6 iconic product placements in TV shows , One of the most memorable was 1982’s “Knight Rider,”
Not all products featured in the media are listed here. It is not always clear if a company has paid for their product to be promoted on a show, or if the product was used for realism, so paid sponsorship was not a requirement for inclusion on this list.
Read on for six memorable instances of product placement in TV history, in order of the initial U.S. release date of the shows.
Pontiac Trans Am in ‘Knight Rider’
Pottery Barn in ‘Friends’
Designer shoes in ‘Sex and the City’
The show helped turn these brands into household names for women across the globe. Over a decade after “Sex and the City” ended, this love of fabulous footwear remains so popular that Vogue ranked Carrie’s top 10 shoes in 2021.
Staples office supply store in ‘The Office’
In an interesting reversal of roles, a subsidiary of Staples licensed the Dunder Mifflin name in 2011 to sell products based on the TV series—an agreement that also financially benefited the show’s network, NBC.
Subway in ‘Community’
No attempts were made to hide this brand influence, as the show decided to add a Subway shop on the fictional community college’s campus. Taking it a step further, they even named a character Subway.
Eggos and Jif in ‘Stranger Things’
Jif peanut butter is a significant plot point in season four as a food that represents American values. Within a month of the season premiere, Jif’s brand value increased significantly, coming in at over $879,000.
