A complete guide to the product placement in J.Lo and Pitbull's 'Live It Up' video

Even though we all know the music industry is fighting for survival, people can still be a bit sniffy about artists who use product placement to fund their videos.

This rush to judge seems par­tic­u­larly unfair when it comes to strug­gling inde­pend­ent artists like Pitbull and J.Lo who, operating outside the main­stream, will rarely enjoy the luxury of royalties from worldwide music sales and airplay.

So please don't see this guide to the product placement in Pitbull and J.Lo's 'Live It Up' video as any sort of criticism. See it instead as a cel­eb­ra­tion. A cel­eb­ra­tion of two artists who are just doing what they have to do to get their important message out there.

What you'll see below is each instance of product placement, along with any details we consider pertinent, plus an estimate of how much each deal will have brought in for J.Lo and Pitbull.

Here goes!

Brand: Swarovski
Notes: Sometimes product placement can look a bit crow­barred-in, but according to their website, "through the mastery of poetry and precision Swarovski Crystal continues to be the market leader who meets people's desire for adornment and delight". And who can argue with Pitbull's repu­ta­tion for poetry and precision?
Estimated revenue: $8.99

Brand: Nokia
Notes: This is sadly not up there with The Greatest Nokia Pop Video Product Placement Image Of All Time. Disappointing.
Estimated revenue: $27.50 and a Nokia stress toy

Brand: Ice
Notes: We like the way the time on this watch is the same on the phone. Good attention to detail.
Estimated revenue: $2.99

Brand: Argos
Notes: Argos have been strug­gling to reinvent them­selves for a young demo­graphic and this subtle promotion for their new range of self-assembly clothes rails is both relevant and aspirational.
Estimated revenue: $7

Brand: France
Notes: Pitbull certainly likes to travel — that's why they call him 'Mr Worldwide'. And when we say 'they call him' we mean 'he calls himself', but the point still stands.
Estimated revenue: $15

Brand: Jessops
Notes: As UK readers will know, the high street pho­to­graphic 'emporium' has had a tough time of things recently, but the recent arrival of Dragons' Den entre­pren­eur Peter Jones could be just what the doctor (OR PHOTOGRAPHER!) ordered. Peter's fas­cin­a­tion with celebrity was laid bare when he invested in Hamfatter a few years ago, and we applaud the forward-thinking nature of his choice to go with J.Lo and Pitbull to help rescue Jessops.
Estimated revenue: $75 and 20% of the business

Brand: Bird's
Notes: Bird's is another company strug­gling to make sense of its legacy in the digital age, and they're keen to shake off custard's old-fashioned image. Here we see Bird's attempt­ing to repos­i­tion custard as a high-end cosmetics product.
Estimated revenue: $3

Brand: Totalscaffoldingsupplies.co.uk
Notes: Totalscaffoldingsupplies.co.uk are among the most forward-thinking of all the UK scaf­fold­ing suppliers and their entry into the pop market could be crucial to the company's future.
Estimated revenue: $40.03

Brand: Scaffoldingdirect.co.uk
Notes: This one won't please Totalscaffolding.co.uk. THIS WON'T PLEASE THEM ONE BIT. Especially when they see how much less their rivals paid.
Estimated revenue: $40.00

Brand: Grape Marketing Board
Notes: The con­tro­versy sur­round­ing so-called 'grape apartheid' has given grapes a bit of an image problem in recent years, so this shot of green and red grapes in the same bowl is an important step in the right direction. Sadly, it's worth noting that the green and red grapes are very much separated within the bowl — a sad fact that could mean that the Grape Marketing Board's original aim backfires.
Estimated revenue: $9 and a year's supply of grapes

Brand: Beluga
Notes: Obviously when it comes to vodka Beluga isn't a patch on delicious Voli, but when you see how much they paid to be in the 'Live It Up' video you'll see why Pitbull put his own business interests to one side!
Estimated revenue: $28

Brand: Tits Marketing Board
Notes: This is just the latest promotion in a lengthy part­ner­ship between Pitbull and breasts. If you look back on previous Pitbull videos you'll notice some VERY VERY SUBTLE examples of women not wearing very much. This is because Pitbull is a business visionary and not just the sort of man whose per­sist­ent lecherous gaze would get him thrown out of most nightclubs if he weren't a popstar.
Estimated revenue: $80.08

Brand: Rymans
Notes: Well Theo Paphitis was hardly going to let his Dragons' Den rival Peter Jones get all the glory! Here we have an example of Rymans' exciting new clipboard. Despite this clipboard's very brief appear­ance in the video, the key message is still com­mu­nic­ated: it's got a clip on it, and it's a board.
Estimated revenue: $1

TOTAL REVENUE: $337.59

In summary

Like we said above, many people still think product placement is 'naff' or equates to 'selling out', but what you have to remember is that there is no way Pitbull and J.Lo could have afforded to make a video without this $337.59. And if they can help a few great brands out along the way, what's the problem?