions ... 618
References ... 63
9
Appendix ... 75
9.2 Appendix 2 – Email ... 76
9.3 Appendix 3 – Description of the Netflix-Clips... 78
9.4 Appendix 4 – Interview Protocol ... 79
1
Introduction
During this section of the thesis, the key topics examined in this thesis are presented and discussed through existing literature within these fields. Furthermore, a discussion regarding the problem that this study will address is presented as well as a distinct explanation of the purpose is given.
Product placement, as an advertising concept, has been prominent for a long time (Finn, 1988; Russell, 1998; Newell, Salmon & Chang, 2006). According to Newell et al., (2006), product placement became a known advertising tool as early as in the late 1890s after Unilever purposefully, and successfully, placed their products in several films produced by the Lumière Brothers. Moreover, the concept received another increase in popularity after the Spielberg film “E.T.” in 1982, where Hersey’s Reese’s Pieces chocolate made an appearance on screen and subsequently reported an increase in sales of 60% (Newell
et al., 2006). Since then, product placement has become a commonly used marketing tool
that is present in several different entertainment contexts, for example movies and series, that are produced worldwide (Russell & Belch, 2005).
Movies and series have the ability to create trends and increase sales in products and services. For example, the Netflix Original limited series The Queen’s Gambit, a series about a female orphaned chess prodigy, was released in October 2020 and within the first month of its release, around 62 million households had watched the new series (Karimi, 2020). Following the series success, chess and chess related items became widely popular. The online retailer eBay had increased sales of chess sets and accessories by approximately 215% in the United States (Bryant, 2020). Google also reported a huge increase in chess-related searches compared to previous years (Karimi, 2020). Manufacturers and retailers of the game were surprised by the effect of the series and urged consumers to purchase chess boards as soon as possible before the stores were out of stock (Fazio, 2020). As shown, the product “chess” displayed in The Queen’s Gambit resulted in an increased purchasing activity among viewers of the series. In order to reach similar results, companies use series and movies to expose potential customers to brands and products in a neutral setting, which is referred to as product placement (Panda, 2003).
In the current society, entertainment content frequently contains various brands and products being placed within series and movies, often without the consumers even noticing the product placement aspects (Russell, 2019). Advertising through product placement became popular because of its capability of promising audience exposure, since consumers have a tendency to disregard the advertisements themselves but not the entertainment content (Russell, Norman, & Heckler, 2004). Thus, the benefit of using product placement is that consumers will keep watching the entertainment content and thereby be more likely to be exposed to the brands placed within the entertainment. Compared to when they gravitate towards looking away from their screens or completely skipping the advertisements, when products are placed during distinctive commercial breaks. Moreover, product placement has shown to be an effective marketing tool for several decades and has acquired continued interest as a researching topic within the academic field of marketing (Brennan, Dubas, & Babin, 1999). Nevertheless, a substantial part of purposefully placing brands in entertainment, is that the consumers will recognize its value through the characters' interaction and then feel the need to retain the product themselves (Glass, 2007). Therefore, the consumer’s ability to recall the brands placed in series and movies can be an important measurement tool for the effectiveness of product placement (Russell, 1998).
Within the field of product placement, brand recall can often be connected to the concept through being the end-goal of the placed product (Russell, 1998). In other words, brand recall primarily aims to examine if consumers can conjure brands and products that they have previously been exposed to through some form of entertainment medium. Additionally, remembering and being able to recall a previously seen product without additional prompting is often used in advertising and has been a fairly prominent topic in marketing research (Lehu & Bressoud, 2009). Moreover, brand recall can also be used as an alternative to perhaps more traditional advertising goals, such as persuasion (Falcy, 1993). Falcy (1993), further discussed the possible usage of spontaneous recall being a possible final advertising strategy instead of persuasion to purchase. Furthermore, another assumption of brand recall is also that consumers are more likely to be able to recall placed brands that they have a preconceived positive attitude towards (McKay, Ewing, Newton, & Windisch, 2009). This means that consumers are more prone to remember products that they already are aware of and already have a constructive image of in their
minds. Additionally, the way product placement is communicated could also impact the effectiveness of the placed products, brands and services within the entertainment medium. Finally, literature suggests that brand attitude is an effect of brand recall (Langaro, Rita & de Fátima Salgueiro, 2018).
Brand attitude has long been an important topic within marketing research. A positive brand attitude has been proven to have an influence on purchasing intentions (Aaker & Keller, 1990). The extensive exposure to a brand can also lead to a more positive attitude towards that brand (Matthes, Schemer & Kissing, 2011). In terms of product placement, brand attitudes are more positively influenced when the placement is prominent if the product is of high involvement (Vashist, 2018). Moreover, if a product is of low involvement, then brand attitude is more favourable if the placement is subtle in the product placement setting (Vashist, 2018). Previous research suggests that product placement can be communicated in various ways and have various effects (Russell, 1998).
Efficient communication is a major part of running any successful business (Oakes, Townley & Cooper, 1998). However, one obstacle which could hinder communication is language barriers (Toleva, 2018). Language barriers most commonly become an issue when discussing global businesses who are communicating with people from various countries (Tenzer, Pudelko & Harzing, 2014). Moreover, the main concern with language barriers in business is that it affects people’s ability to learn from their environment due to lack of comprehension (Heath, 2017). It can also be argued that language barriers heavily impact any relationship-building scenario in a multinational environment (Harzing & Feely, 2008). The challenge of language continues to be an obstacle for businesses in their communication, especially when globalizing or doing business internationally (Abuarqouob, 2019).
In summary, product placement has long been a useful marketing tool for companies (Newell et al., 2006), and it has successfully been measured through the construct of brand recall (Russel, 1998). Hence, when investigating product placement and brand recall, an interesting aspect to uncover would be, what factors affect consumers' ability to recall brands, and more specifically, do language barriers affect consumers’ ability to
perceive product placement? Additionally, if brand attitude can be an influencing factor determining the consumers’ ability to recall placed products?
