Fictional brand

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Aspen beer, a fictional brand from the 1979 film Alien ExpoSYFY - Alien (aspen beer).jpg
Aspen beer, a fictional brand from the 1979 film Alien

A fictional brand is a non-existing brand used in artistic or entertainment productions, such as paintings, books, comics, movies, TV serials, and music. The fictional brand may be designed to imitate, satirize or differentiate itself from a real corporate brand. [1] Such a device may be required where real corporations are unwilling to license their brand names for use in the fictional work, particularly where the work holds the product in a negative light. [2]

Contents

More recently, fictional brands have been used for commercial purposes through the process of reverse product placement. Consumer attachment to those brands in the fictional world may be leveraged through “defictionalisation” or “productisation” in the real world. [3] It has been suggested that the fictional brands represent brand potential rather than brand reality; they are in effect, “protobrands” that can be leveraged and transformed into registered trademarks which can derive revenue for their owners through reverse product placement or, more accurately, reverse brand placement. [4] Examples include Harry Potter’s Bertie Botts’ Every Flavour Beans, now available as real candy manufactured by the Jelly Belly Company; Duff Beer, a beer brand now available for consumption in Europe which initially appeared in The Simpsons ; and Staples' Dunder Mifflin paper, from TV show, The Office .

Purposes

Works of fiction often mention or show specific brands to give more realism to the plot or scenery. Specific brands provide descriptive details that the author can use to craft a plot: a character may own a factory that manufactures a popular product, or may make a scene by demanding a particular brand; a detective may get clues from the brand of cigarettes smoked by a suspect; a film may include a commercial poster on the background, or show a package of cereal in close-up.[ citation needed ]

Real brands are often used. Sometimes a specific brand is needed due to its prior associations; e.g. the Coca-Cola machine scene in Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove would not work with another, real or fictional, brand. Sometimes the author will use a common brand only to make the scene more natural or create a specific ambience. More commonly, such uses are instances of product placement – the insertion of "casual" (but actually paid and intentional) positive references to brands in movies, television programming, games, and books. However, this practice is so widespread in the entertainment industry that it gives authors another reason to avoid the use of real brands: any such reference would be suspected by the public of being paid advertising, and could diminish the artistic or intellectual merit of the work.

Another advantage to a fictional brand is that all its specifications can be invented. In this sense, an author can invent a model or brand of car, for which he can make up details. That way, he doesn't have to go look up specifications on a car, which would take time and effort-he could just make them up.

Sometimes, usually on television or movies, a real brand would not be permitted due to restrictions in advertising particular products, especially cigarettes and alcohol. Usually, a fictional brand would be created that bears some resemblance to a real brand.

Television programs made in Canada for the Canadian market are not permitted to show or mention real brand names except in certain specific circumstances. The CRTC's prohibition of product placement exists primarily to prevent producers from accepting payola, especially if accepting it affects creative control or leads producers to attempt to deceive the audience (by, for instance, implying that X Brand Olive Oil is the best brand because the host uses it).[ citation needed ] In some instances (especially cooking and home improvement shows) brand names are merely inked, taped, or edited out; in dramatic presentations, however, fake brand names may be used. The restriction does not apply to news or current affairs programs when mention of the brand is necessary to fairly and fully present the subject matter, and it does not apply to televised sporting events, where branding may be beyond the station's control. Programs produced outside of Canada are not subject to these rules.

Yet another reason to use a fictional brand is that sometimes a product is itself a major "character" in the plot, and using a real brand would limit creativity as the author would be constrained by the actual attributes of that brand. A subset of this is comedic brands, the most famous being "Acme" for the maker of complicated gadgets that never quite work.

Finally, the use of a real brand may be excluded also when the plot is meant to develop in a time or place (e.g. in a distant future, or in a fictional universe) where the real brand would not have existed anyway. Alternately, made-up brands are often more humorous than real brands, which is why a lot of cartoons and sitcoms prefer them.

