The Most Shameless Product Placements in Music Videos
Why do these music videos make us want a drink Diet Coke while riding a Segway? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at obvious, blatant and often cringey ads hidden in these musical shorts.
Transcript
00:00 "Hello, hello, baby, you called, I can't hear a thing. I have got no service in the club, you see, see."
00:07 Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most
00:11 shameless product placements in music videos.
00:14 "Tonight we're going hard, hard, hard, ha-ha-ha-hard. Just like the world is ours, ours, ours, ours, ours."
00:22 For this list, we'll be looking at obvious, blatant, and often cringey ads hidden in these
00:27 musical shorts. Which shameless product placement did you actually love? Let us know in the comments.
00:33 10. Papi - Jennifer Lopez
00:36 "Just one small bite, it's much stronger than you think."
00:40 After eating a magic cookie, legions of suitors are suddenly driven to win
00:44 Jennifer Lopez's heart. The only thing more ridiculous than the suggestion that she'd need
00:48 any magic to attract attention was how much product placement was present. There are
00:53 multiple shots of the then-top-of-the-line BlackBerry phone throughout the video.
00:57 During her walk, she just so happens to pass a Toss jewelry store. At one point,
01:03 we get a lingering shot on a bottle of Crown Royal before a man desperately tries to offer it to her.
01:09 "You got good proof. You sure?"
01:12 And did we mention that she dodges suitors in her Fiat? While we came into this video
01:17 hoping for a silly romp, our excitement got lost among the product placement.
01:22 "The craziest thing has happened."
01:24 9. I'm The One - DJ Khaled
01:27 Featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne.
01:31 When the camera in this music video isn't squarely aimed at one of the many models that feature
01:36 within, it's 100% focused on trying to sell you stuff.
01:40 "Yeah, you're looking at the truth, the money never lie, no, I'm the one, yeah."
01:45 It all starts with the Beats earphone Khaled puts into his ear at the beginning of the video.
01:50 From there, it's an absolute free-for-all.
01:53 "When I met her in the club, I asked her who she felt.
01:56 Then she went and put that booty on that Gucci belt."
01:59 Lil Wayne uses a bamboo rum like a cell phone. Additionally, nearly everyone gets a bottle of
02:05 Luc Milaire Rare Luxe Champagne. And if you feel like buying clothes from Supreme,
02:10 or another major company, it's probably because the featured artists are walking advertisements.
02:15 It's hard to go more than 30 seconds without someone in "I'm the One" trying to sell you something.
02:21 "Yeah, hear you sick of all those other imitators. Don't let the only real one intimidate ya."
02:28 Number 8 - Hands to Myself - Selena Gomez
02:31 In the music video for Hands to Myself, Selena Gomez plays a stalker who can't keep her hands
02:36 off of the stuff belonging to the objects of her desires.
02:39 "I want you all to myself. Your metaphorical gin and juice."
02:47 She breaks into his house, puts on his clothes, and of course,
02:50 listens to music through his Beats Pill speaker.
02:54 It's admittedly pretty common to see the audio device advertised in a music video.
02:58 However, Hands to Myself is strangely obnoxious about it.
03:01 "I want it on all the same pills."
03:07 Multiple bedroom shots make sure to squeeze the device in.
03:10 It's even pretty visible when Gomez's character is getting arrested.
03:14 Oh, and speaking of visible, there's a beyond-obvious cut to the
03:18 BMW logo that is impossible to ignore.
03:21 The video clearly couldn't keep its advertisements to itself.
03:25 "I mean I could, but why would I want to?"
03:27 Number 7 - Ciroc Star - Chester French & Clinton Sparks
03:36 Featuring Diddy and Jadakiss
03:39 Just in case the title didn't make it clear enough, the short makes it 1 million percent
03:43 clear that it's here to promote Ciroc vodka right when the song begins.
03:47 "Don't keep me out of this, boy. I'm a Ciroc star."
03:53 The title tells you straight away that the liquor company is presenting the video.
03:57 From that point on, we get way too many shots of Ciroc bottle placements,
04:02 and the absolutely shameless lyrics take time to declare this vodka as one of the best drinks on
04:07 the planet. "Enjoy the thrillin', Ciroc billboards on top of buildings, stand on shaky ground. I'm
04:13 steady, half a billion stashed, I'm ready." Maybe we should have known what we were getting into
04:17 when we saw the title of the song. However, Ciroc's star's lack of restraint ensured we
04:23 were hit with a tidal wave of product placement. "Yeah man, we just feeling good.
04:30 It's the hands when you're a Ciroc star, baby."
04:32 6. Laugh Now, Cry Later Drake featuring Lil Durk
04:36 We're not sure about crying later, but you'll be laughing now while watching the ridiculous
04:40 advertising in this Drake video. Actually, this isn't so much product placement as it is
04:46 full-on company placement. "I took a half and she took the whole thing, slow down, baby."