1.1 Problem Discussion
As the world is becoming more globalized, consumers are more exposed to brands, products and services from various countries around the globe (Hollensen, 2011). Moreover, in 2020, subscription video-on-demand (SvoD) services became a highly popular source of entertainment (Bloom, 2021). Currently, in Sweden, Swedish SVoD consumers are not only watching Swedish movies and series, they are also watching entertainment produced by other European countries, in which the language of the series or movie is unknown or not understood by the viewers (Ravindran, 2021; Netflix, 2021). As a result, products placed in entertainment content on global SVoD services have the opportunity to reach a much broader audience than the companies might have originally intended, since there could be a chance that the streamed content will reach a more international audience. Furthermore, language barriers have an effect on many business-related aspects, such as communication (Tenzer et al., 2014). This relates to SvOD services who are communicating their messages to global audiences with several non-native speakers among them. Moreover, in relations to product placement, language barriers have not previously been investigated in marketing research. If language barriers have an impact on product placement in SvOD services, then companies should be aware of its effect when attempting to successfully place products in series and movies which might be viewed by consumers from more than one country.
1.2 Purpose
The aim of this thesis is to investigate the impact of language barriers on consumers’ ability to perceive product placement in terms of brand recall. In other words, this study strives to explore to what extent the consumers’ language proficiency can affect brand recall when exposed to product placement. Moreover, this thesis also aspires to examine what other factors, such as brand attitude, influences brand recall in terms of product placement. In addition, this thesis intends to expand on previous research conducted within the field of product placement as well as add constructs to prior established theory, more specifically the Tripartite Typology of Product Placement established by Russell (1998), which will be further discussed in section 2.2.1. Thus, these purposes lead this
R1: “What impact does language barriers have on consumers’ ability to perceive product placement in terms of brand recall?”
R2: “How does brand attitude influence brand recall in terms of product placement?”
1.3 Perspective
This thesis will address the research problem from a managerial perspective with the intention of guiding companies who are in the business of, or interested in, placing their products, brands or services in movies and/or series in the European market targeting mainly Swedish SVoD consumers. Moreover, this study can aid businesses in their pursuit of placing brands in series and how effective the different dimensions are in relation to language barriers. Furthermore, this thesis can instruct companies in the relevance of building a positive consumer brand attitude and how it can aid in consumers’ recollection regarding brands. In addition, from a theoretical perspective, this thesis aims to add language as an area of study within the field of product placement, since there is limited previous literature on the impact of language barriers on product placement as a marketing tool.
1.4 Delimitation
In writing this thesis, there are several delimitations that need to be considered. Firstly, this study will not measure the effectiveness of product placement, but rather assume that product placement is an effective marketing tool, based on previous research. Secondly, in this research, no difference will be made regarding whether the entertainment content can be classified as drama, comedy, action, etc. This aspect will not be included in the scope, and thus all genres will be considered equal in terms of the usage of product placement during this research process. Thirdly, this thesis will not measure the influence that cultural differences might have on both product placements and the consumers. It thereby soley aims to focus on the language barriers and the impact that those might have on this research topic. Lastly, only brands that can be considered as global brands and Swedish brands will be included in this study, in order to increase the likelihood of the participants being able to spontaneously recall the formally displayed brands.
2
Frame of Reference
In this section of the thesis, the theoretical framework will be presented. The theoretical framework will consist of existing literature explaining the concepts as well as linking the different concepts together. Furthermore, the most prominent keywords used to find the existing literature are also presented.
2.1 Keywords
In order to gain an understanding and overview of the chosen research topic, as well as the field itself, a secondary data collection was conducted. The secondary data was collected by performing online searches using the databases Google Scholar, Scopus and Jönköping University’s Primo. Moreover, the most prominent keywords used when searching for suitable literature were “Product Placement”, “Visual Placement”, “Verbal Placement”, “Plot Placement”, “Brand Recall”, “Brand Attitude”, “Language” and “Language Barriers”. When looking for relevant articles, a funnel approach was used as well as it was ensured that the literature was primarily published in ABS-listed journals. Additionally, articles were also found in medical journals in research on language. Moreover, relevant articles were found by continuing to trace the references in already procured and deemed appropriate articles.
Furthermore, when investigating the literature, the most notable authors whose research is predominately used to build the overview of this topic include Russell, Gupta and Lord, Alba and Chattopadhyay as well as Lehu and Bressoud. The research conducted by these authors both gave a general understanding of the field as well as aided the authors of this thesis to obtain a more in-depth knowledge regarding the topic. In addition, a prominent theory that was prevailing when researching the field, was the Tripartite Typology of Product Placement established by Russell (1998) since his theory was aligned with the research questions.
2.2 Product Placement
Through the years, product placement has become a popular research topic that has been studied through a variety of perspectives and from various angles (Gupta & Lord, 1998; Russell, 1998; 2002; Gillespie et al., 2018). In simple terms, product placement can be explained as the concept of placing real brands and products in entertainment content and used to convey a sense of realism in, for example a film or series (Tina & Buckner, 2006). Tina and Buckner (2006), further state that this means that companies can use product placement to convince audiences that the entertainment content is set in the real world and can make it feel more authentic. In other words, product placement can thereby be defined as a process where companies intentionally incorporate brands and logos into entertainment content (Russell & Belch, 2005). In their study, Russell and Belch (2005), wanted to make clear through their definition of the concept that product placement can take place in a number of different entertainment mediums, not solely in movies and series, though that might be the most common. Sometimes, product placement is instead referred to as brand placement since it is more often the brand that is being placed and recognized in the entertainment content rather than a specific product (Karrh, 1998). Additionally, in his study, Karrh (1998), states that even though the terms are different, they are often used interchangeably. However, in this thesis, the term “product placement” will be most prominently used.
