Product-Placement in Russian Musical Videos (Using HLEB Band as an Example)

The master’s thesis is devoted to the study of product placement in music videos on the case of the music group «HLEB». The problem lies in the study of a little-studied topic – the effectiveness of product placement and its measuring in music videos. In the theoretical part of the paper, the key concepts are defined: such as music marketing, a music brand, a personal brand, and product placement in music. It has been shown how a personal brand of musicians and viral videos affect the effectiveness of product placement. In the research part of the master’s thesis, three empirical studies were conducted – expert interviews, survey of the group’s audience, and interviews with group members. The results of these studies provided information on how product placement is perceived in the clips of the group and how effective it is. Related aspects were also considered, such as the personal brand of musicians and the targeted creation of viral videos. In conclusion, it was shown that the experience of the group «HLEB» can be an example both for performers who want to collaborate with large advertisers and natively integrate advertising in their work, and for advertisers who strive to make product placement effective.