Well-known fictional brands

Finder-Spyder

Finder-Spyder is a fictional Web search engine that appears in numerous television shows, used in the same manner as the fictitious 555 telephone number in TV and film. [5] [6] It has been called "an unofficial, open source stand-in for Google and its competitors" (used as a legality-free alternative to a brand-name product), [5] and "the most popular search engine in the TV universe." [7] Finder-Spyder appears as a top 10 pick in "best fictional brand" lists by various online media, along with Oceanic Airlines, Morley cigarettes, Acme Corporation, and others. [8] [9]

Morley

Morley is a fictional brand of cigarettes with packaging that resembles Marlboro cigarettes. The name "Morley" is a reference to "Marleys", a once-common nickname for Marlboro cigarettes. [10] Television programs began using Morleys in an era where Tobacco companies were allowed to sponsor television shows and pay for product placement. If no company agreed on a deal for product placement, producers would use a non-branded product like the fictional Morleys. [11] Morleys are produced by The Earl Hays Press, a Hollywood prop packaging service. [12]

Wonka

In 1964, Roald Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory set within the fictional Wonka Chocolate Factory. The story included several fictional candy products including the Everlasting Gobstopper and the Wonka Bar. The 1971 musical Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was an adaptation of Dahl's work funded by Quaker Oats who also produced a variety of Wonka candy through their subsidiary Sunline. These candy products were largely unsuccessful and Quaker sold off Sunline by 1972. [13] Sunline continued to make Wonka branded candy and was later acquired by Nestle. [14] Although initially involved in the musical, Dahl left the project and disowned the 1971 film. After his death, Dahl's family became involved with a second film adaptation, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). This again featured Wonka branded products. [15]

Pear products

Sitcom shows on the TV channel Nickelodeon often parody tech company Apple and its products by using fake tech products from the fictional “Pear” company - such as the PearPhone (a parody of the iPhone) and the PearPad (a parody of the iPad). These parodies would often appear in the Nickelodeon sitcoms iCarly, Victorious, Sam & Cat and Henry Danger.

Fictional brands lists

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> 1964 childrens novel by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.

<i>Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory</i> 1971 film by Mel Stuart

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart from a screenplay by Roald Dahl, based on his 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It stars Gene Wilder as chocolatier Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of a poor child named Charlie Bucket who, upon finding a Golden Ticket in a chocolate bar, wins the chance to visit Willy Wonka's chocolate factory along with four other children from around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Product placement</span> Marketing technique

Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of this is done by loaning products, especially when expensive items, such as vehicles, are involved. In 2021, the agreements between brand owners and films and television programs were worth more than US$20 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willy Wonka</span> Fictional character in Roald Dahl novels

Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, its 1972 sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and several films based on those books. He is the eccentric founder and proprietor of the Wonka Chocolate Factory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parody advertisement</span> Short comedy scene imitative of marketing communication

A parody advertisement is a fictional advertisement for a non-existent product, either done within another advertisement for an actual product, or done simply as parody of advertisements—used either as a way of ridiculing or drawing negative attention towards a real advertisement or such an advertisement's subject, or as a comedic device, such as in a comedy skit or sketch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobstopper</span> A type of hard candy

Gobstoppers, also known as jawbreakers in the United States and Canada, are a type of hard candy. They are usually round, and usually range from 1 to 3 cm across; though gobstoppers billed as having a diameter as large as 3.25 in (83 mm) have been marketed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nestlé Candy Shop</span> Former confectionary brand owned by Nestlé

Nestlé Candy Shop was a confectionery brand owned and licensed by the Swiss corporation Nestlé. In 2018, the branding and production rights were sold to the Ferrero Group, and as a result, the brand was discontinued.

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> (film) 2005 film by Tim Burton

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 musical fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and written by John August, based on the 1964 British novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka and Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket, alongside David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, James Fox, Deep Roy, and Christopher Lee. The storyline follows Charlie as he wins a contest along with four other children and is led by Wonka on a tour of his chocolate factory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SweeTarts</span> Sweet and sour candies

SweeTarts are sweet and sour candies invented under the direction of Menlo F. Smith, CEO of Sunline Inc., in 1962. The candy was created using the same small basic recipe as the already popular Pixy Stix and Lik-M-Aid products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wonka Bar</span> Fictional chocolate bar

The Wonka Bar is a fictional chocolate bar, introduced as a key story point in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Wonka Bars appear in each film adaptation of the novel: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971); Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005); and Wonka (2023). The bar also appeared in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everlasting Gobstopper</span> Fictional candy from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Everlasting Gobstopper is a gobstopper candy from Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. According to its creator Willy Wonka, it was intended "for children with very little pocket money". It not only changes colours and flavours when sucked on, but also never gets any smaller or disappears. In 1976, the name of the fictional candy was used for a product similar to a normal gobstopper, or jawbreaker.