Some of the most prominent studies within the field of product placement through the years include studies conducted by Russell (1998 and 2002), Gupta and Lord (1998), and Lee and Faber (2007). Firstly, Russell (1998) established in her study through previous literature, that product placement can be considered successful when the audience experience of the product is aligned with how the product is represented in the series or movie. In addition, the author also presented a theory, namely the Tripartite Typology of Product Placement, involving three dimensions, more specifically verbal placement, visual placement and plot placement. Secondly, the research conducted by Russell (2002) used the same theory presented by her previous study conducted in 1998. However, this study expanded the model by further strengthening that the different dimensions have the capacity to influence consumer’s memory and change their attitude towards brands. Thirdly, Gupta and Lord (1998) also discuss the three various dimensions of product placement in their study, in their article, the authors also add the comparison of
prominent- and subtle product placements as well as advertisements. It is demonstrated, in their research, that prominent product placements are more effective than advertisements, in terms of brand recall. However, advertisements are more effective than subtle placements, according to their study (Gupta & Lord, 1998). Lastly, similarly to the study conducted by Gupta and Lord (1998), Lee and Faber (2007) studied to which degree players of online games can recall brands depending on their placement in the game. In their research, the authors conclude that where the brand is placed in the game does have an impact on how well the consumers will remember the brand. The studies presented in this section explore and intertwine different areas of product placement. Nevertheless, through their research, all these notable studies agree that product placement is an effective marketing tool (Gupta & Lord, 1998; Russell, 1998; Russell, 2002; Faber, 2007).
A discussion that often occurs when discussing product placement is whether or not it disturbs the audience watching the entertainment content and how their attitude towards the product placement can affect the effectiveness of the advertising strategy (Russell & Stern, 2006; de Gregorio & Sung, 2010). In general, the consumer attitude toward product placement, as a practice overall, can be considered positive (de Gregorio & Sung, 2010). In their study, De Gregorio and Sung (2010) added the element of demographics to attitude towards product placement. After their research was conducted, they could conclude that females tended to have a more positive attitude towards product placement, as well as that the age group of respondents over 55 had the most negative views towards product placement. Moreover, de Gregorio and Sung (2010), could also confirm that their two youngest age groups, people between 19-25 and 26-35, were the most likely to seek out additional information about a placed product that they had previously seen in the entertainment content. They were also more likely to exhibit purchasing behavior towards the placed products (de Gregorio & Sung, 2010). In addition, another study found that consumers have a tendency to align their attitudes toward the placed products to the same attitude as the characters in the movie or series has (Russell & Stern, 2006). This means that if a character in a television series loves a certain product, it increases the chance that the consumers will have a positive attitude towards the product as well.
In contrast, although the general consumer attitude towards product placement often is positive, as discussed in the previous paragraph, there have also been instances where product placements have been perceived negatively (Gupta & Gould, 1997; Homer, 2009; Guido, Peluso, Tedeschi, Nicole, Lauretti & Caciula, 2010). Mainly, these instances occur when the product placement regards products that can be considered involving somewhat controversial topics, such as tobacco, alcohol and guns (Kaskutas, 1993; Hill, 1994; Gupta & Gould 1997). Moreover, the theme of products involving controversial topics and their tendency to generate negative attitudes towards placed products is further supported by Guido et al., (2010) who through their research found that placed products that were considered to raise moral issues often are perceived negatively more often by consumers than neutral products were. Guido et al., (2010) also established that among more neutral products, unhealthy food products that have been placed in the entertainment content, were the type of commodities that seemed to get the most negative responses from the consumers. In addition, negative consumer attitudes and product placement was further researched by Homer (2009) who established that a repetitive and prominent product placement by the same brand continuously in entertainment content can change consumer attitudes towards a brand to the negative. In other words, for a product placement to be successful it cannot be shown too notably and not be placed too often within the same entertainment content, since it can cause negative consumer attitudes (Homer, 2009). Nonetheless, currently, product placement is used as an advertising tool in a variety of ways all over the world despite the findings presented in this paragraph (Guido et al., 2010; Gillespie, Muehling & Kareklas, 2018).
More recently, current research within this field relates to topics such as product placement in video games and players' ability to recall the brands they saw when playing (Martí-Parreño, Bermejo-Berros & Aldás-Manzano, 2017). Martí-Parreño et al., (2017) discovered that familiar brands to the players were more likely to be recalled than unfamiliar brands, as well as that repetition played a key role in terms of brand recall.
Moreover, the three dimensions of product placements are still present elements in current research. Gillespie et al., (2018), used the three dimensions to study how the congruency of the placed products affect consumers’ attitudes towards the brands. Subsequently, they could deduce that placed products that were incorporated both in the narrative of the story
and that reflected the emotional tones of the entertainment content formed positive brand attitudes (Gillespie et al., 2018).
Hence, the current research on this topic is still claiming product placement to be an effective marketing tool when used correctly, as well as brand recall is still used as a measurement tool of effective product placement (Martí-Parreño et al., 2017; Gillespie et
al., 2018). Furthermore, a common theme through several years of product placement
studies is the discussion of the three different dimensions of product placement; visual placement, auditory placement and plot placement, and their impact on consumers’ ability to recall placed products (Gupta & Lord, 1998; Russell, 1998; 2002; Tina & Buckner, 2006). As previously mentioned, these concepts are what formulates the Tripartite Typology of Product Placement (Russell, 2002).
2.2.1 Tripartite Typology of Product Placement
The Tripartite Typology of Product Placement was first presented by Russell (1998). In the beginning of her study, it was recognized that few empirical studies had been conducted, at the time, within the field of product placement, and the ones that were conducted mainly focused on only one dimension, more specifically the visual dimension. Therefore, Russell (1998) divided different product placement based on their approach and relevance in the entertainment content and concluded three dimensions; the verbal placement, the visual placement and the plot placement. The different approaches that Russell (1998) used were based on information processing modalities proposed by previous studies. The three dimensions named in this model, namely visual placement, verbal placement and plot placement will be further discussed in a more detailed manner under the following section.
2.2.1.1 Visual-, Verbal- and Plot Placements
Firstly, one dimension that is discussed when examining various elements in product placement is the visual dimension. The visual placements refer to instances when the brand appears on screen (Russell, 1998). According to Russell (1998), visual placements can occur on different levels. In other words, the brand can appear on screen in a prominent position or in a subtle position and thereby take a central- or more peripheral placement on screen (Russell, 1998). Other factors such as the number of times the brand
appears on screen and how the scene with the placed product is being filmed can also affect how the visual placement is perceived (Russell, 1998). An example of a visual placement is in the movie “Twins” when Danny DeVito’s character can be seen drinking a Coors Light beer where the label of the product is clearly displayed (Gupta & Lord, 1998).
