Product placement in movies is thought by many to have begun in the 1980s, though one ISU professor says he has found evidence dating to the early days of motion pictures.

“People think product placement typically started with ‘E.T.,’ which used the trail of Reese’s Pieces,” said Jay Newell, assistant professor of journalism and communication.

Newell said his research on product placement in the movies led him to discover the earliest example of product placement was for Lever Brothers’ Sunlight Soap in 1896, one year after the movie projector was invented.

Turner Classic Movies is showing 12 movies included in Newell’s findings on product placement in its monthlong series in March. The four consecutive Friday nights will feature movies like “Urban Cowboy,” which featured insertions of Budweiser beer and Stetson hats.

The films were selected by TCM through a long process, Newell said.

Each movie had to showcase a product and show a connection between the manufacturer and the movie company.

Newell said he has spent five years looking through various movie archives to uncover the relationships between manufacturers and movie companies.

Turner Broadcasting — which Newell once worked for, doing on-air promotions for TNT and CNN — became interested in his research through his advertising campaigns class at Iowa State, which created ads for them.

“TCM is always trying to take a different look at movies and trying to look at it in different perspectives”, said Charlie Tabesh, senior vice president of programming for TCM. “Newell looked at Hollywood through a non-artistic way.”

Tabesh said Newell was “invaluable” to the company, as he was the only outside source on product placement available to TCM.

Now more than ever, manufacturers approach movie companies and ask them to use their product, Newell said.

Product placement is used as a way for the movie audience to have more of a direct connection with the movie, he said.

“If an actor is drinking out of a Coca-Cola can, and not just a generic brand, it makes the movie seem more realistic,” said Joel Geske, assistant professor of journalism and communication. “The main character’s usage of the product brings mind awareness to the audience.”