Product placement is when a company uses subtlety to promote their product through non traditional advertising. This is usually achieved by paying for their product to be featured in television shows or other forms of media. With the decreasing interest in standard advertisements and the increase in users ability to skip them, product placement and insertion have been becoming more popular. Technically speaking, we are exposed to thousands of advertising messages every single day.

To show just how effective it can be, after featuring in the film E.T, the sale of Reese's Pieces increased by 65%. If we identify with a particular character, we can implicitly prefer a product even if externally we prefer something else as we feel it is a way to interact with that character's life.

Product placement is a very powerful form of advertising because we follow and watch our idols religiously, and if a company can identify a particular fan base as their target market, for them to see somebody they look up to with a particular brand associated with them makes that entire audience want your product. They are emotionally invested in the character or actor, and as a result, product placement is often a lot more effective than traditional advertising. Around 75% of all network shows feature product placement of some sort, accumulating to 71.4% of all paid placements in the media.

Products even have an influence off the screen. If you provide a cell phone for an actor, while it may only appear on the screen for a short moment, they could be seen using it off the set, or in their trailer, and this also influences potential consumers but in a much more subtle way that you may not be able to measure so accurately.

It's not just television and movies - companies also pay popular individuals or influencers on websites such as

Instagram

to wear their brand or to use their products. Companies either pay the individual to associate with the brand, or they will send them products for free so that they can wear them publicly and in their photos on social media platforms. Website advertising used to cover all of this till advertisers dreamed up the idea of programmatic ads which basically meant the publishers would end up getting lower and lower revenue and profits, forcing many out of business. Now many online advertisers are wondering where the online volume is but they effectively brought down their own industry. Who's left, well the big duopoly of Facebook and Google because they have a closed walled garden community which advertisers can reach. Sure there are still some big publishers left like The New York Times and The Guardian who've gone for subscription revenue models but digital publishing has been pounded badly since 2018.

To convince media firms and people to insert your product into theirs, there are a number of things you can do to help. Firstly, be flexible. If you can adapt your product to fit their needs in colour, shape and size, they're more likely to want to put it in their media. You have to be willing to provide your product instantly as media companies tend to work on tight deadlines, and if you are aiming for a television market, it pays to provide replacements as well. You have to be professional and polite with the people you are working with, and with a bit of luck and enthusiasm, they may well come back for more.

It's a long term investment with most companies seeing an effect between a month and a year after the product has been aired. While the profit to losses ratio is rather persuasive, you have to understand that the benefit is not instant.

As the world we live in constantly develops and changes, some industries are emerging as more essential to the current consumer market. Here are a few industries that seem to be on the rise.

Electronics - The demand for electronics is constantly increasing as more people rely on smart phones and computers to navigate through their lives. Entire corporations rely on functioning technology and so the market for creating and developing electronic hardware and software will always be big. There is a real shortage in people with the brains to develop software and there is a lot of money in making the next big advancement in technology.

Translation and interpretation - As business becomes more international and more people are travelling and living abroad, the need for translators and multi-lingual minds is on the rise. Over the next five years, there is a predicted 28% increase in jobs in the US in this particular field. The highest language in demand in the US is Spanish.

Internet publishing and broadcasting - almost everybody in the developed world relies on the internet in one way or another, and the need for content for business and entertainment will only increase as the number of people using the internet increases and the amount of time spent on the internet also rises.

Health - the health industry seems to growing in size across all sectors, including the nurses who take care of retired people, the offices associated with health services, home health care services, psychiatric care and support, even ambulance drivers, as well as the demand for doctors and nurses in hospitals.

Financial investment - there has been a positive trend in the amount of financial investment activity occurring. This means there are more jobs and opportunities in the stock market as well as associated businesses, for example, financial advisors.

Marketing consulting - it seems we need more experts in the field of marketing as businesses strive to make an image for themselves and to advertise effectively. This industry has a predicted 20% increase over the next five years.

Environment, conservation and wildlife - businesses have seen a trend in ethical investment over the last few years and the demand for ESG consideration has increased. As a result, there is also more demand for people who work with the environment and more jobs in conservation and protection. In the last decade there has also been an increasing trend in people studying subjects such as Environmental Economics and Environmental Sciences as the consumer market becomes more aware of some of the threats to the ecosystems we rely on to survive. There is a predicted 19% increase over the next five years in this industry.

A few industries are seeing a decline in growth, mostly the manufacturing of glass and metals and therefore metal ore mining also, pesticide, fertiliser and agricultural chemical manufacturing, US computer manufacturing as, despite growing demands, more companies move to Asia for cheaper labour and quicker technology advancements, the postal service and the manufacturing of communication in the US, as this can also be made for cheaper abroad.

