ROBOCOP (2014) Brand integration review

The futuristic, technology based, action driven Robocop reboot features no heavy Brand integration but merely a few Brands hidden within the storyline. 

 

The Movie takes place in Detroit and the main character shares a love of hockey with his son. The Detroit Red Wings are mentioned and their logo is seen on more than one occasion around the house. 

As well as the Red Wings being chosen over the Pistons (basketball) and Lions (football) as the sports team to represent Detroit, the importance of the team in the father-son bond associates the hockey teams’ Brand with family values and parental love. 

 

This is epitomised when the Robocop character returns home for the first time after his transformative surgery and, upon asking his son how the Red Wings are doing, his son tells him that he has recorded all the games but not watched them as he was waiting for his father’s return. 

 

 

In the beginning of the film Scientific American and The Atlantic are used to introduce two important character. The former is used to introduce the evil CEO of the arms manufacturing company OmniCorp hence associating it with science but also arms manufacturing and business. The Atlantic is used to introduce a politician opposed to allowing robots to patrol American streets. This use associates the magazine with political and current affairs. 

Both are portrayed as current event news sources and reputable publications. 

 

In the end of the movie, The Washington Post is shown as the source for news on some of the events of the movies hence associating it with current events, news and reliability. 

 

 

The only Brand presence in this film which hints at product placement is the use of the Bing search engine. Upon returning to crime fighting, Robocop uses Microsoft’s search tool to research news stories relating to crime. He uses it on a futuristic, police computer. This appearance associates Bing with technology, the future and both news research and police investigation. 

 

 

While a couple of other brands are seen in passing, no car Brands are clearly shown and many made for movies vehicles are seen in the background. There was clearly an artistic decision that was made to convey the future through imaginary cars with no collaboartion sith car manufatures. This differs from such films as I, Robot where movie producser worked closely with Audi to create futuristic cars both for the main charatcer to use but also for the background. 

Furthermore, the movie centers largely around the main character being critically injured in car explosion which could explain why no car manufacturer would have wanted to collaborate with this movie. 

 

 

An omni present part of the film is Samuel L Jackson’s charatcer, an eccentric television host always keen to comment on the political/business themes of the film whilst clearly having a bias. 

Between Pat Novak subjectivity – show through cutting short unfavourable segments, cooperating with the OmniCorp company or indoctrinating his viewers – as well as the patriotic theme of his shows a clear parallel is drawn with Bill O’Reilly and his Factor as well as Fox News as a whole. The implied depiction of Roger Ailes television channel through one of tis stars associates it with political bias, corporate ties, propaganda, dishonesty and a pro-drone/militarism agenda.