Flaming Hot Cheetos and Takis on "Orange is the New Black"

Product placement is not what it used to be; so what does it mean for it to be successful in 2019? It is most effective if the placement is folded in so seamlessly that it operates only in our subconscious. Whether we like it or not, the various streaming services and platforms at our disposal today, as well as emerging, unique partnerships, have ushered in a new era of product placement.

"Orange is the New Black" is a Netflix original series based on the true story of Piper Kerman, a New York business woman who lands herself in a woman's prison on charges of felonious money-laundering activities and is sentenced to 15 months detention.

The sixth episode of the fifth season of OITNB is actually called, "Flaming Hot Cheetos." The title gives away the vast product placements to be displayed in this episode.

In this episode, the governor's office sends packages of Hot Cheetos, Takis, and tampons to the women in prison, with the snacks making several subsequent mouth-watering appearances throughout the show. In one scene, Black Cindy checks Anita's hands for Cheeto dust, and the audience can almost taste the exquisite cheesy powder as if one had dipped their own hand in a bag of Cheetos.

This product placement seemed effective to me because the writers of this series did their research correctly and choose to sponsor the most sought-after products in American women prisons. When watching this TV show, I was unaware of the advertising being performed through product placement because these products fit so seamlessly with the storyline.