In the of chance you survived the tsunami of Avengers tie-ins, sample some of this evil marketing genius from Baskin-Robbins: "Pink Surprise Cake - Straight out of one of the most pivotal scenes in Men In Black 3, the Pink Surprise Cake is a delicious triple layer ice cream cake made of Oreo® Cookies 'n Cream ice cream sandwiched between two layers of Devil's Food Cake and adorned with pink frosting roses. This custom cake is sure to capture the imaginations of ice cream lovers and 'MIBelievers' alike! Lunar Cheesecake Flavor of the Month - Lunar Cheesecake is making its way back into Baskin-Robbins shops as the May Flavor of the Month to celebrate the time traveling theme of Men In Black 3! Originally introduced in 1969 to commemorate the first spaceflight to land on the moon, this classic flavor features green and white cheesecake ice cream loaded with cheesecake bits and wrapped up in a crunchy graham cracker ribbon." [PR Newswire]
It has been years in the making. It is epic in scope. It contains elements beloved by millions. "It" is the marketing campaign for the hotly anticipated superhero gathering The Avengers, and as promotional surges go, those are high standards to maintain. Hence the $100 million worth of international promotional partnerships formed by Marvel and Disney — although, with such a global presence, it seems natural that a few of their marketing and merchandising moves would make less impact than Mjölnir. Behold the weirdest of what you may find touting the the comic-book blockbuster in the United States and beyond.
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High five to Fox for pulling their bullet-ridden Neighborhood Watch marketing materials from Florida theaters this week following the February killing of Trayvon Martin. Trying to get as much distance as possible from the teaser's emphasis on grown men Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade stalking and finger-shooting suburban kids is a good idea and a sensitive move -- not to mention a no-brainer necessity, PR-wise -- so the studio's forthcoming campaign will likely focus on the film's "broad alien-invasion comedy" elements. But even four months from now, will it be too soon for Neighborhood Watch to make fun escapism out of vigilante violence?
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"Highlights of Battleship partnerships include (in alphabetical order): CHEVRON EXTRAMILE — Chevron’s ExtraMile convenience stores will feature a Battleship instant-win game that will be promoted via radio, in-store game cards, as well as online with banner ads at Chevronextramile.com. In-store signage will include pump toppers, pump posters, door decals, counter cards and employee buttons." [Deadline]
Remember Shame? The NC-17 one featuring Michael Fassbender as a sex addict, Carey Mulligan as his off-kilter sister, a couple of notorious "late-night lovers" and a thriving awards-season profile that imploded a month ago like a dying star, seemingly having taken the film with it? Right, that one. Now, as per the rules of the cosmos and/or art-house schemes in Columbia, S.C., that star has finally exploded back into consciousness in perhaps the best way possible.
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If Yoda shilling for cup noodles made your skin crawl and your soul cry “Nooooo,” get ready to feel the Force sell-out even harder, and weirder, with a recent spate of George Lucas-approved shameless Star Wars marketing tie-ins. First, there’s Darth Maul and Yoda stumping for Lipton iced tea. Embarrassing, but that’s nothing compared to the super disgusting idea of a Darth Vader-themed hamburger featuring black-dyed buns. Blech. These are not the burgers you’re looking for, at least not to eat.
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How do you possibly promote a movie about a promiscuous high school student in the '80s? If you're ripping a page out of the Weinstein Co.'s Dirty Girl's marketing book, try launching a blog where users can anonymously share their deepest, darkest, most twisted sexual fantasies... then making it accessible for anyone aged 13 and up! Um, guys...?
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A cool bit of graffiti art popped up overnight at Fantastic Fest for Adam Wingard's buzz film You're Next, which screens later tonight. Passes to the hotly anticipated horror pic, which was picked up by Lionsgate after a Toronto Film Festival bidding war, sold out quickly online and with fest faves A.J. Bowen and director Ti West (who both star in the film) in town it's one of the hot tickets for tonight. Is Banksy in our midst as well, spraying movie promos all over Austin? Or Mr. Brainwash? (Or both, if they're the same person??)
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Something fun to spice up the end of the week: 20th Century Fox has set up a telephone line for the raunchy David Gordon Green-directed December comedy The Sitter and star Jonah Hill will allegedly be answering calls at random. We unfortunately only reached his appropriately inappropriate voicemail, but you might get lucky. What would you ask? How many pleas for weight loss tips will Hill get before he tires of this nifty marketing ploy? Dial (917) 409-7838 and find out. [20th Century Fox]
Ariel who? Kicking their Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides marketing campaign up a notch, Disney has released a brand new character poster featuring newbie lovers Philip Swift (Sam Claflin) and the mermaid Syrena (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey) -- excuse me, the topless mermaid Syrena. Ingenious marketing execs, consider the male teen demographic covered!
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