FREE GUY Top 10 Product Placement Bra
Concave Brand Tracking analyses all the product placement brands in the new Ryan Reynolds blockbuster, FREE GUY. 
FREE GUY is the latest Ryan Reynolds blockbuster which tells the story of a video game character who becomes cognizant. It features many brands ranging from the cars in the game to the many computers and accessories used by players and developers alike. Concave Brand Tracking combed through FREE GUY recording every single brand that appeared, how long for, and how visibly. 
Using this data and our in-house valuation model, we were able to determine that during its theatrical release alone, FREE GUY generated almost 50 million dollars in product placement value for over 110 different brands. It is also one of the most brand-filled movies of 2021 so far, with more brand exposure than F9, BLACK WIDOW, and ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE but less than SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY. 
Although over 110 brands did feature in FREE GUY, some got far more value than others. Indeed, the top 10 brands got 44% of all the brand value the film provided. So, let’s take a closer look at them: 

#10 Chevrolet – $1M in Product Placement Value 

While 41 different car brands appeared in FREE GUY, Chevrolet was the most visible. 10 different models appeared according to IMCDB. The most prominent was the 2017 Camaro driven by Ryan Reynolds right before the movie’s final showdown. A couple of Corvette Stingrays were also shown as cool sports cars. 
Chevrolet is consistently one of the most visible car brands in movies. It was the second car brand and fourth brand overall in 2020. Some of its most visible placements of all time have included TRANSFORMERS (2007), 21 JUMP STREET (2012), DEADPOOL (2016), and SHAFT (2019). 

#9 LG – $1.4M in Product Placement Value 

Unsurprisingly for a movie about video games, FREE GUY is FILLED with computer-related brands. Monitors, laptops, and headphones alone make up over ¼ of the film’s product placement value. As such, the first electronics brand on this list is LG. 
 
LG appears almost entirely in the form of monitors for a total of three and half minutes of screen time. They are used both in the Soonami offices and at home by the main characters 
LG is a frequent brand to appear in films. It was the 40th most visible brand in 2020 when it appeared in THE GENTLEMEN (2020), PROJECT POWER (2020), and #42 in 2019 when it featured in PARASITE. 
LG has also appeared in TV shows like , SPACE FORCE, WANDAVISION and THE BOYS

#8 Casio – $1.6M in Product Placement Value 

Throughout the whole movie, Ryan Reynolds wears a Casio watch. The brand gets almost eight minutes of screen time from this appearance in FREE GUY. Watch-ID have identified the watch as an F-91W, to be specific. 
Casio is one of the most prolific watch brands in entertainment. It was the 13th most visible brand in 2020, the 71st in 2019, the 34th in 2018, and the 47th in 2017. In 2020 alone, Casio had highly valuable placements in EXTRACTION, WONDER WOMAN 1984, and PROJECT POWER. 

#7 HyperX – $1.6M in Product Placement Value 

Our second electronics brand on this list is HyperX. The headphones brand – purchased by HP this year – got over two minutes of high-quality exposure in FREE GUY. The HyperX headphones were worn by Jodie Comer, who played Millie and various other gamers in the film. This placement highly associated HyperX with video games and online gaming. 
HyperX is not a common brand in entertainment but has had sporadic appearances in 2021. Dominic James carries a pair of HyperX headphones at the end of SPACE JAM 2, and a HyperX box appears in episode 2 of LOKI. 

#6 Dell – $2M in Product Placement Value 

Dell monitors are used throughout FREE GUY, mainly in the Soonami offices. They rack up over two minutes of screen time, including many close-ups. This portrayal associated Dell with professional use, technology, coding, and game evolvement. 
Dell is consistently one of the most visible brands in movies. It was #3 on Concave’s list in 2020 with appearances in SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL, THE WRONG MISSY, UNDERWATER, THE MIDNIGHT SKY, and THE INVISIBLE MAN. 

#5 Razer – $2.1M in Product Placement Value 

Razer appears mostly as the laptop brand used by Joe Keery in the role of Keys. It could also be seen in the form of headphones worn by gamers. This resulted in over three minutes of screen time for the brand. 
Razer made Concave’s top 100 brands in film list back in 2017, thanks to an appearance in THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2018). Since then, it has also appeared in SILICON VALLEY, MR ROBOT, BALLERS and SHAZAM (2019). 

#4 YouTube – $2.4M in Product Placement Value 

It is common to see news shows in a movie to reflect what is being reported in the media. And while IGN and Good Morning America are used to this end in FREE GUY, the most significant outlet used to show the popular opinion of the goings-on in the film is YouTube. The video website gets over a minute of close-up screen time with its logo visible, which is the highest level of exposure for a brand. 
 
YouTube is used chiefly to show gamers giving their opinions of what is going on in the Free City video game. 
YouTube was the 66th most visible brand in 2018 movies with appearances in I FEEL PRETTY, SLENDER MAN, and PEPPERMINT. Since then, it has also appeared in FIVE FEET APART (2019), THE WRONG MISSY (2020), and MY SPY (2020). 

#3 Oakley – $2.6M in Product Placement Value 

A crucial part of the plot of FREE GUY is Ryan Reynolds’ character stealing sunglasses. As such, he wears an array of eyewear. The most visible brand of which is Oakley. He wears a pair of modified Oakley Gascans for over three and half minutes of screen time, with the brand’s logo visible for much of it. 
Oakley has had several major appearances in blockbuster films, most notably worn by Tom Cruise in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II (2000) and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL (2011). Oakley has also gotten millions in value from appearing in the X-MEN original trilogy (2000-2006), END OF WATCH (2012), MARVEL’S AVENGERS (2012), LONE SURVIVOR (2013), TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (2014), BATMAN V SUPERMAN (2016), THE MEG (2018) and ROGUE (2020). 

#2 Ducati – $2.9M in Product Placement Value 

When entering Molotov Girl’s lair, the viewer will notice three things: how white it is, the guns, and her impressive collection of Ducati motorcycles. 
IMCDB lists no fewer than nine unique models. Between them, they get a total of almost eight minutes of screen time. But the star is the V4S Streetfighter which Ryan Reynolds’ character rides into a shootout. 
Although Ducati does not appear in major films every year, when it does, it goes big. One of its all-time greatest placements was in 2003 when Trinity rides a 1999 Ducati 996 in THE MATRIX RELOADED. Since then, the brand has also co-starred in WALL STREET 2 (2010), FAST FIVE (2011), MADAGASCAR 3 (2012), DEADPOOL (2016), and VENOM (2018). 

#1 Alienware – $4.1M in Product Placement Value 

Now, Alienware is a subsidiary of Dell Technologies, and we have grouped them together in previous articles. But given that Alienware was the most visible brand by itself, we figured we’d give it its glory as such. The gaming brand got over eight minutes of screen time from its laptops, monitors, keyboards, and computers. It was used by both developers and users, resulting in its portrayal as the go-to brand for everyone involved in video games. 
Alienware is having a great 2021, having already appeared prominently in SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY. It was also one of the few brands to feature in LOKI. 
Previously it has also had notable TV appearances in THE BIG BANG THEORY, BALLERS, and THE SOCIETY. 
If you would like to know more about our methodology, data or services, please contact us at info@concavebt.com. 
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