Secondly, another dimension within product placement that is often examined is the verbal dimension (Russell, 1998). According to Russell (1998), the verbal placements concern when the brand is mentioned or voiced in a dialogue within the entertainment content. In addition, similar to the visual placement, verbal placements can also occur in varying degrees. Different levels of verbal placements include how frequent the brand is being voiced, the tone of voice the brand is being said in as well as which character is saying the brand name and their character traits (Russell, 1998). An example of a verbal placement in entertainment content is in the movie “Wall Street” when Martin Sheen’s character loudly proclaims to a waitress to “get this kid a Molson Light” (Gupta & Lord, 1998).
Thirdly, the last dimension within this aspect of product placement is the plot dimension (Russell, 1998). According to Russell (1998), the plot placements involve instances when the brand is incorporated into the plot of the storyline. Moreover, to which degree the brand is integrated into the storyline is called either a lower plot placement or a higher plot placement (Holbrook & Grayson, 1986). According to Russell (2002), the differences of these concepts are that a lower plot placement involves a smaller plot placement, such as when a mention and usage of the product is infiltrated into the entertainment content, while a higher plot placement would be a more thematic dimension as when the character and their personal is clearly identified with the specific brand. An example of a general plot placement in entertainment content would be in the TV series “Friends” where Rachel buys a coffee table from Pottery Barn and continues to hide the fact from Phoebe, her roommate at the time, throughout the entirety of the episode (Russell, 2002).
Furthermore, these three dimensions of product placements have often been researched in a linked manner (Gupta & Lord, 1998; Russell, 1998, 2002; Homer, 2009). Typically, researchers have agreed that visual placement elements are more successful in getting the
consumers attention than non-imagery placements i.e. verbal placements (Finn, 1988). However, more recent research on this topic can be considered to be inconclusive (Homer, 2009). Moreover, Russell (2002), also studied this topic and instead argues that verbal placements are more earnest and thereby processed to a more deeper level, than the visual placements, by the consumers. This is further supported by Gupta and Lord (1998) who state that verbal placements can be seen as more intrusive to the consumers, and thereby gain the consumer’s attention in a better manner than visual placements might be able to do. In addition, plot placements have shown to be the most effective of the three dimensions to increase brand awareness among consumers (Gupta & Lord, 1998; Russell, 1998; 2002; Lehu & Bressoud, 2009). Visual-, verbal- and plot placements were also used to discuss the impact of cognitive and affective fits of the product placements in entertainment content (Gillespie et al., 2018). In their study, Gillespie et al., (2018), could establish that placements of the three dimensions that followed the storyline and were aligned with the tone of the scenes, had the most effective impact on forming positive brand attitudes. Thus, it can be concluded that the different dimensions of product placements have various strengths and weaknesses and are all still used in current entertainment content as well as can affect the outcome degree of the consumers’ ability to recall the different brands (Russell, 1998; 2002; Homer, 2009; Gillespie et al., 2018).
2.3 Brand Recall
Brand recall refers to the consumer’s ability to retrieve a brand from memory when given a product category or a need which can be fulfilled by the category (Keller, 1993). It is often used as a final measurement in marketing research to be able to see if a specific marketing tool has been successful (Gupta & Lord, 1998; Russell, 1998; 2002). In addition, more recent studies on brand recall mainly focus on areas such as advertising placed in online games as well as celebrity endorsements effect on brand recall (Vashisht & Pillai, 2017; Vyvey, Nunez Castellar & Van Looy; 2018; Ferguson & Mohan, 2020).
Current research within the field of brand recall includes several different research topics. In terms of consumer’s ability to recall brands placed in online games, Vashisht and Pillai (2017) found that prominent brand placements in situations where the players are less focused, can result in higher brand recall and less ability to change consumer attitude towards the brand. This is further supported by Vyvey et al., (2018) who, in their study
found that the enjoyment felt by players in online games have an impact on consumers’ ability to recall brands. In other words, the more the players enjoy the games, the more likely they are to be able to recall the brands placed in the content. Furthermore, in terms of celebrity endorsements’ effect on brand recall, Ferguson and Mohan (2020) establish that even though a celebrity endorser can create advertisement interest among B2B customers, the brand recall was the highest when a non-celebrity was featured in the ads.
Earlier research states that consumers are essentially more likely to recall familiar brands and notice the ad information of those brands compared to new brands (Kent & Allen, 1994). The authors continued to argue that, at the same time, consumers are less likely affected by exposure of the competing brands compared to the familiar brand in the same product category (Kent & Allen, 1994). Furthermore, salience is one of the most prominent factors that determines brand recall (Alba & Chattopadhyay, 1985). Although consumers might be familiar with several brands, high-salience brands will first be recalled by any consumer before moving on to lower-salience brands (Alba & Chattopadhyay, 1985). However, in a later study, where the same researchers investigated brand recall of single brands (not subsets of brands from a product category), Alba and Chattopadhyay (1986) were unable to conclude that salience is the critical factor for hindering brand recall, rather salience was only the source of brand recall inhibition in some cases which suggests that high-salience has a great effect on facilitating brand recall while low-salience is not always the reason for recall inhibition.
2.3.1 Recall vs Recognition
Haist and Shimamura (1992) stated that recall from memory requires an extensive recovery of a learning event. Recall is often distinguished from memory recognition since recognition is less demanding and is considered a less trying process (Anderson & Bower, 1974). As a result, previous studies have shown that older people are at a disadvantage, compared to younger people, regarding memory recalling due to the more demanding nature of recall tasks (Craik & McDowd, 1987). Furthermore, according to Alba and Hutchinson (1987), brand recall is cued by taxonomic or goal-derived categories, i.e. a cold drink or a specific attribute, often unprompted, while brand recognition can be cued by, for example, scanning through the supermarket and simply noticing a familiar brand on the shelf. Lastly, brand recall is mainly affected by consumers’ brand knowledge, the
number of facts collected and how those facts are interrelated whilst brand recognition’s most influential factors are frequency and consumers’ recent exposures to the brand (Alba & Hutchinson, 1987).
