No Failure to Launch these Products

Showing off BudLight while playing paintball.

       In Failure to Launch, drinks and sports run supreme in this bachelor themed movie. From scene to scene we see Budweiser, Moët & Chandon, Crystal Geyser, Kahlua, Coca-Cola, and Tropicana. A movie about three single men each living at home seems perfect to feature sports in as well. They use Omaha Royals, New Orleans Zephyrs, Sports Authority, and EA Sports which they play on their Sony Playstation and Xboxes. Personally, my favorite is the use of the Reddi-Wip whipped cream in creative non-food related ways. This gives the product a whole new market line. Good marketing on Reddi-Wips part. This movie is filled from beginning to end with the subliminal use of advertising that some are so against. In the article on advertising by Martin J. Smith he advocates for what some people dislike, “Don’t try to pretend you’re showing (viewers) art when what you’re showing is advertising” (2). There is a fine line between the advertisements helping or harming the movie, Failure to Launch seems to get it right in their seamless usage. 

Notice the Coke cup.

  When it came to drinks, it seemed as though champagne was at each dinner and beer at each social gathering, even when that social gathering was a game of paintball to distract from the heartbreak from the death of a dog. As the friend of Paula, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, sits on the sidelines just to be good company, she casually drinks a Bud Light. One of the main guy actors walks up and starts the conversation with talk of the beer. Even naming it by brand. This starts off their conversation which eventually leads to their first date, and what appears to be a serious life-long relationship by the end of the movie. According to budweiser.com, their beer is the “King of Beers”. They focus advertising this line for the sports fans, they even partner with Nascar and adorn the #8 car of Kevin Harvick. Their biggest push is baseball fans, which fits the multiple baseball scenes. At the baseball game of the Omaha Royals, we do see the cast drinking Coke, but still Bud Light is thought of because of its constant reappearance. All these drink companies are wanting their drinks seen in this movie because of the audience the movie is targeted for, the young single or young couple. These are the people most willing to spend discretionary income on these luxury- or at least- non-necessity drinks.

The baseball scene is another great example of an advertisement haven. Not only are the two teams talked about throughout, but there is also the endless ads surrounding the field. Here we see Sports Authority advertised. This all makes the scene extremely credible because of the realism it creates. A typical stadium is lined with these different ads so this was a necessity to recreate. To be at this baseball game there also needs to be two teams playing for this all to make logical sense. The producers take advantage of this logos by selecting two teams to feature.

       If this movie used generic brands instead of these legitimate and well-known brands, it would have brought down the overall ethos of the movie. People would be more distracted by trying to figure out these false brands and their pathos would be lowered because of the distraction. By having these distinct advertisements throughout, people are unknowingly being advertised through. It tends to work here just because of how natural they seem. In a comedic movie about a young male still living at home and dating, beer and sports seem natural. For this, I give the movie five pickles. They took advantage of the opportunity to advertise, and did so in a way that felt routine to the audience.