04:54 Drake didn't just wear Nike clothing and flash the logo a few times. Instead, he went down to
04:59 Beaverton, Oregon and filmed the video at the actual Nike headquarters. He teamed up with Lil
05:05 Durk, internet celebs, and athletes to play on the company's campus. "Bringin' Drake to the line,
05:10 surround Drake, around Drake. Even though I got a case, I'm a do it with a tape."
05:16 Drake also has a shopping spree in the Nike store. Oh, and did we mention that a skit at the
05:22 three-and-a-half-minute mark features clothing from the brand? Honestly, this short feels less
05:27 like a music video and more like an extended Nike commercial. "I know that they had the crib
05:33 going crazy down bad. What they had didn't last, damn baby." Number five, we are who we are. Kesha,
05:41 you'll definitely be in a good mood to go out and dance after you see this video's great makeup,
05:46 happy partygoers, and the plenty of fish dating website? "DJ, turn it up. It's about damn time
05:54 to live it up. I'm so sick of you so serious. It's making my brain delirious." For some reason,
05:59 a DJ duo in the video spend time at work selecting songs and their next dating partners. We thought
06:06 we were imagining this product plug until the video cut back to it a second time, and a third
06:11 time. Admittedly, the four cutaway shots to bottles of Revolution tequila weren't subtle
06:18 either, but at least we can say advertising a drink fits with the theme of the party-themed
06:23 video. We're still trying to figure out who thought a plenty of fish plug would be anything
06:29 but laughable here. "We know we're superstars. We are who we are." Number four, we can't stop,
06:36 Miley Cyrus. Viewers see lots of strange things during Miley Cyrus' video for "We Can't Stop,"
06:42 but the french fry skull and hot dog piñata couldn't distract us from all the products
06:47 that were shoved in our faces. "Doing whatever we want. This is our house. This is our room."
06:55 Before we even see Cyrus on screen, we get a shot of a Beats Pill speaker. Less than 30 seconds
07:01 later, we get a tight close-up of an Eos lip balm before the singer applies some. "Cause we gonna
07:08 go all night, till we see the sunlight. All right, all right." Cyrus' sunglasses and dope
07:15 bodysuit were also for sale. The advertisements here might not seem that bad on paper, but the
07:21 fact that we saw a product before the singer suggested what the filmmakers really wanted to
07:27 focus on when they made this video. "And we can't stop. And we won't stop." Number three,
07:36 Telephone, Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce. "Stop callin', stop callin', I don't wanna think anymore.
07:44 Why is this music video almost 10 minutes long? It's probably because they had to fit in all the
07:53 products. Sorry I cannot hear you, I'm kinda busy. I'm kinda busy, I'm kinda busy."
08:01 The song itself doesn't start until almost the three-minute mark. By then, we've gotten a shot
08:07 of a Virgin Mobile cell phone and Diet Coke cans in Lady Gaga's hair. We also see plenty of fish
08:13 return to music videos on a Beats Limited Edition HP Envy laptop around four and a half minutes in.
08:20 And during the "Let's Make a Sandwich" scene, Gaga breaks out the Miracle Whip and Wonder Bread.
08:26 The product placement person should get a featuring credit, along with Beyonce on this one.
08:32 Number two, Focus, Ariana Grande. At the beginning of the music video for Ariana Grande's Focus,
08:42 Grande can be seen writing on a phone the words "Focus on me." The question then becomes,
08:48 is she talking about herself? Or do the makers of the video want us to focus
08:52 on the phone, which happens to be a Samsung Galaxy device?
08:56 While the camera's attention is focused on Grande most of the time, the phone once again
09:10 takes centre stage later as she and her dancers all take selfies. This is followed by choreography
09:15 featuring Grande and her dancers clothed in outfits covered with stars.
09:20 Hey, are their outfits another reference to Samsung Galaxy? Or has this product
09:31 placement warped our minds? We'll leave it to you to decide.
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09:56 Number one, Rock 'n' Roll, Avril Lavigne. Rock 'n' Roll arguably features the most
10:03 shameless and fun example of product placement. This is mainly because the singer seems fully
10:08 self-aware of what she's shilling and has fun with it. The video begins with Lavigne's phone
10:14 ringing while in a glass of water. Not only does this show the durability of the phone,
10:18 but the singer's line here is absolutely hilarious.
10:21 But she's not done. After we see the logo, Lavigne takes another quick dig at the product placement.
10:31 "Yes? Okay, well how much more obvious can I make it?"
10:34 And if that doesn't make you laugh, seeing the singer defeat a bear shark before Billy Zane
10:39 rides a Segway to space will. The self-aware way the video tackled shameless product placement
10:45 made it a lot more bearable. "Okay, well I'm sorry if you don't get it by now,
10:49 I'm gonna have to say goodbye, sir."
10:51 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms Mojo,
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