10 Times Product Placement Spectacularly Backfired

Product placement is supposed to be a subtle marketing genius: sneak your brand into a blockbuster or a hit show and watch customers flock to buy it. But sometimes, it all goes horribly wrong. Whether tone-deafness, overexposure, or sheer bad luck, these brands learned that just being on screen doesn’t guarantee a win.

These are 10 times product placement didn’t just flop—it actively hurt the brand they were trying to promote.

Related: 10 B.S. Myths We Believe Because Of Advertising

10 Reese’s Pieces: E.T. Almost Went to M&Ms

You might know that E.T. famously boosted Reese’s Pieces sales by over 65% after the candy helped lure the alien out of hiding. What you might not know: Hershey was Spielberg’s second choice. Mars Inc., the makers of M&Ms, was offered the placement first—and turned it down, reportedly fearing the alien creature might scare kids and hurt the brand. Executives at Mars also thought associating M&Ms with a “weird-looking creature” would damage the candy’s clean, wholesome image.

Instead, their refusal handed Hershey one of the greatest accidental marketing wins in movie history. Hershey agreed not only to supply the candy but also to spend $1 million promoting the film. The gamble paid off spectacularly, making Reese’s Pieces a household name almost overnight. Meanwhile, Mars executives spent years quietly regretting the missed opportunity as Reese’s outpaced M&Ms in sales for the first time ever immediately after the movie’s release.^[1]

9 Heineken: James Bond Ditches the Martini

When Skyfall (2012) came out, James Bond’s drink choice shocked fans: 007 was drinking a Heineken instead of his iconic shaken-not-stirred martini. It wasn’t artistic flair—it was a $45 million sponsorship deal, necessary to help fund the movie’s $200 million budget. Hardcore Bond enthusiasts erupted online, calling it a betrayal of the character’s sophistication and tradition. Purists saw it as another example of Bond becoming too corporate and product-driven rather than staying true to his roots.

Even Daniel Craig defended it awkwardly in interviews, saying bluntly that without the deal, “We wouldn’t have been able to afford to make the movie.” Although the placement got Heineken massive global exposure, it alienated many of the franchise’s longtime fans. It sparked memes, jokes, and think-pieces about “Brand 007.” For a franchise built on stylish coolness, the very visible deal felt forced—and diluted Bond’s timeless mystique.^[2]

8 Pepsi: Kendall Jenner Protest Ad

In 2017, Pepsi tried to tap into the social justice conversation with an ad featuring Kendall Jenner ending a protest standoff by handing a police officer a can of Pepsi. Instead of applause, the backlash was immediate and brutal: critics accused Pepsi of trivializing real struggles like Black Lives Matter, watering down serious civil rights battles into a cheap marketing ploy. Social media users dragged the ad within minutes, posting side-by-side comparisons with actual protest footage.

The ad was pulled within 24 hours, and Pepsi formally apologized to viewers and Jenner herself, who also came under heavy criticism. Worse, it became a viral symbol of how tone-deaf corporate messaging could be when brands tried to hijack serious issues for marketing clout. Pepsi later admitted that it had failed to consult real activists or organizations while making the ad. What was meant to feel “empowering” instead exposed how disconnected corporate advertising can be from the communities they claim to represent.^[3]

7 Chrysler: The Italian Job (2003)

In the 2003 remake of The Italian Job, Mini Coopers were famously used for the heist scenes, but it almost wasn’t them. Chrysler had initially negotiated to have their cars placed throughout the movie. The studio even filmed scenes using the Chrysler Neon and PT Cruiser models, hoping to cash in on a big sponsorship. Chrysler planned an entire promotional campaign around the film, banking on its high-profile release to showcase their vehicles to younger audiences.

Then, at the last minute, BMW (which had just relaunched the Mini brand) swooped in with a better offer, providing cars and additional promotional support. The filmmakers quickly realized that the smaller, zippier Minis were visually much more exciting for chase scenes than clunky Chryslers. Chrysler’s footage was scrapped, their marketing materials had to be revised, and they were completely absent from a movie that helped catapult Mini Cooper sales by over 20%. Chrysler wasted millions on a product placement deal that left them looking like they lost the race before it started.^[4]

6 Starbucks: Game of Thrones Coffee Cup Fail

In 2019, during the final season of Game of Thrones, eagle-eyed fans spotted a modern-day coffee cup sitting on a table during a scene. The internet immediately exploded with jokes about “Daenerys ordering a pumpkin spice latte.” Although it wasn’t an intentional placement, Starbucks got $2.3 billion worth of free advertising, according to marketing analytics firms. Some fans created fake promotional ads suggesting Starbucks had “won” Westeros.

