The expanded narratives through the reverse product placement: the case of NikeMAG shoes

Abstract

The advertising sector has a constant evolution of its methods in search of a more direct relationship between the brand and the target audience. One of the communication tools that has favored this evolution is the reverse product placement, a form of product placement that recreates fiction brands in the real world. It is a tool that barely has a few decades of development. However, it is an unexplored technique in the academic world and it needs a theoretical arrangement. For this reason, this research seeks to study this advertising practice in order to analyze the treatment and communication possibilities that it is capable of offering. For this, one of its most relevant historical cases has been taken as a sample. Specifically, the case of NikeMAG shoes Back to the Future 2 (1989). For its realization, a qualitative analysis of the bibliographic information collected as well as the exclusive statements for this article by Chris Dukeminier, Global Brand Director of NikeSB has been prepared. The results obtained structure the processes and relationships developed with the public by materializing these brands from their original narratives. This is an investigation that reflects on the transmedia conception of this type of projects taking as an example an international projection that illustrates the use of this advertising tool for the future.