Predicting Product Placement Marketing Effects Under MediaMultitasking Behavior
Keywords:
product placement marketing, media multi-tasking, screen placement, script placement, plot placement.Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between product placement marketing effectiveness and media multitasking behavior in contemporary digital media environments. As audiences increasingly engage with multiple media platforms simultaneously, understanding how multitasking influences advertising outcomes has become an important issue for marketers and researchers. The study develops a stochastic model to examine how different product placement attributes, namely screen placement, script placement, and plot placement, interact with varying levels of media multitasking. Drawing on Russell’s theoretical framework of product placement, the research analyzes the relative influence of these three placement dimensions on consumer engagement and advertising effectiveness. Empirical data were collected from 2,478 valid respondents who viewed or listened to fashion brand content distributed through videos and podcasts between November and December 2024. The study applies maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to estimate model parameters and uses the Media Multitasking Index (MMI) to measure multitasking intensity among participants. The findings indicate that the effectiveness of product placement varies according to the degree of multitasking behavior. Plot placement demonstrates stronger effectiveness in low multitasking situations, while screen and script placements show different levels of influence as multitasking increases. Model calibration using the Theil U Statistic confirms an acceptable goodness-of-fit between simulated and empirical data. The research contributes to advertising and media studies by integrating media multitasking behavior with product placement strategies and offers practical insights for marketing managers seeking to optimize embedded advertising under diverse audience attention conditions.
References
1. Bažantová, S., & Novák, M. (2024). The distracting effect of mobile phones on visual attention in consumer decision-making: a gaze behavior perspective. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 34(2), 160–182.
2. Beuckels, E., De Jans, S., Cauberghe, V., & Hudders, L. (2021). Keeping up with media multitasking: An eye-tracking study among children and adults to investigate the impact of media multitasking behavior on switching frequency, advertising attention, and advertising effectiveness. Journal of Advertising, 50(2), 197-206.
3. Beuckels, Emma; Hudders, Liselot. (2022). Product placement in a media multitasking environment: an experimental study among teenage children on the impact of product placement prominence while media multitasking.American Academy of Advertising. Conference. Proceedings (Online); Lubbock,.
4. Chan, F. F. Y. (2020) Prior disclosure of product placement: The more explicit the disclosure, the better the brand recall and brand attitude. Journal of Business Research, 120,November 2020, pp. 31-41.
5. Chang,Yuhmiin,Thorson,Esther(2023).Media multitasking, counterarguing, and brand attitude: Testing the mediation effects of advertising attention and cognitive load. Computers in Human Behavior,139,107544 pp.1-9.
6. Chinchanachokchai, S., Duff, B. R. L., & Faber, R. J. (2019). Distracted mind: the effects of multitasking and mind wandering on consumer memory for ad content. International Journal of Advertising, 39(5), 631–654.
7. Garaus, M., Wolfsteiner, E. (2023).Media multitasking, advertising appeal, and gender effects. Review of Managerial Science 17, 539-567.
8. Greene, William H. (1997), Econometric Analysis. Upper SaddleRiver, NJ: Prentice Hall.
9. Grewal, R., Mehta, R., & Kardes, F. R. (2004). The Timing of Repeat Purchases of Consumer Durable Goods: The Role of Functional Bases of Consumer Attitudes. Journal of Marketing Research, 41(1), 101–115.
10. Guennemann, F., & Cho, Y.C. (2014). The Effectiveness of Product Placement By Media Types: Impact Of Image And Intention To Purchase. Journal of Service Science, 7, 29-42.
11. Gunawardena, T., & Waiguny, M. K. J. (2014). So Many Things to Do! How Multitasking Affects Memory and Attitude for Product and Brand Placements. Australasian Marketing Journal, 22(4), 288-295.
12. Noschang, L., & Vogelgesang, J. (2024). Multitasking, subtitles, and product placement effectiveness: an analysis of multitasking influencing the effectiveness of product placement and being influenced by audiovisual translation formats. Journal of Marketing Communications, 1–20.
13. Russell, A. C. (2022). Investigating the Effectiveness of Product Placements in Television Shows: The Role of Modality and Plot Connection Congruence on Brand Memory and Attitude. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(3), pp.306- 318. 14. Russell, A.C. (1998), “Toward a Framework of Product Placement: Theoretical Propositions,” in Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 25, ed. Joseph W. Alba and J. Wesley Hutchinson, Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, 357–362.
15. Russell, A.C., Belch, M. A.(2005). Managerial Investigation into the Product Placement Industry. Journal of Advertising Research, 45(1), pp.73-92.
16. Singhal, A., Srivastava, C., & Modi, S. (2015–2016). Product placement: More effective than traditional advertising. International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations, 3(2), 688–689.
17. Wai Lai, I.K., Liu, Y.(2020) The Effects of Content Likeability, Content Credibility, and Social Media Engagement on Users’ Acceptance of Product Placement in Mobile Social Networks. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research. 2020, 15(3), pp.1-19.
18. Williams, Kaylene & Petrosky, Alfred & Hernandez, Edward & Page, Robert. (2011). Product Placement Effectiveness: Revisited and Renewed. Journal of Management & Marketing Research. 7. 132-155.