2.3.2 Brand Recall and Product Placement
Brand recall is commonly used to measure the effectiveness of product placement since placed products or brands in movies and series are only viewed for a short period of time, and therefore does not always directly trigger purchase intention (Bressoud, Lehu & Russell, 2010). Instead, brand recall has become a more prominent measurement tool within the product placement literature (Gupta & Lord, 1998; Mackay, Ewing, Newton & Windisch, 2009; Chan, 2020; Bressoud, Lehu & Russell, 2010; Tessitore & Geuens, 2013). Wilson and Till (2011), concluded that placements of products or brands in movies, which were prominent on screen, displayed for a longer period of time and which were visually noticeable and voiced by the characters were better recalled compared to placed products on the contrary. Moreover, brand recall is highly influenced by consumer engagement in movies (Natarajan, Balasubramaniam, Stephen, Jublee & Kisilingam, 2018), meaning that the higher the audience commitment to the content of the movie, the more likely the recall of the product or brand will be. Natarajan et al. (2018) also argued that the gender of the audience has an effect on brand recall, as well as movie familiarity, both factors strengthen brand recall among the audience. Nonetheless, when simultaneous product placement is present in movies, it reduces the recall of placed products and eliminates the positive impact of auditory and plot integration on recall (Bressoud, Lehu & Russell, 2010).
Whether the order of placed brands and products have any significance on brand recall have been vastly discussed in product placement literature. Firstly, in commercials, ads which are placed in the beginning of the commercial block are better recalled by the audience compared to ads placed later in the list (Newell & Wu, 2003; Terry, 2005). On the other hand, in movies, it has been shown that products placed during the second half were significantly greater recalled by the audience compared to products placed in the first half (Wilson & Till, 2011). Moreover, in video games, Chaney, Hosany, Wu, Chen and Nguyen (2018), argued that the order of appearance of product placement does not have a significance on brand recall. Finally, brand recall is well identified as one
dimension of brand awareness (Keller, 1993). Subsequently, according to literature, brand attitude is a consequence of brand awareness (Langaro, Rita & de Fátima Salgueiro, 2018).
2.4 Brand Attitude
Brand attitude refers to the consumers’ overall evaluation of a brand, in regard to its perceived ability to meet a current motivation (Percy & Rossiter, 1992). According to Percy and Rossiter (1992), brand attitude is dependent on consumer’s motivation and if their motivation changes, then the evaluation of the brand has the ability to change as well. Moreover, brand attitude is built upon both affective and cognitive components and is classified as a relative construct in which consumers always choose the brand that meets their motivation better than other familiar alternatives of brands (Percy & Rossiter, 1992). Furthermore, the concept of brand attitude is often used as a mediating role between other constructs, such as an indicator of purchasing intentions (Kudeshia & Kumar, 2017), which will be further discussed in section 2.4.1.
In current literature, which includes brand attitude as a construct, it mainly concerns themes such as green marketing and the effect of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on brand attitude (Kudeisha & Kumar, 2017; Liu, Hu, Lin, Tsai & Xiao, 2020). For example, in Liu et al., (2020)’s study, they discuss the role of brand attitude in the green restaurant industry. The authors conclude that one aspect of being successful within the green restaurant industry includes developing brand knowledge among the consumers in order to form positive brand attitudes (Liu et al., 2020). Moreover, in their study, Kudeshia & Kumar (2017), concluded that a positive eWOM in social networking sites has an influence on brand attitude and in turn, purchase intention. Moreover, other elements that can also influence brand attitude are discussed by Yang, Asaad and Dwivedi (2017) in their study. According to Yang et al., (2017) brand attitude can be affected by a number of aspects such as how strongly the consumers relate the brand to enjoyment and what their social circles think of the brand. In other words, in their study, the authors concluded that perceived enjoyment is a factor that influences brand attitude as well as the element that consumers' social surroundings can positively influence their attitude towards a brand (Yang et al., 2017).
In terms of brand attitude and product placement, the literature is scarce. One study that discusses these concepts in relation to each other is conducted by Cowley and Barron (2008). In their study, they conclude that when consumers are very enthusiastic about, and heavily involved in a series, product placement can have a negative effect on brand attitude since it disrupts their viewing of the series (Cowley & Barron, 2008). In contrast, however, Cowley and Barron (2008), also state that if consumers are neutral towards or have a low involvement in the series the product placement can have a positive effect on brand attitude.
2.5 Language in Marketing Literature
The effect of language within advertisements is an interesting topic of study as the world becomes more globalized every year. In advertising, ads both written and spoken in consumer’s first language are more effective compared to ads in the consumer’s second language (Luna & Peracchio, 2001). Nonetheless, if the image and text in ads are congruent, then an ad, in a second language of the consumers’, could have similar effects as first-language ads (Luna & Peracchio, 2001) despite the more elaborate work in the mind of the consumer (Marcos, 1976). This is further supported by Ahn, La Ferle and Lee (2017) who in their study found that when simple words in one's second language are used in an ad, there are no differences in effectiveness in how the consumers perceive the ad. However, if difficult words are incorporated into the ads, the first language ads can be considered to be much more effective among the consumers (Ahn et al., 2017).
In business contexts, there are several languages spoken for international communication among people with various mother tongues, for example, English, German and French (Rogerson-Revell, 2007). The term “lingua franca’” is referred to as the language with no native speakers and a common concept within the literature is “ELF” (English as a Lingua Francia), which describes English, as the sole language, used between speakers of various native languages (Seidlhofer, 2001). The language English, is both a common second language among Europeans and has become one of the biggest lingua franca in business in Europe (Rogerson-Revell, 2007). Communicating in a second language requires more elaborate work in the mind compared to communicating in one's first language (Marcos, 1976). Language has a central role in communication and is often connected to people’s identity (Ali & Watson, 2017).
Besides the use of consumers' second- and first language in advertisement and business, the use of foreign languages also occurs. The use of foreign languages in advertisements is common worldwide, and according to Hornikx, Meurs and Hof (2013), consumers are actually more likely to remember an ad in a foreign language due to the hindsight of a foreign language within the advertisement setting. Moreover, it has been shown that foreign ads are most successful among consumers when the products that are being advertised are congruent with the language (Hornikx et al., 2013; Nederstigt & Hilberink-Schulpen, 2018). According to Hornikx et al., (2013) an example of this is that an advertisement in French, promoting wine is more effective than an advertisement in French promoting beer. In addition, using a foreign language in an advertisement is not always less effective than using the consumer’s first language (Nederstigt & Hilerbrink-Schulpen, 2018). According to Nederstigt and Hilerbrink-Schulpen (2018), the variable that the researchers found had a greater impact on the effectiveness of the advertisement was which foreign language was used, with the result of Spanish advertisements being more effective than German advertisements among Dutch consumers.
