Despite the slew of negative press which Hollywood has endured on this hopeful journey towards a more enlightened and equitable society, there are few obstacles in the way of the action-packed summer and holiday blockbuster films that we have come to both expect and enjoy with equal levels of glee. Among this year’s offering, we can look forward to such films as Pacific Rim: Uprising, the Tomb Raider update, Jurassic Word: Fallen Kingdom, Rampage as well as the oft-maligned Han Solo film.
But within one of the most widely-encompassing, multi-generational demographics to have ever existed, one of the most widely-anticipated films of the year is Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War. More than just the third Avengers movie, or the nineteenth film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Infinity War will combined all characters and narratives within that universe in a single film. Featuring the casts of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy films, as well as Spiderman, Black Panther, Ant-Man and Doctor Strange it is the ambitious culmination of a fanboy’s wet-dream fodder.
And while the line of posable action figures yielded by such a film is the most visible bi-product of its marketing push, other efforts to promote the film can be applauded for their subtlety (or lack thereof). From Happy Meal toys to branded theater concession stand food and drink receptacles, the goal is to increase societal awareness of the film’s impending release. But perhaps one of the most interesting attempts at recent cross-marketing comes from the automotive industry.
Whether it was mid-to-late 90’s BMW commercials featuring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, last autumn’s Mercedes-Benz commercials featuring Ben Affleck’s Batman, or the more blatant cross-marketing negotiated by Disney and Nissan, in offering a Star Wars edition, Rogue.
Here at THE LEMON, we can only assume that both Hollywood and automotive moguls alike make it a point to read our pieces religiously. Why? Because we’re topical as fuck and have our finger on the pulse of society (read our award-winning expose ‘Shotgun Wetting: The Trauma of Passenger Urination into Powerade Bottles’).
But having previously suggested that that the creative team behind the most recent Thor film missed an opportunity by not negotiating a limited edition ‘Ford: Ragnarok’ we were genuinely disappointed. I mean, c’mon…“Drop the Hammer” as a tagline? Talk about catching lightning in a bottle!
So, were we surprised to hear that Infiniti had approached Marvel Studios to create a limited edition Q60 to capitalize on this historic comic film? No. But did we get any credit for coming up with the friggin’ idea in the first place? Also no. That said, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that Marvel declined the opportunity to engage in this ‘Infiniti’ war. After all, we were just trying to help. Wait. What’s that? There’s a new Predator movie coming out this year, as well?
Excuse us…we need to get Dodge on the phone to talk about a cross-marketing idea.
