苏州大学本科生毕业设计(论文)

extent of brand placement SDAR.

Fontaine (2002) shows that appreciation of a movie has a positive impact on attitude change. This result is still accurate for recall and then, for a viewer who has enjoyed the movie, details might be better perceived and then be better recalled. This hypothesis is also inspired by Johnstone and Dodd's work (2000) stressing the fact that placements could increase brand salience, and particularly so if the audience liked the movie. Consequently:

Hypothesis 2b. The more the DVD viewers appreciate the movie, the more they spontaneously recall placed brands.

4. Research design

This section presents the original method adopted of collecting data following a second stage viewing of a movie and the methodology used to test the four hypotheses.

4.1. Data collection

The purpose of this research is to innovate by using a large, convenient sample of video viewers questioned the day after watching a movie on DVD, when leaving one of the three French video rental shops chosen for the study. The intention is to collect answers from single respondents only. This means that the DVD viewers are each interviewed about one film only. The final sample includes 3532 video viewers questioned about one of the following 11 American movies: Men in Black II, Minority Report, Analyze That, Banger Sisters, Fashion Victim, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Johnny English, Intolerable Cruelty, Mr. Deed, Hardball and Paycheck. These movies were selected for the research because they were newly released DVDs (meaning heavy rentals during the data collection process), because they were successful and essentially because the placements were easily and clearly recognizable. This research covers a period from 2003 to 2005 partly because the decision to choose real motion pictures meant that they had to be selected carefully to ensure their maximal usefulness. All the brand placements identified and used in the research were strictly isolated, meaning that

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苏州大学本科生毕业设计(论文)

the link between an SDAR and a specific placement is exclusive, because each brand placement occurs just once in the movie considered. The movies have not been modified in order to control brand placements. This point was crucial to ensure that, during the interview with the respondent, questions were referring to the same brand placement. Furthermore, American movies represented 55% of the 2003 French DVD market by volume, and 69% by value (CNC, 2005).

4.2. Measurements

The SDAR of each placement was added to calculate the extent of SDAR per movie for one respondent，that is the dependent variable. The previous watching of the movie in a cinema was measured by a dichotomous question. Respondents were asked whether they watched the movie on a TV or on a large home cinema screen. They were also questioned about the reasons for their DVD choice, which were considered as ―director: yes or no‖. Finally, appreciation of the movie was evaluated on a 0 to 20 scale (0 meaning a total dislike and 20 an absolute liking). The data collection process took place from January 2003 to February 2005 focusing on the selected just released DVDs. The questionnaire was systematically submitted to every person renting one of the DVDs employed in the research. Every respondent freely chose the movie he or she wanted to watch. Owing to the small size of the video clubs, their proximity and the appeal of the research subject, only six individuals refused to answer the questionnaire.

4.3. Methodology

Since the four hypotheses are not independent, all of them have been tested in the same model rather than individually. Hypotheses are validated using an ANCOVA, which allows us to study the simultaneous impact of each independent variable on the dependent variable. Independent variables are mentioned in each of the four hypotheses presented above. The dependent variable is the number of brands recalled by the respondent (SDAR) in one movie. A hypothesis is validated when the relationship between the studied variable and the dependent variable is significant, that is p-value is less than 5%, and produces the expected mean of the

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苏州大学本科生毕业设计(论文)

value. Because the number of placements varies from one movie to another (indeed from 4 to 22 in the movies considered), the total number of brand placements in the movie has been included in the model as a control variable.

5. Results and discussion

Of the respondents questioned, 34% noticed and, the following day, recalled at least one brand placement in the movie they watched. The size of the sample, 3532 DVD viewers, appears sufficiently large compared with the number of respondents surveyed in the reviewed research in this field, from 62 (Sabherwal et al., 1994) to 378 (Fontaine, 2002), to allow us to diversify spectators, movies and placement modalities. This seemed necessary partly to compensate for the constraints arising from the fact that, when using real movies rather than films created especially for the research or simply excerpts, researchers do not have full control of the placement modalities.

First of all, according to the ANCOVA results, the control variable – that is the total number of brand placements in the movie – does not explain the degree of SDAR (probability associated is 0.88), which means that a profusion of brand placements does not automatically increase the number of brands recalled.

5.1. Extended time potential for product placement

Because of the specific characteristics of DVD viewers, this research took place during a potential second exposure to product placements. Validating Hypothesis 1a (―Shown_Cinema— Yes‖ parameterN0; pb0.01) means that the respondents who have previously seen the movie in a cinema show more SDAR than respondents who have seen the movie for the first time on DVD. On the one hand, this analysis shows that product recall is stronger among viewers watching the movie on DVD a few months after viewing this same movie in cinemas. On the other hand, because some 15% of the respondents (representing 522 viewers) rented a DVD even after having seen the film in cinemas the previous year, this result supports the product placement professionals' view as well as the academic research which argues that the potential total audience could be far bigger than the

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苏州大学本科生毕业设计(论文)

one calculated from cinema tickets alone (Brée, 1996).

Of the sample 17% saw the movie on a large screen (home cinema). Since the extent of SDAR was significantly greater among these 587 respondents, Hypothesis 1b is validated (―Projection—HomeCine‖ parameterN0; pb0.01). Indeed, the large dimensions of the screen allow the brand placement to appear significantly greater in size, that is more prominent, and hence to be more effective (Brennan et al., 1999; Astous and Chartier, 2000). Considering only the size of the placement, independent of its duration, placements seen for the first time at the movie theatre might be more effective than placements seen for the first time on a regular TV screen.

5.2. Benefits from spectators' positive attitude

The findings relating to choice of a DVD because of the movie's director support Hypothesis 2a (―Choice_Director— Yes‖ parameterN0; pb0.01). Logically, a movie fan who prefers a specific director is more alert to certain details, and thus to various brand placements. Nevertheless, the 10.4% of respondents who chose their DVD for this reason were knowledgeable about movie directing. They were attracted by the director's name, leading to a direct effect. For advertisers, these results therefore invite them to favor well-known and accomplished directors for their branded entertainment deal. This partly explains why the $25 million global product placement deal for Steven Spielberg's Minority Report appears quite suitable and logical (Lehn, 2005).

Hypothesis 2b, about the evaluation of the movie by the respondents, is validated (―Evaluation_Rank‖ parameterN0; pb0.001). Here, also, such a validation means that the more the viewers liked the movie they watched, the better they recalled the brand placements. The validation of this hypothesis leads us to conclude that a positive environment influences the degree of SDAR for brand placements. Thus, not only are advertisers invited to select the type of movie in which to place their products and brands, bearing in mind their intended target audience, but they are also called upon to evaluate the chances of getting a good movie at the end. Some might hesitate when validating Hypothesis 2b about the liking of the movies, as the success or failure of a movie can rarely be predicted

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