2.5.1 Language and Brand Recall
Luna, Carnevale and Lerman (2013), discussed the issue of when unfamiliar brands are marketed through verbal communication, e.g. radio and word-of-mouth. When consumers are seeking a brand name, learned in an auditory setting, they must convey the sound of the brand name into visual representation in order to recognize the brand in-store or online (Luna et al., 2013). This conversion can be somewhat easy to do if the brand is of high familiarity, however, once the brand name is unfamiliar to the consumer, then the consumer must anticipate the spelling of the name when searching for it (Luna
et al., 2013). In order for brands to avoid these difficult conversions in the minds of the
consumers, one rule of thumb for creating new brand names with global potential, is to choose a brand name that is easy to pronounce in a variety of languages using Roman letters (Usunier & Shaner, 2002). Moreover, brand recall is most often cued by brand names which are built on words, rather than non-words (Lerman & Garbarino, 2002). Additionally, recall of brand names increases when the words are of high familiarity and the word is associated with its attributes (Shamsollahi, Amirshahi & Ghaffari, 2017). Furthermore, studies have shown that same-language subtitles for commercials, in which the languages spoken match the subtitles on screen, strengthens the effectiveness of the
advertisement since it enhances brand memory among the audience (Brasel & Gips, 2014).
2.6 Language Barriers Literature
The main issue with language barriers is that it can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication between people (Harzing, Köster & Magner, 2011). Language barriers can further be referred to as a linguistic deficiency, in which the processing of information becomes more difficult due to the lack of, or limited knowledge of the language (Marcos, 1976). On the other hand, Ribeiro (2007) argues that language barriers can have positive outcomes as well, especially when language barriers aid communication in which the direct understanding is prevented. As a result, it leaves room for interpretations rather than having cultural differences damage the communication (Ribeiro, 2007). Nonetheless, many studies aim to find solutions to language barriers. Diminishing barriers of language in advertisement for instance, Orero and Matamala (2007) suggests that adding subtitles to productions in foreign languages reduces language barriers.
Most literature found, on the issues of language barriers, take place within the field of healthcare, and relates to the important concern of non-native speakers receiving limited care, as well as nurses and doctors struggling with working effectively, due to language communication obstacles (Gerrish, Chau, Sobowale & Birks, 2004; Bernad, Whitaker, Ray, Rockich, Barton-Baxter, Barnes, Boulanger, Tsuei & Kearney, 2006; Schlemmer & Mash, 2006; Jain & Krieger, 2011). Additionally, some literature also investigates language barriers within various fields of education, in which language can often become a barrier to proper education (Henderson & Wellington, 1998; Watkins, Razee & Richters, 2012). Within the field of business however, language and language barriers have been referred to as the neglected factor, even though it is incorporated in all aspects of business operations (Marschan, Welch & Welch, 1997). Harzing et al. (2011) argued that it is remarkable how language barriers have attracted little attention in the field of international business when communication between various language-speakers is a constant barrier in international business. Furthermore, instances when language is mentioned in business research include articles discussing culture where language is
primarily used as a construct of culture and not as a topic within itself (Stulz & Williamson, 2003).
2.6.1 Language Barriers in Product Placement
This thesis’s main purpose is to investigate the impact of language barriers on product placement. However, investigating literature concerning language barriers within the field of product placement resulted in limited success. Moreover, no studies were found where researchers had measured or investigated the impact of language barriers on product placement. As a result of the scarce previous literature, the authors concluded that this has provided them with a research gap to be further investigated.
3
Methodology
During this section, a description of the overarching research philosophy, approach and strategy is presented. Moreover, a thorough description of the interviews as well as the participants in the study is given. Additionally, the sample requirements and various sampling errors are presented as well as a description of the data analysis process is given. Finally, the research ethics- and quality is discussed.
The purpose of this research concerned whether language barriers have an impact on consumers’ ability to perceive product placement in terms of brand recall as well as in what manner brand attitude affects brand recall in terms of product placement. In order to answer the research questions both primary and secondary data was collected. The primary data was collected through a qualitative approach by the means of semi-structured interviews, while the secondary data was collected through a thorough search of the existing literature within the appropriate fields. In this chapter, the primary data will primarily be discussed. Moreover, in order to complete this research in a suitable manner, appropriate research choices were made such as using the interpretivism research philosophy, an inductive research approach and thematic analysis process as a research analysis method.
3.1 Research Philosophy
When this research was conducted, interpretivism was chosen as the appropriate research philosophy to follow. Interpretivism concerns research which aims to understand individuals and why they act the way they do in certain scenarios (Alharahsheh & Pius, 2020). As a research philosophy, interpretivism further aims to use subjective meanings in the social surroundings as the foundation to form theories as well as to understand the world around us (Goldkuhl, 2012), in contrast to other research philosophies, which aims to apply a preconceived theory to the reality around them (Alharahsheh & Pius, 2020). Moreover, interpretivism often takes into consideration a number of other factors such as different cultures, circumstances and that individuals experience various social realities in the research process (Helmi Alharahsheh & Pius, 2020). Furthermore, following the interpretivism research philosophy aligned well with this thesis since the authors aimed to gather an in-depth understanding of the participant’s social reality in order to
were towards specific brands. Additionally, this thesis aimed to obtain knowledge regarding to what extent the participants are affected by various social constructs and how that can influence their attitude towards brands, which also aligned with the interpretivism research philosophy. Moreover, interpretivism and using a qualitative research strategy is often considered to be an appropriate combination (Goldkuhl, 2012). Thus, this was also the design used in this thesis.
3.2 Research Approach
The research approach determines whether a research will concern theory building or theory testing, and there are three approaches to theory reasoning available, namely an deductive, inductive or abductive approach (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2019). This thesis used an inductive approach of theory development, in which theory was built based on the results of the data analysis. An inductive approach relates to identifying themes and/or patterns through interpretations by the researchers (Saunders et al., 2019). Moreover, one of the main purposes of an inductive research approach is to establish links between the research objective and the data findings (Thomas, 2006).
