Looking Past the Spectacle
After nearly three decades walking the CES floor, the spectacle is no longer the point. The real value now lies in pattern recognition - seeing what’s genuinely new, what’s about to become normal, and what will quietly fade away. When you’ve watched trends rise, peak, and disappear often enough, it becomes easier to separate novelty from inevitability.
That’s why Hollywood Branded shows up at CES every year. We’re not there to chase shiny objects. We’re there to identify which technologies are ready to live naturally inside stories and just as importantly, why they belong there. Not as gimmicks, and not as moments that pull audiences out of a scene, but as believable elements of everyday life. In this article, Hollywood Branded shares how we evaluate what technology belongs on screen and why CES remains one of the clearest signals of what’s coming next.
Believability Beats Futurism
One of the most common mistakes in on-screen technology is assuming it needs to feel futuristic to feel relevant. In reality, Hollywood doesn’t use technology to teach audiences something new. It uses technology to ground a world in time. The more believable the tech, the more immersive the story becomes.
That’s why the most effective on-screen technology often goes unnoticed. It works the way people expect it to work. It blends into the environment. It doesn’t ask for attention. CES matters because it’s one of the few places where you can see which products are crossing the threshold from “new” to “normal.”
Photo Credit: StockCake
Our Lens for Evaluating CES
After years of placing consumer electronics naturally into film and television, we’ve learned that technology tends to work on screen for three reasons. If a product doesn’t meet at least one, it often feels forced. If it meets all three, it almost never does. First, it must already exist in real life - at least plausibly. Audiences don’t need mass adoption, but they do need familiarity. Ultra-thin displays, home automation, and robotics now fall into this category. When tech disappears into the background of a scene, it reinforces realism rather than distraction.
Second, it must solve a visible, human problem. Film and television are visual mediums. If the value isn’t immediately clear, the technology won’t land. Mobility, accessibility, health, and efficiency resonate because audiences understand the need instantly, no dialogue required.
Photo Credit: Freepik
What Devices Say About Characters
The third criterion is where technology becomes narrative shorthand. Good tech on screen doesn’t just function - it communicates identity. Lighting systems signal mood and lifestyle. Productivity tools signal how work actually happens now. Mobility devices, wearables, and wellness tech signal independence, control, and modernity.
These cues help define characters quickly and credibly. A room’s lighting, a tool someone relies on, or a device they trust tells the audience who they are before a single line of dialogue is spoken. This is where technology stops being a placement and starts becoming part of character development.
Environment Matters
Technology doesn’t appear randomly in stories. It lives in specific environments, homes, offices, hospitals, control rooms, vehicles, labs, and public spaces. When a product fits seamlessly into those environments without explanation, it becomes storytelling infrastructure rather than marketing.
CES highlighted how much the definition of “tech” has expanded. Health, mobility, and even pharma brands are now producing consumer-facing technology that belongs naturally in everyday settings. These products don’t feel futuristic, they feel inevitable. And that’s exactly why they work on screen.
Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com
Why CES Still Matters
Yes, CES still has flying cars and bold concepts. It always will. But the real signal isn’t what demands attention - it’s what no longer needs it. Audiences today are deeply tech-literate. Heavy-handed integrations stand out immediately, and not in a good way.
CES gives us an early look at what’s about to feel normal. That’s why it remains valuable. We’re not looking for the future. We’re looking for what’s already here and about to be everywhere and helping brands understand when and how to step into stories in a way that feels real.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Eager To Learn More?
Check out these related Hollywood Branded blogs to dig deeper into the world of brand and entertainment partnerships:
- How Brands Can Leverage Hollywood for Marketing Success
- Hollywood Branded’s Blueprint for Effective Product Placement
- The Hidden Value of Product Placement
- Behind the Scenes: How Brands Get Products Into Entertainment
- The Future of Branded Content Partnerships in Hollywood
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