Skip to main content

Apple achieves most product placement of any brand in the last 10 yrs

apple-product-placement-award
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’ve seen a movie in the last 10 years, chances are you’ve seen an Apple product. In 2010 alone, Apple products have appeared in 10 of the 33 films that hit number one at the box office, topping appearances by all other brands throughout the year. More impressive, Apple MacBooks, desktops, iPhones, and iPods have appeared in one third of all number one movies from 2001 to 2010–112 of the 334 #1 films at the U.S. box office since 2001. As such, BrandChannel has bestowed Apple its “2010 Award for Overall Product Placement” in its annual Brandcameo Product Placement Awards.

Runners up for the big award were Nike, Chevrolet, and Ford, which tied for second place, appearing in 24 percent of top films. Brands like Sony, Dell, Land Rover, and Glock appeared in around 15 percent of #1 films. However, if you add in the many more films that featured Apple brands but didn’t reach #1, the numbers are pretty staggering.

Movies with Apple brands in 2009 and 2010 include: Morning Glory, Somewhere, Repo Men, Hereafter, Machete, Greenberg, Catfish, Dinner for Schmucks, Lottery Ticket, Solitary Man, Going the Distance, Chatroom, Hot Tub Time Machine, Please Give, She’s Out of My League, Chloe, Killers, Book of Eli, The Spy Next Door, When in Rome, High School, Cats and Dogs 2, Step Up 3D, Gulliver’s Travels, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Knight and Day, You Again, Vampires Suck, Drag Me to Hell, Orphan, I Love You, Man, Duplicity, Crank 2: High Voltage, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Imagine That, Sorority Row, Answer Man, Post Grad, I Love You Beth Cooper, All About Steve, Hurt Locker, New York, I Love You, It’s Complicated, Road Trip: Beer Pong, Law Abiding Citizen, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Funny People and Couples Retreat.

In 2009, Apple products appeared in 44 percent of #1 releases and in 2008 the brand hit an all time high, appearing in 50 percent of number one films in the United States.

Other winners

Apple was the big winner at the BrandChannel product placement awards, but it wasn’t the only one. We’ve listed a few of the other big winners below.

ea-sports-game-gatorade
Image used with permission by copyright holder
  • Most product placement in a single film: Iron Man 2 (64 different brands)
  • Worst product placement in a single film: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
  • Best product placement by an Oscar nominated film: The Fighter (Budweiser)
  • Best product placement in a foreign film: Color Me Love (had Apple computers, among other things)
  • Best product placement in a supporting role: the Toyota Prius in The Other Guys
  • Best product placement impact: EA Sports video games and Gatorade
  • Lifetime achievement award for product placement: the Glock
  • Best unwanted product placement: Pfizer in Love and Other Drugs
  • Best reverse product placement: Twilight: Eclipse‘s Bella engagement ring (a fake product that has become real)

For more winners and explanations about the categories, head to BrandChannel’s awards page.

Editors' Recommendations

Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
All of the product videos that Apple shared today
Apple Mac Studio and Studio Display.

Apple made a slew of product announcements at its Peek Performance event on Tuesday, March 8.

Below we’ve brought together all of Apple’s videos promoting its new releases, along with a video of the event itself, which ran for almost an hour.

Read more
Apple spring event: Everything that didn’t get announced
The 2019 Apple Mac Pro set against a dark red background.

At Apple's Peek Performance event, we saw a lot of new products. There was the new iPad Air, a new green color for the iPhone 13, and an updated iPhone SE. In terms of Macs, Apple announced the Mac Studio and Studio Display, and took the world by surprise with the new M1 Ultra chip.

But there were still some products that we were looking out for that didn't actually make the big virtual stage. Here's a look at what Apple didn't announce.
Redesigned MacBook Air

Read more
Apple confirms March 8 event, hints at M2 announcement
The Apple logo on Apple's Peek Performance event on March 8, 2022.

Apple has begun sending out invitations to its next event, titled Peek Performance, which is due to take place at 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday, March 8. This show -- Apple’s first since its MacBook Pro event in October 2021 -- will be an all-virtual affair hosted online due to the pandemic.

There has been much speculation over what Apple will unveil at the event, with predictions ranging in terms of their scope and topic. The title of Peek Performance, however, hints at the possible announcement of Apple's anticipated M2 chip.

Read more