The reasons for using an inductive approach of reasoning in this thesis were several. First of all, the thesis aimed to investigate whether language barriers have an effect on the product placement dimensions and the impact of brand attitude on brand recall, in which a qualitative data collection was performed to investigate this question. According to Saunders et al. (2019), research with inductive reasoning most often uses qualitative data, rather than quantitative data, to draw conclusions of various phenomenon’s. Secondly, an inductive approach allows the researchers to acquire themes without constraints from structured methodologies (Thomas, 2006). And finally, theory was developed based on the data analysis, instead of theory being verified or falsified based on predetermined hypotheses (Saunders et al., 2019).
3.3 Research Strategy
In order to investigate the research questions of this thesis, the study was conducted through qualitative interviews. Qualitative interviews, also known as semi-structured interviews vary from structured interviews in the sense that they allow for follow-up questions, free dialog and unexpected changes (Kendall, 2008). This research strategy was chosen since the authors were interested in finding out the participants' attitudes towards product placement and chosen brands, in which qualitative interviews allowed the participants to speak freely and express their opinions. Moreover, semi-structured interviews allowed the researchers to add and/or remove pre-determined questions in order to tailor the interview according to the participant and their answers (Kendall, 2008), to get less biased answers as well as more honest responses which were not forced upon them by the authors. Furthermore, when conducting research following an interpretivist philosophy and using an inductive approach of reasoning, qualitative data collection is most common (Saunders et al., 2019). Saunders et al. (2019) argued that research that follows the interpretivism philosophy will gain the most valuable insights when using a smaller sample and when the investigations are in-depth, in which this thesis did. More detailed description regarding the sampling process will be in section 3.4.1.
3.4 Research Method
To reiterate, this study’s first research question aimed at measuring the impact of language barriers on product placement in terms of brand recall. Additionally, it also intended to assess the relation between brand attitude and brand recall in regard to product placement as well as other brand related consumer behaviors. To accomplish this, the following research steps detailed in this chapter were taken to ensure as truthful and correct results as possible.
3.4.1 Sampling
There were several criterions that had to be met by the participants in order to partake in the study, all which were established through the pre-questionnaire that were sent out to the participants which will be further discussed in section 3.4.2.1. The initial sampling process occurred by conducting a convenience sample to aid in completing the thesis in the given time frame. A convenience sample is when the data collected comes from a population that is conveniently available, to the researchers, to partake in the research (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2009).
When an available and suitable sample consisting of 14 participants had been recognized, it was also ensured that all participants were within the set age range, thereby between 18-35 years old. This age range was chosen since the two largest age groups that interact with Netflix are 16-25 year olds and 26-35 year olds (Internetstiftelsen, 2018). However, no participants under the age of 18 were included in the study since only adults were considered to be appropriate candidates. Additionally, the choice of age group was further supported by De Gregorio and Sung (2010) who, in their study concluded that individuals between the ages of 19-35 are the most likely to pursue additional information regarding products that they have seen in entertainment content. Moreover, it was also ensured by the authors that the participants were evenly divided between the two genders, males and females. The reason for doing this was that the authors wanted to be able to see if there were any differences in attitude and recall between the genders in the analysis. Non-binary participants were also considered, however none of the participants in the convenient sample identified as non-binary. As a result, the sample consisted of seven male and seven female participants. Furthermore, there were also some language requirements that had to be met in order to participate in the study. Thereby, the
participant's first language was required to be Swedish. The participants then had to perceive themselves to have higher language skills in English than they did in both the French language as well as the Italian language. Furthermore, the French- and the Italian language had to be a somewhat- or completely unfamiliar language to the participants in order for them to be eligible to participate in the study. Lastly, all the participants had to have access to a personal Netflix account in order to participate in this research.
3.4.1.1 Sampling Error
When forming a sample, there is always the possibility of committing sampling errors. In terms of this study, there are certain aspects that could be considered having influenced the sampling in a dubious manner. Since the authors of this thesis used a convenience sample, the participants might know each other and thereby, some, might have discussed the interviews before taking part in them, which could affect their answers during the process. Another sampling error that might have occurred is that, since the participants appear from similar social circles, they might be like minded individuals and thus have similar opinions and beliefs regarding certain topics. This might influence the study, in that it only represents a specific group of the population. However, this is not necessarily uncommon for qualitative studies (Shenton, 2004), which will be further discussed under section 3.6. Finally, this thesis encompasses a relatively small sample of 14 interviews, which might make it more difficult to reflect the results onto similar scenarios and samples. However, the number of interviews conducted in this thesis is aligned with recommended sample sizes within the field of qualitative research (Boddy, 2016).
3.4.2 Primary Data Collection
The data for this thesis was mainly collected through in-depth interviews of 14 suitable participants between the ages of 18-35 years old. In-depth interviews allowed the authors to investigate participants' perspectives and feelings towards a subject in a profound way (Guion, Diehl & McDonald, 2011). Additionally, prior to the interviews, pre-questionnaires were distributed to the participants using an online form to collect background information regarding the participants. The pre-questionnaires were primarily distributed to the participants to ensure their eligibility to partake in the study, and not to gather insightful and purposeful data.
3.4.2.1 Prior to Conducting the Interviews
Before the interviews could be conducted, the authors had to ensure that the participants represented the sample. Subsequently, interview proposals were sent to 15 possible candidates, of which 14 agreed to partake in the study. After their agreement, they were sent a questionnaire via the online tool Qualtrics to ensure their suitability for the study. The questionnaire was written in Swedish to make it easier for the participants to be honest, since their first language was Swedish and both authors of the thesis are native Swedish speakers. Moreover, the questionnaire consisted of nine questions, asking the participants about their background information, their language competences as well as if they were subscribed to a Netflix account.
