5 Recruitment Marketing Lessons from Hawaii Five O Product Placement

Hawaii Five O deserves an award for some of the most narrative-integrated, yet hit-you-over-the-head obvious, product placement advertising on TV this side of infomercials. Here are five things I’ve learned that can be applied to recruitment marketing since the series began:

1. Make your core brand identity clear and highlight it often.

Five O is an action-driven police procedural, and the  regular car chases, as well as the show’s trademark McGarrett/Danno car-guements provide ample opportunity to highlight the show’s sponsorship dollars from GM. Everyone (good guys at least) drives a Chevy. It doesn’t matter how brutal the car chase or how rugged and dirty the terrain, the show’s ubiquitous 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2LT Coupe (and co-starring Traverse and Cruze) are spotless, waxed and buffed and ready for their close-up. It’s like an extended weekly version of the BMW ‘driver’ mini-films that brought Clive Owen his first real exposure in the US. Only with Chevys. And without the A-list movie stars and directors. Otherwise – just like it.

Can you spot the real star of this scene?

The Chevy ‘bowtie’ emblem probably gets as much screen time as the lead actors on the show – similarly you should make sure your brand identity is in front of your prospect audience frequently so that your name is synonymous with career opportunities – just like Chevy Camaro is synonymous with Five O-style pulse pounding, adrenaline rush action.

2. Show employees engaging with each other to show your culture.

A few episodes into season one some Five O members revealed that they are a tech-savvy group and firmly in the Microsoft camp. In episode 8, Daniel Dae Kim tells co-star Grace Park to look up a piece of art on her smartphone – a totally believable ‘real life’ activity – unfortunately ruined by some off-tone, branding. Dae Kim doesn’t just tell Park to look something up, he tells her: “You don’t believe me? Bing it!”

Microsoft must have been hoping that they could somehow use pop culture to raise ‘Bing’ to the status of ‘Google’ as a synonym for looking something up on the internet. Google didn’t try to make that happen – it just happened and you can’t force it. That Grace Park then uses a Windows 7 phone to ‘Bing It’ didn’t help – it was like salt in the wound.

Prospects want to know what they can expect as an employee – an environment where everyone take mobile technology for granted (like the Five O crew), or are you a suit and tie environment or t-shirt and flip-flops? Does your culture run on after-hours, Starbucks fueled, team collaborations or relaxed morning meetings? How do your employees interact? Most of all, are you authentic or do you come across as stilted and awkward as asking someone to ‘Bing it’?

3. Teach your prospects something new / give them something of value.

As the last example shows, the bad ass, tech oriented, name-dropping members of the Five O prefer Microsoft technology (and web platforms). But the Microsoft product placement didn’t end with attempts to create a new catch phrase – they want to introduce you to technology and teach you how to use it. First, the introduction: The Windows 7 phone was everywhere in the show. Cast members were regularly using their Windows phones with incredibly distinct close-ups showing the smart phone in use – like a video training manual. You couldn’t escape the Windows phone during commercial breaks, either. Just in case you didn’t notice it in the show, a Windows phone ad was placed in just about every commercial block.

The ultimate Windows product placement moment however came from another Daniel Dae Kim/Grace Park moment (it appears that auto product placement is primarily handled by  Alex O’Loughlin (McGarrett) and Scott Caan (Danno) while tech product placements go to Dae Kim and Park).Once you begin to get the idea that Microsoft has a smartphone for sale, the Five O techies kick it up a notch: Daniel Dae Kim actually takes time from a crime investigation to teach Grace Park how to check her email on her Windows phone. You get step by step instructions along with close-ups on the phone’s screen showing you just how quick and easy it is to check your email on the Windows 7 phone. I get it – skillful product placement involves integrating the product into the show. Thanks Five O crime-fighters, I’m headed to the store right now that my fear of complicated technology has been resolved! (If anyone knows where I can find this video clip so I can add it to this post, please let me know)

Just Sit Back and Watch As Hollywood Stars Teach You How to Use Your Smartphone!

While it’s easy to make fun of the ham-handed email lesson, the Hawaii Five O marketers are onto something: you want to educate your audience. Microsoft wanted to demonstrate easy-to-use technology. You might want to use case studies, white papers, blog posts or short videos to show your accomplishments or highlight tools or resources that they would find useful.

4. Show your work environment.

Hawaii Five O’s product placement even goes beyond traditional ‘products’ – the producers recognize that location is a huge part of the shows’ appeal. Their local-friendly filming schedule clearly incorporates real local destinations and businesses as part of their tropical travel guide vibe – including an appearance by chef Masaharu Morimoto and his destination restaurant in Waikiki. The inclusion of real-life locations and personalities does more than localize the product placement vibe on Hawaii Five O – it roots the show in the real world. As this video clip shows, there is even be the opportunity to show another side of Morimoto Waikiki: we get to see the restaurant’s location, the kitchen and dining room, prep cooks and chefs at work, the fresh seafood, and even Chef Morimoto performing karaoke. All we need for a full-fledged recruitment video is pull one or two waiters aside and ask them about their benefits and what they like most about working for Morimoto Waikiki.

Chef Morimoto and the kitchen crew dealing with a tricky workman's comp situation.

5. Don’t go overboard.

Recently the show featured a product placement scene so over the top that The New York Times described the sequence as “jarring, disruptive and insulting.”  The action stops completely for this 50-second long in-show commercial, in which the show’s overweight shrimp food truck owner (played by amateur  sumo wrestler Taylor Wily) waxes poetic about losing weight by eating Subway sandwiches amid an array of prominent logos: “The best thing about it,  they make it anyway you want it…It’s some serious culinary fusion.” This doesn’t even qualify as humorous – it’s just cringe-inducing dialogue designed to promote Subway. Even the actors look embarrassed to be taking part in the scene. The take-away: promote your brand authentically and don’t force the message where it doesn’t belong.

 (All images and video are (C) CBS Broadcasting Inc. All RightsReserved. and used for editorial purposes only)