Sheetz Sells Out in Spurlock Movie

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Sheetz, the Altoona, Penn.-based convenience store chain, will play a featured role in Morgan Spurlock's new film, "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold!"

Spurlock, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker of the anti-fast-food documentary, "Supersize Me," explores the world of product placement, marketing and advertising in his new film, which was fully financed through product placement from various brands, all of which are integrated more-or-less transparently into the film.

Sheetz, whose executives, stores and products are among numerous brands featured in the film, plans to conduct a promotion tied to the upcoming national release of the film, according to the retailer's Facebook page.

While using brands in film promotion is not new for Hollywood, it certainly is new territory for the documentary format. Spurlock exploits the phenomenon to new heights, with everything from branded pizza boxes and in-flight film promotions to branded-everything in-film.

The documentary brings audiences behind closed doors directly into the pitch meetings and marketing presentations. Sponsors were provided with brand category exclusivity. The brands that agreed to sponsor the film placed Spurlock front and center in their brand campaigns and advertisements, both on- and offline. Partners have the unique right to promote themselves in association with Spurlock and the film as "The Greatest." The agreements also stipulate that Spurlock maintains creative control of the film's content and final edit.