The background information section of the questionnaire consisted of questions regarding the participant’s age and gender. Moreover, the language competences questions asked the participants if Swedish was their first language, how well they perceived themselves to be at English as well as their experience with the French and Italian language. Regarding the evaluation of the participants’ language skills, the participants, themselves, were asked to rate their skills on a five-point scale. The scale included the options unfamiliar, basic knowledge, average, proficient and fluent. Furthermore, their competences concerning the French and Italian language had to be on the lower half of the five-point Likert-scale spectrum to ensure that it was a somewhat unfamiliar language to the participants. Finally, the questionnaire ended with a question asking the participants if they had access to a Netflix account. In order to be applicable to participate in this study, the participants had to answer yes to this question. Additionally, this question was asked since the authors were made aware of the copyright laws in Sweden after consulting a lawyer at PRV (Patent- och Registreringsverket). According to the lawyer, it is illegal and highly unethical, in Sweden, to send out clips from Netflix series to a number of participants, without Netflix’s permission. Thus, an attempt was made to gain Netflix approval to send out clips from their original series for a research purpose. However, this attempt was unsuccessful in that Netflix responded that they could not give the researchers that approval. Therefore, in order to conduct this study, the participants would need to log into their own accounts to access the clips. The questionnaire in its entirety can be found in Appendix 1.Furthermore,Table 1summarizes the characteristics of each participant in the study.
Participant Age Gender Swedish as first language Proficiency in English Proficiency in French Proficiency in Italian
P1 20 Female Yes Fluent Unfamiliar Unfamiliar
P2 20 Male Yes Proficient Basic
Knowledge
Unfamiliar
P3 22 Male Yes Proficient Unfamiliar Basic
Knowledge
P4 22 Female Yes Fluent Unfamiliar Unfamiliar
P5 23 Male Yes Fluent Unfamiliar Unfamiliar
P6 23 Female Yes Fluent Unfamiliar Unfamiliar
P7 24 Female Yes Proficient Unfamiliar Unfamiliar
P8 24 Male Yes Fluent Unfamiliar Unfamiliar
P9 25 Female Yes Fluent Unfamiliar Basic
Knowledge
P10 26 Male Yes Fluent Basic
Knowledge
Basic Knowledge
P11 26 Male Yes Proficient Unfamiliar Unfamiliar
P12 28 Female Yes Proficient Basic
Knowledge
Basic Knowledge
P13 29 Male Yes Fluent Basic
Knowledge
Basic Knowledge
P14 30 Female Yes Average Unfamiliar Unfamiliar
Table 1 - Characteristics of Participants
Moreover, the chosen participants were sent a GDPR form provided by Jönköping University, stating that they approved of the authors handling their personal data and that they had given their data willingly to the authors. These forms were given to all the participants via e-mail, who then signed and sent them back to the authors.
The chosen participants then received instructions for how the interviews would be conducted via e-mail the day before the interview. Furthermore, the e-mail consisted of a short explanation of the concept of product placement, where the difference between
verbal- and visual placements were also explained. The participants were encouraged to try and simulate a normal viewing session when watching the clips and not “search in their minds” for the product placements, to try and simulate a “real” viewing session. Moreover, the participants were urged to watch the clips in their original language and with Swedish subtitles activated, which will be further discussed in section 3.4.2.2. Lastly, the e-mail was concluded by informing the participants that the interviews would be conducted over the video online communication tool Zoom, in which they were sent a Zoom-link approximately five minutes before their set interview time. The e-mail in its entirety can be found in Appendix 2.
3.4.2.2 Netflix Clips
As for the Netflix clips (see Appendix 3), 20 minutes prior to the Zoom interviews, the participants were asked to watch various clips from Netflix, from their own personal Netflix-accounts. There were six clips in total, lasting between 01:00-01:30 minutes. The authors first aimed to show longer sections of the series. However, due to the fact that the participants were compelled to watch the clips using their own personal account, because of the Swedish copyright laws, the authors preferred to keep the clips as short as possible to maintain the participants' attention span. Furthermore, there were two clips selected from a Swedish show, called Love & Anarchy, in Swedish, two clips from a British show, called The One, in English, one clip from a French show, called Call my Agent, in French and finally, one Italian show, called Summertime, in Italian. The reason for choosing those four series was because they all are classified as Netflix Original Series and all included product placements from global brands or well-known Swedish brands.
Additionally, the selected series were in Swedish, English and two additional European languages which was vital for this study since the authors wanted to compare the effect of the participants first-, second- and unfamiliar language knowledge. The reason for choosing Italian and French as the unfamiliar languages, compared to, for example Spanish and German, was mainly due to their product placement content. Moreover, the participants were urged to watch the clips in their original languages and with Swedish subtitles activated for all the clips. Thus, even the clips in Swedish were urged to be watched with Swedish subtitles. This was urged in order for all the clips to be watched in as similar settings as possible. The watching of the Netflix clips was an important aspect
of the study since the authors wanted to be able to see if language barriers had an impact on brand recall in regards to product placement, and having the interviewees watch various clips containing product placements, in different languages, enabled the authors to establish this effect.
3.4.2.2.1 Visual-, Verbal- and Plot Placements
The two clips from the Swedish series Love & Anarchy included several visual placements and two verbal placements that were later discussed in the interviews. Additionally, the two clips from the British series The One focused on primarily one verbal placement and one visual placement. Moreover, the clips from the French series
Call My Agent included only verbal placement, more specifically three verbal placements,
while the clips from the Italian series Summertime contained only visual placements, to be more precise, two verbal placements. Furthermore, even though the initial idea was to include all three types of placements; i.e, verbal-, visual- and plot placements, this was not possible since plot placements would require the participants to watch entire episodes of the series. The time frame did not allow for the participants to watch several episodes of various different series and, thus, no plot placements were featured in the study. This means that only verbal placements and visual placements will be focused on going forward.
3.4.2.3 Pilot Interview
Prior to the primary data collection, one pilot interview was conducted with a test candidate who was not eligible to partake in the final study, because of the age limitations. The test candidate was chosen due to convenience. Moreover, the pilot interview was mainly conducted in order to evaluate the clarity of the interview instructions, the questions as well as the timeframe of the interviews, which is why the age requirement of the test candidate was not of importance. Furthermore, the trial interview generated some insightful information which was then applied to the final data collection. The pilot interview concluded that the timeframe was appropriate and that the Netflix instructions and the instructions for the interviews were clear. However, one finding which was later adapted to the final interviews was that the Netflix series Summertime could not be found when searched for the English title, only the Italian and Swedish titles were easily located on the Netflix platform. Thus, the Swedish title was included when sending out the instructions for the interviews to the participants.
