Whether it's merlot sales plummeting after the film Sideways, speeding tickets increasing after the release of a Fast & Furious movie, or even enlistment rates soaring after Top Gun, movies have been influencing people's behavior for decades. The consumer market is full of examples of products or activities that saw massive popularity spikes after they appeared in a film - or, in merlot's case, a popularity drop. Sometimes, movies deliberately try to build buzz for a certain product via product placement.
But often, trends that come from movies happen organically. There's just something about cinema that makes the audience say, "I want some of that."
In Steven Spielberg's seminal 1982 sci-fi drama E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the young Elliott (Henry Thomas) famously invites the lost alien into his home by feeding him Reese's Pieces, the peanut butter-flavored candies from Hershey's.
Sales for the candy rose 65% in the month after the film's release. Best of all for Hershey's, the opportunity for product placement came about after its rival, Mars, refused to allow M&Ms to appear in the film.
Interesting impact?- 1Henry Thomas11 Votes
- 2Peter Coyote15 Votes
- 3Drew Barrymore11 Votes
Pixar added several new toys to the cast of Toy Story 2, and one of the quieter but still beloved new additions was the Etch A Sketch. First available in 1960, Etch A Sketch hit its peak in the '70s and '80s before competition from video games pushed its parent company, the Ohio Art Company, close to bankruptcy.
After Toy Story 2 premiered in 1999, sales for the Etch A Sketch rose 20% and helped the Ohio Art Company return to profitability. The Etch A Sketch was sold to Spin Master in 2016, and now allows users to draw circles.
Interesting impact?- 1Buzz Lightyear905 Votes
- 2Sheriff Woody960 Votes
- 3Slinky Dog783 Votes
In 1986, following the smash-hit summer release of Top Gun, naval recruiters around America reported an increase in inquiries from prospective sailors. In a report by the Los Angeles Times, recruiters pointed to Top Gun as a deciding factor for many. The US Navy didn't officially endorse the film - regulations prohibit the American armed forces from doing so - but Top Gun easily worked as well as an actual recruiting video would have. One recruiter estimated that 90% of the new applicants she'd spoken to had seen the film - a figure that's likely not fully coincidental.
Whether it was sunglasses or a multi-year stint in the armed forces, the people of the 1980s wanted a part of anything Tom Cruise was doing.
Interesting impact?Movies often start fashion trends, but the ripped-shoulder sweater look in Flashdance is one of the rare fashion trends that didn't actually require buying a new garment. Star Jennifer Beals claimed she invented the look "accidentally" when she shrunk a sweater in the dryer and cut a new, enlarged hole for her neck.
When she wore it to her Flashdance audition, producers apparently liked it enough to put it in the movie. It immediately launched a trend, and everyone from Madonna to Cyndi Lauper adopted it.
Interesting impact?In 1971's Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood's gun-happy police officer Harry Callahan delivers his famous monologue encouraging an unarmed suspect to reach for a nearby gun - bluffing the poor crook into surrendering. He repeats this at the end of the film when he finally catches the killer he's been hunting - but this time the guy goes for his piece, and Harry guns him down. During the initial monologue, Harry name-checks his way-too-big sidearm, the .44 Magnum, which he calls "the most powerful in the world."
This wasn't a deliberate act of product placement, but it worked about as well as a genuine one would have. The actual gun, a Smith & Wesson Model 29, was the most powerful revolver in the world from 1955 until the 1980s, according to American Hunter, but Dirty Harry made it much more popular than it already was.
Interesting impact?The 2005 movie V for Vendetta is set in a near-future where tyrannical governments run most of the world's superpowers, following Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) as she gets roped into a worldwide rebellion. The rebellion is being led by the mysterious "V," who never shows his own face, always appearing underneath a mask of Guy Fawkes, the 1605 revolutionary who was arrested and executed for trying to burn down the British parliament.
Before V for Vendetta, Guy Fawkes masks were typically worn only in Britain and only on Halloween and on Guy Fawkes Day (November 5). But the popularity of the film, as well as Alan Moore's 1980s graphic novel on which it was based, made it a worldwide phenomenon. Since 2005, real-world protesters like Occupy Wall Street and Anonymous have adopted the mask for their own movements.
Interesting impact?
