Disclosing product placement in audiovisual media services: a practical and scientific perspective on the implementation of disclosures across the European Union

Abstract

According to the law of the European Union (EU), broadcasters are obligated to inform consumers about the presence of product placements (PP) through disclosures. To ascertain whether disclosures are able to improve consumers’ understanding of persuasive intent, researchers have examined the impact of multiple disclosure presentations. This can be attributed to the fact that all EU Member States currently apply a variety of different disclosures. No study so far, however, has assessed how PP disclosures are implemented across the EU and whether PP disclosures investigated in advertising research relate to disclosures used in practice. In the present study, we thus conducted both a systematic assessment of practical disclosures of leading EU broadcasters and a comparison of the current practical disclosure presentations with the empirically tested versions. Results revealed that especially brand-unspecific and repetitive disclosures are under-investigated forms of disclosures although commonly used in practice. Implications for both science and policy, and future research are discussed.