The Office was a pretty unique show when it first release, and its product placement is a big example of this, with it eventually saving the show.
Like many sitcoms, The Office had lots of product placement, but one thing that makes it unique is that the advertisements were good for the show. The Office is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, meaning that many of the products featured on the show were put in front of millions of eyes. However, The Office went about implementing product placement in a unique way, with it actually being what saved the show.
The Office is an iconic workplace comedy that essentially redefined what a sitcom is, with many of the shows that came after it mimicking its style. The series is full of iconic characters, storylines, and jokes, with the series still being incredibly popular to this day despite The Office ending after season 9 in 2013. However, one aspect that many viewers of The Office don’t talk about is the show’s product placement, with its unorthodox approach being a huge part of what made the show successful.
The Office’s Product Placements Were Things The Characters Would Really Use
Although TV shows will often advertise for whatever products are willing to pay, The Office took a different approach, only doing product placements for goods and services that the characters would really use. The Office follows a diverse cast of middle-class Dunder Mifflin employees, meaning that these characters used many of the same products that the audience used. Characters played Call of Duty, use Macs, use Staples products, and go to restaurants like Hooters.
Another interesting fact about The Office‘s product placement is that it often advertised goods and services for free. A big example can be seen in The Office season 2’s “The Dundies,” which takes place in a Chili’s restaurant. This location was not picked due to Chili’s paying, with it rather being chosen due to the writers believing that it would be a realistic setting for an office party. A similar logic was the reasoning behind unpaid product placements like Trivago, iPods, and more, with the cast and crew of The Office giving the different goods and services all kinds of free advertising.
The Office’s Product Placement Saved The Show
While The Office‘s product placement is unique in its own right, it actually ended up saving the show. In The Office season 2, episode 10, “Christmas Party,” the employees of Dunder Mifflin play a game of Yankee Swap, with the wildcard Ryan Howard bringing an iPod. This iPod plot was completely unpaid for by Apple, with it giving tons of free advertising for the new product. Luckily, this ended up paying off in the long run.
During the first two seasons, The Office was really struggling, with it nearly facing cancelation during season 2. However, the show was saved when it became one of the first series available for download on the iTunes store, immensely increasing its notoriety. This is often credited with being what prevented The Office from being canceled, with the show’s connection to the iPod leading to its success on iTunes. While the official nature of the link is up for debate, it’s clear the relationship had a positive impact for both parties.
This article was originally published by ScreenRant and was written by Robert Pitman.
