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Abstract
A phenomenological study reveals the meanings of product placement in social games on social network sites (SNSs) among Chinese urban, white-collar professional users through an investigation of a newly launched SNS, Happy Network. In total, 26 face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted. Through inductive analysis, a theoretical model was proposed to catch the rich meanings of product placement in the context of an SNS. Specifically, the study reveals four interpretive themes regarding the meanings of product placements in an SNS: (1) embracing product placement in the SNS, (2) bridging virtual and real-world branding, (3) referencing the framework of product placement, and (4) influencing real-world consumption.