In the movie "Silver Linings Playbook," there is a multitude of different characteristics of the movie’s audience. The movie, which premiered in 2012, is based off of a book called, “The Silver Linings Playbook” written by Matthew Quick and published in 2008. The film is a fusion between a romantic comedy and drama starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert Di Nero, and Chris Tucker among others. During the movie, a large amount of product placement is prevalent. There are subtle products such as, Hellman’s mayonnaise, The Gap, and Raisin Bran. But there are also products that cannot be missed like Apple, the Philadelphia Eagles football team, and Victoria’s Secret. There are some products that fit well with the overall theme of the film, while others would be considered more risky and one or two products that simply get in the way of the overall plot of the movie.
One of the main characters, Pat (Bradley Cooper), winds up in a mental institution after having an angry and violent outburst when he discovers his wife cheating on him. Once Pat gets out of the hospital, he goes to live with his mom and dad (Robert Di Nero). Pat’s main goal is to reunite with his wife and patch things up and this seems likely when he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). However, things get complicated when she offers to get a letter to his wife in exchange for a favor. The movie has the feel of a romantic comedy with a dramatic twist. However, if I were basing this summary on the movie trailer alone, the movie looks more like a romance because the trailer only focuses on the relationship between the two main characters. Since the trailer makes the movie seem more like a romance than anything, this might deter the male viewers who might have been interested in viewing the film.
At the beginning of the movie, Pat, Bradley Cooper’s character, is at a hospital and one of the first scenes shows him exercising. There in the background is a Hellman’s mayonnaise jar, filled with water. Throughout the film, the conspicuous jar turns up in the background during several scenes, most of which shows the protagonist working out. While the placement of product is very subtle, it leaves the viewer wondering what the jar means and why it is clearly a jar of Hellman’s. Could no other type of jar or different brand work? Why Hellman’s? Since the jar is filled with water and appears mainly in exercising scenes, it is widely assumed that the jar is simply for hydrating purposes and the brand is of little significance. However, there can be speculation about whether the jar means something more. The jar of Hellman’s is seen mainly at the start of the movie and as the film progresses it turns up less and less until it disappears completely by the end. It is for this reason that the jar might represent his wife and his marriage since at the beginning of the movie he still wants her back but at the end, he is, for the most part, over her.
Furthermore, the most popular item discussed during the movie is the Philadelphia Eagles and other NFL teams. In nearly every scene there is mention of the football team or football in general. As well as mentioned in dialogue, the football team's logo is seen throughout the movie on team jerseys and the like. While it might be believed that the movie is aimed at a female audience, the placement of NFL products indicates the opposite. However, it is somewhat difficult to believe that the targeted audience is male because the movie trailer does not mention anything about football and such. The only way a man would know that there are football references in the movie, is if he were to go see it himself.
There are other subtle products that are brought up in conversation during the film such as the clothing stores Victoria’s Secret and The Gap. The Gap is brought up when Pat is attending a nice dinner and says that his mom bought him an outfit from The Gap. This implies that the audience should shop at this establishment for semi-formal clothing options. Victoria’s Secret is mentioned by Jennifer Lawrence’s character, Tiffany. She is telling a story about how her husband tried to spice up their sex life so he went to Victoria’s Secret and picked out some lingerie. The mention of Victoria’s Secret in this way makes the viewer believe that this store is the best place out of all the others to buy lingerie or any type of under garments. The mention of Victoria’s Secret for lingerie is placed solely for the benefit of women or men who are shopping for their spouses or girlfriends, which again gives the impression that this movie is aimed toward female viewers.
Raisin Bran is also mentioned and used in one scene. While out at a diner, the two main characters shared a bowl of Raisin Bran. Not only is it specifically mentioned while ordered, it is also brought with the logo clearly being that of Raisin Bran. Again, this leaves the readers asking, "Why use Raisin Bran instead of some other type of cereal?" The answer seems as simple as the health benefits since Pat is trying to lose weight and get into shape.
Another important product that is used in the film is Apple products, specifically the IPod and MacBook. There is a scene that shows a group of people presenting a new house plug in that can play music throughout the house and the woman asks for an IPod to plug in and show everyone how it works. When Pat says he doesn’t have one, she says, “What do you mean? Everyone has an IPod.” After this, someone offers Pat their old IPod. By saying this, it gives the impression that everyone has iPods and if they don’t, they should get one. Also, in one scene, Tiffany is shown playing music on her Apple MacBook.
In the movie Silver Linings Playbook, there are several products that fit the targeted audience perfectly. However, some products remain ambiguous and do not fit as well. Because the movie preview focuses more the romantic side of the film, I can assume the targeted audience is female. The products used are subtle products such as, Hellman’s mayonnaise, The Gap, and Raisin Bran but there are also products that cannot be missed like Apple, the Philadelphia Eagles, and Victoria’s Secret. The placement of Apple products fits the age group of the audience and is placed well in the film. The same goes for Victoria’s Secret which targets the female audience. Nevertheless, the use of the products Hellman’s, Raisin Bran, and the Philadelphia Eagles does not match the target audience of females.