The downside? HBO looked sloppy, the show’s reputation for immersive world-building was tarnished, and Starbucks (even though it wasn’t their cup) became the accidental face of the show’s rushed production errors. HBO later clarified that the cup actually came from a local craft services vendor, not Starbucks. Still, the damage was done. Instead of viewers being immersed in medieval fantasy, the final season became synonymous with bloopers, disappointment, and careless editing—and the coffee cup became the symbol of how far the show had fallen from its early meticulousness.^[5]

5 Subway: Community’s Awkward Human Mascot

In a 2012 episode of NBC’s Community, Subway paid for in-show product placement—but instead of a quick cameo, the show created a character literally named “Subway.” This wasn’t just a mascot. It was a living, breathing person who had legally changed his name to Subway in order to meet Greendale’s corporate sponsorship requirements. The character even had a love story subplot, treated half-sincerely and half-mockingly, making Subway seem ridiculous rather than cool.

While Community fans loved the sharp satire, Subway’s corporate offices reportedly weren’t thrilled once they realized the brand was being lampooned rather than glamorized. They had envisioned a hip integration into a cult-favorite sitcom. Still, instead, they became a case study of how corporate sponsorship could feel cringeworthy and desperate. Some reports suggested Subway executives tried to exert creative control after the episode aired, but by then, the damage was done. Subway’s brand was forever linked to a bizarre, slightly unsettling human character.^[6]

4 Pizza Hut: Wayne’s World’s Over-the-Top Satire

Wayne’s World (1992) is remembered for its gleeful mockery of product placement—characters mugging directly to the camera while endorsing Pizza Hut, Pepsi, Doritos, Reebok, and Nuprin in exaggerated, robotic tones. What sounded like a harmless parody actually stung some of the companies involved. Pizza Hut, in particular, expected a cool cameo that aligned with youth culture, not to be painted as the ultimate symbol of soulless consumerism.

Executives reportedly pressured for edits during post-production but failed to block the scenes. The massive success of Wayne’s World only made it worse: the jokes hit so hard that they created a cultural backlash against overt product placement for years afterward. Instead of subtle buzz, Pizza Hut got blasted as laughably corporate. Ironically, the movie became a landmark precisely because it mocked what Pizza Hut thought it was buying into, making the brand look like it was played for a fool.^[7]

3 Nike: The Wizard (1989)

The Wizard was little more than an extended advertisement for Nintendo products under the guise of a family road trip movie, culminating in the reveal of Super Mario Bros. 3. Nike also signed on for significant product placement, supplying sneakers worn by key characters, hoping to capitalize on the movie’s anticipated popularity among kids and teens. Instead, the film bombed critically, and the forced brand tie-ins were part of the backlash.

Critics skewered the movie as a shameless corporate cash grab, and Nike’s branding became collateral damage. Rather than looking trendy or athletic, Nike came across as pandering and overcommercialized to audiences and reviewers. Nintendo survived the bad press thanks to the strength of its gaming empire, but Nike’s involvement became an example within the marketing world of why you don’t bet your brand image on a project you don’t control.^[8]

2 Sony Products: I, Robot (2004)

I, Robot was packed with blatant Sony product placement, from Will Smith’s prized 2004 Converse sneakers to his Sony Ericsson phone and futuristic Audi cars. These placements were not subtle Easter eggs but lingered so long on screen that viewers and critics alike found them distracting. Instead of enhancing the sleek future vibe, they anchored the movie’s world in early-2000s branding, ironically making it feel more dated, not less.

Sony intended to associate its products with the future, promoting a vision of stylish technology dominating everyday life. Instead, it made audiences feel like they were watching a commercial within a movie, breaking immersion at critical story moments. Rather than bolstering Sony’s image as cutting-edge, the placement was widely mocked online and in reviews, reinforcing the perception that corporate sponsorships can undermine storytelling if handled without subtlety.^[9]

1 Coke: American Idol’s Aggressive Cups

In the early seasons of American Idol, Coca-Cola paid over $30 million for product placement—and boy, did they get their money’s worth. Giant red Coke cups were glued to the judges’ desks. They appeared in practically every shot, to the point where the branding was impossible to ignore. Viewers joked that the real judges were Simon, Paula, Randy, and Coke. The cups even appeared in behind-the-scenes footage, rehearsal clips, and promotional materials.

The aggressive saturation made Coke synonymous with the show’s early success, but it also became a symbol of marketing overload. Late-night comedians mocked the constant red-cup presence, and even loyal viewers started complaining that it felt like they were being beaten over the head with corporate sponsorship. Coke’s visibility was undeniable—but in trying to be omnipresent, they crossed into parody territory, turning what should have been positive exposure into an ongoing internet joke.^[10]