"Fry and the Slurm Factory" is the thirteenth and final episode in the first season of the American animated television series Futurama. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 14, 1999. The episode was directed by Ron Hughart and written by Lewis Morton. Pamela Anderson guest stars as the voice of one of the Slurm party girls.

Wonka can refer to the following:

Product displacement is the removing of trademarked products from primarily visual media in order to avoid the payment of licensing fees, if the trademark owner objects, or if the broadcaster would prefer not to publicise a product for free, if the owners have not paid for it to be included in a programme.

<i>Willy Wonka</i> (musical) Musical by Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley, and Timothy Allen McDonald

Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, also known simply as Willy Wonka, is a musical with music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and a book by Bricusse and Timothy Allen McDonald. It is based on 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. The musical was commissioned by Music Theatre International and is licensed for performance by amateur theatre groups.

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> (musical) 2013 musical

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a musical based on the 1964 children's novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, with book by David Greig, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> (franchise) Fantasy media franchise created by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a media franchise based on the 1964 novel of the same name by British author Roald Dahl. It includes two books, three live-action theatrical films, three video games and miscellaneous other properties, such as touring musicals and theatrical adaptations, various merchandise and defunct amusement park ride.

Willy Wonka is a character from the 1964 Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

<i>Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</i> 2017 American animated film

Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a 2017 American animated direct-to-video musical comedy film starring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Turner Entertainment Co., it is the first Tom and Jerry direct-to-video film to be distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment internationally and is also the final Tom and Jerry direct-to-video film to be involved with Warner Bros. Animation's founder Hal Geer, who died on January 26, 2017. The film is an animated adaptation of the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory with the addition of Tom and Jerry as characters and seen through their point of view.

References

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  2. Jean-Marc Lehu, Branded Entertainment: Product Placement & Brand Strategy in the Entertainment Business (2007), p. 144.
  3. Virtual-fictionalbrands paper
  4. Muzellec, Laurent; Lynn, Theodore; Lambkin, Mary (2012). "Branding in fictional and virtual environments". European Journal of Marketing. 46 (6): 811–826. doi:10.1108/03090561211214618.
  5. 1 2 Jay Garmon (16 Mar 2009). "Geek Trivia: Search party of the second part". TechRepublic (CBS Interactive). Archived from the original on 2016-02-14. Retrieved 1 Apr 2014. ()
  6. "The Search Engine Equivalent Of The 555 Telephone Numbers Seen In Television And Film Is?". How-To Geek. Archived from the original on 2015-06-23. Retrieved 20 Jul 2015. ()
  7. Seitz, Dan (11 Dec 2009). "5 Things Hollywood Reuses More Than Plots". Cracked (Demand Media). Archived from the original on 2015-08-28. Retrieved 20 Jul 2015. ()
  8. "Best 'fake' brands in film and TV". DigiTitles.com. 2013. Retrieved 1 Apr 2014.
  9. Stacy Conradt (3 Mar 2009). "The Quick 10: 10 Fake Brands Used by the Entertainment Industry". Mental Floss. Retrieved 1 Apr 2014.
  10. Wolf, Mark J.P. (2014). Building Imaginary Worlds: The Theory and History of Subcreation. Routledge. p. 218. ISBN   978-0415631204.
  11. Morley: The cigarette brand that doesn't exist… even though it's in every TV show. Radio Times. January 18, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  12. "Hollywood's counterfeit factory". BBC News. 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  13. "How a Chicago company made Gene Wilder's most beloved movie role possible". Chicago Tribune .
  14. Food Industry R&D. Wiley. 25 October 2016. pp. 238–239. ISBN   9781119089407.
  15. "Willy Wonka's everlasting film plot". 11 July 2005.