Can you detect product placement in movies?

Sure, it’s usually pretty obvious. Who drinks a bottle of Coke and keeps the label pointed straight ahead at all times?

I don’t mind product placement though, it’s kind of funny. Like, ‘Hmm, I guess Rice A Roni funded this movie! I love Rice A Roni and now I want some.’

Sometimes it's really subtle, like in Back to the Future.

In "Cast Away" mit Fedex was not really subtle.....

I don't mind it if it is filmed a certain way like we all use a certain type of product in our life so no coincidence a character will be using it yet the way how the cinematographer makes sure to focus fully on the label even if it is for a second takes me right out of the film or show. It's like being with a friend and all of a sudden turning your phone or laptop and putting it up to their face and shouting out the brand.

Always and I hate that every movie uses Apple products.

It's never subtle but sometimes they are more obvious then other times. Sometimes it just works well with the film like if it's about guitar players and they all use Gibson guitars or one has a Gibson poster in their room. I've noticed that a few times.

Other times it's because they are really blatant and ensure the actor is holding the bottle in a way that the label is also facing the camera even though the brand isn't relevant to anything in the film and sometimes the brand's image doesn't even suit the characters in the film.

Then you have funny stuff like Ed Norton in The Hulk seeing a virus alert from Norton Anti Virus on the screen and he breaks the fourth wall by looking at the camera, because, you know, Norton...

Or Josie and the Pussycats (2001) where they don't even pretend and just have huge brand name logos throughout the film.

In "X-Men: X2," there was a scene where Wolverine was talking to Bobby (Iceman) in the kitchen at the school, and he gets out a glass Coca-Cola bottle from a pantry and asks Bobby if he can use his powers to cool the bottle off, and Bobby's nice enough to put a little frost on the bottle.

Usually specific products are used in films for two reasons:

1.) The company was willing to provide funding for the movie and is more than happy to provide items as props to be used in the film.

2.) The studio approached the company because the script demanded a specific product be used in the film, and they had enough money to get permission and rights to use said product in the film. It can get expensive, and some studios are limited on how many and what types of products they can use in their film, based on whatever it is they wanted to show.

It's one reason a lot of movies and tv shows feature generic brands and made-up product companies, because it's cheaper, they don't have to pay royalties, and nobody will sue them.