AVENGERS MOVIE TIE-INS ASSEMBLE

I’ve been surprised that as the first blockbuster movie of the summer hits theaters this weekend there hasn’t been any partnership promotions for Avengers themed toys or products with McDonalds, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, and the like.  Turns out that Disney, which bought Marvel Comics in 2009, has established a policy against partnering with fast food restaurants to promote its movies because the company does not want to be viewed by the public as encouraging the consumption of junk food by kids.  Sorry folks, no Avengers toys in Happy Meals this year!

Don’t worry though; you will be seeing plenty of The Avengers as the movie rolls out onto the silver screen.  Ad Age reports that after the huge flop of “John Carter” (See my blogpost WHO IS JOHN CARTER?), Disney “is mounting a superhero-style marketing campaign to ensure 'The Avengers' is a blockbuster.”  In addition to a tremendous amount of advertising and public relations by Disney, there will be of course the numerous marketing promotional tie-ins that have become common place within the movie industry.  Here’s a breakdown on all things Avengers that have caught the geek daddy’s eye:

FARMERS INSURANCE:

Farmers Insurance is sharing in The Avengers hype with a funny commercial that attracts potential customers and helps promote awareness that the movie is hitting theaters.

HARLEY DAVIDSON:

Harley Davidson motorcycles is promoting a sweepstakes contest where the winner will get a character with their likeness illustrated into an Avengers digital comic and receive a super customized Harley Davidson motorcycle. CLICK HERE to enter.  There is also a FREE Harley-Davidson/Avengers digital comic book available at comixology.com   - Thanks Harley for acknowledging you can be both a tough guy and a geek! Much appreciated!

DR PEPPER:

Get your collectible Dr. Pepper cans at your local grocery store – there will be eight variations promoting various characters from the movie.  There will also be a contest where you can gather codes from Avengers branded 20-ounce Dr. Pepper bottles which can be used to enter a contest offering xbox360s as prizes.  You can also play a free video game on DrPepper.com where you can select a member of The Avengers team and engage in combat with alien shape-shifters known as Skrulls.

HERSEYS:
Enter the Hershey Chocolate sweepstakes to win Avengers swag.   Register codes from Avengers branded Hershey products to enter to win.  CLICK HERE for a list of prizes.

LAND O’MOMS:

Land O’Moms Lunch Meat is offering a contest with a grand prize winner getting an all expense paid trip to the home of the Avengers, New York City, and a host of super activities while you are there.  500 first place winners receive a Marvel Avengers app and 100,000 second place winners receive a package of Avengers trading cards. CLICK HERE for more information.

RED BARON PIZZA:

Red Baron Pizza’s The Avengers Sweepstakes has over 50,000 prizes including a new Acura car, free movie tickets, and 25,000 free Red Baron pizzas.  CLICK HERE for more info.

NORTON ANTI-VIRUS:

Norton is going full out co-branding itself with The Avengers.  In addition to promoting the movie in its advertising and marketing, Norton is also hosting a sweepstakes with a 10k grand prize. CLICK HERE to visit their homepage.

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS:

Wyndham properties which include many budget-conscious locations such as Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, and TravelLodge has Avengers perk for its Reward program customers.  CLICK HERE to check them out.

WALMART:

Walmart's SuperHero AR app for smart phones lets you play a virtual reality Avenger's game and get pictures taken with the movie's superheroes using your phone's camera.  This is very geeky and very cool!

Vist Walmart's Avengers webpage HERE.

COLANTOTTE:

The Avengers has even partnered with a bracelet maker that promotes magnetism to improve personal health.  Check out their website HERE.

JADS:

Want to smell like THE HULK?  This line of men’s colognes is based on the superheroes from the movie.  Worthy – inspired by THOR – smells like woody citrus.  Patriot – inspired by Captain America  - combines Green Line with sandalwood.  MARK VII – inspired by Iron Man – combines mandarin and jasmine. SMASH – inspired by THE HULK – is a combination of water lily and nutmeg.  Visit their website by CLICKING HERE.

ACURA:

And last but not least, ACURA is marketing itself as the official vehicle of SHIELD.  They have an Avengers game and trivia on their website.  They also have been promoting the movie partnership in their TV commercials.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!  Enjoy the movie everyone!