It has been predicted that in the next 30 years, many roles in the work force will be replaceable by automated devices. As the world of technology is evolving, our dependency on human actions is decreasing.

Moley Robotics has invented a completely automated intelligent robot that has the ability to cook and prepare meals as well as clean up after itself. This particular device can be replicate precise recipes preloaded into its internal memory from everything between a fast food hamburger and a gourmet dish.

Robots have been used in surgery since 2000, albeit still operated by a human. The benefit here is that they are extra precise and accurate providing the human operating the machine is precise and accurate.

Soon, in Japan, the world's first automated farming system will launch. The robots will be able to grow, water, and farm the crops. The only thing they won't be able to do is to sew the seeds. In fact robots are replacing humans everywhere, from delivery drivers to pharmacists, from telemarketing to construction. The obvious benefit is saving money on paying staff wages, and although the initial setup is currently very expensive, this is likely to decrease over time, and soon many more companies will be able to afford the long time investment.

Also, with the aim of a larger profit, machines will be able to work quicker than humans; mass production is something that can be programmed. If a machine can also self replicate, then it becomes a catalyst to its own process.

Robots, unless programmed to do so, will not have feelings and social problems which could potentially slow down or effect their work in a negative way. They also don't need to be paid wages or have staff benefits, or even have lunch as they are purely machines. Robots are able to work in space, and underwater, and in very hot and very cold climates where humans cannot without very expensive equipment.

Machines are much more accurate and consistent. Once a machine is mass producing it should, in theory, produce exactly the same product over and over again, whereas a human has a higher chance of error and a lack of consistency. Machines can create anything on any scale; from buildings to microscopic devices. They will eventually only be confined by the laws of physics.

The major disadvantage is the lack of emotion when dealing with customers. People have developed the expectation to be greeted warmly when they enter a hotel by a receptionist, or to talk to somebody over the phone who understands on the same scale that they do. Also, as the popularity of robots increases, alongside the growing world population, unemployment is likely to become a larger issue when automated machinery takes over. Ironically, the demand jobs developing robots and automated devices is likely to increase as companies will look to automation as a way of saving money, and until a robot can think for itself, it will not be able to develop new ideas.

Machines are not learning devices, they are only capable to doing what they are programmed to do. This means that a machine will not improve over time unless somebody has programmed an improvement. Robots are also very expensive to set up, to maintain, and to repair. Setting up an automated production line has to be seen as an investment rather than an immediate saving.

It's a delicate situation. The person in charge of your pay checks and any potential promotions has invited you after work for a couple of casual pints, and of course you have to say yes because he's your boss, and you want to be appealing and liked by him as he is the person who will be able to push you higher up the corporate ladder, but you have to remember that it's never really casual and that it's a minefield of possible disasters. Here are some things to look out for.

When it comes to settling the cheque, while you know that your superiors earn a considerable more than you do and you're possibly down to your last few dollars to last you the rest of the week, offer to pay. Your boss will most likely decline your offer of payment, but it will leave a positive impression. By tipping the bar staff you will also imply that you are a generous and kind person.

Be careful with your intake. Your boss may peer pressure you into drinking copious amounts, and while he or she may be disappointed that you cannot keep up, they will be even more disappointed if you become embarrassingly drunk. Be careful to control your consumption, even when somebody else is paying - you have to be in control of your actions and your words to ensure you leave them with the correct impression.

Try not to talk about work. This is a chance to get to know your superior on a personal level and to appeal to his more intimate and less professional self. Also, by talking about work you can possibly slide into back chatting or gossiping over employees in the company which your boss might not see eye to eye on.

Make sure not to linger too long, especially if the boss is paying. This will show that you don't want to be an expensive inconvenience and that you're not taking advantage of their generous offer, but also the longer you stay and the more alcohol you consume, the more likely you are to bring up something in conversation that you will later regret. While this is a casual and intimate environment, you still need to be perceived as a professional to be able to impress your boss.

By consistently refusing the offer to go to the bar, you could be perceived as a negative person who is not open to suggestion, adaptation or new ideas, and it can also suggest you are an anti-social person. You do not have to drink alcoholic drinks to be in attendance, and a non alcoholic drink allows you to keep your wits about you and ensures that you are still bonding with your employees and not purposely missing the opportunity. Nobody will judge you negatively for not drinking something alcoholic.

And above all, remember that the reason for attending is networking, and not to get drunk and party. The drinking is merely the setting, the purpose is to create stronger connections.