How many times do you see an actor drink a Pepsi in a movie? And drive a Ford? The web Merchant Machine told How often do these types of collaborations appear in 2,227 films and 890 series?And the conclusion was brutal: there is a brand that stands out with an abysmal difference compared to the others.
8137 times: Apple is the brand that appears the most times in the TV and film industry. But under which products? Here is the key to the matter. In movies alone, iPhones, iPads, Airpods and other products of the brand appeared 1,884 times, twice as many as Nike sneakers, for example. A difference that speaks to the historical value of the company in today’s world. It could be said that Apple dominates like no other that of engagement, the emotional connection between product and user.
Apple sweeps fiction
While it is true that there are series where its presence is almost monopolistic – we refer to ‘Ted Lasso’, through 74 episodes, the Apple TV + series has shown up to 300 iPhones, 120 MacBooks and 40 AirPods – there are films where its presence is residual but relevant in the narrative arc of some character. For example, in ‘Knives in the back’the 2019 American mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson.
The following diagram shows a breakdown of the products most frequently shown in fiction productions. As you can see, MacBooks and iPhones take the lead (although iPads are not far behind):
While Coca-Cola has been considered an omnipresent brand for decades, with actors enjoying the drink in iconic music videos and being a reference in fiction and “film culture both on and off screen,” The reality is that Apple products appear 83.6% more frequently. Nowadays, it’s easier to see the hero calling or sending a Message to another character than cooling off with an ice-cold beer.
The Cupertino company’s agreements also give it an advantage over other historic brands that shine in film and series, such as Adidas sweatshirts (137 times), Nike sneakers (507 times), Ray-Ben sunglasses (241) or bags of Doritos snacks (112 times). And the most unusual thing of all: these Apple products will almost always be in the hands of the protagonists. Of course, it is worth remembering that if it is a villain, he will not be carrying an iPhone, but a mobile phone from another brand. This is specified in the contracts.
An older version of this article was originally published on 18/07/2023.