Mktg - Brands using hollywood movies to sell

NEW DELHI: “The name is Sony, Sony Ericsson C907.” Highly unlikely that Daniel Craig will mutter this line in the next James Bond flick. But with companies increasingly using superheroes to sell their products, don’t be baffled if you catch the super spy flaunting his cell phone a bit longer than usual in his new movie, the Quantum of Solace. After all, he isn’t the only one doing it.

Batman did it in the recent box-office blockbuster Dark Knight. Before him, Hancock, The Incredible Hulk and the Ironman did the same in all their movies. And now it’s 007’s turn, who will be seen promoting a new cell phone from Sony Ericsson. So, are superheroes the new brand ambassadors?

Not really, but they are more than that. Media expert, HBO country manager South Asia, Shruti Bajpai elucidates the sudden spurt in superhero-advertising: “Simply put, superhero movies garner maximum TRPs and always get the prime time, even on TV. Hence, the products used by the super hero characters definitely become a hot topic of discussion.”
And incidentally, every super hero has his own unique attributes that help to market a certain genre of products. For instance, you won’t find a suave and touchy James Bond touching a bourbon bottle with a bargepole. It is more a job for alcoholic superhero Hancock who flies around town with a bourbon bottle clutched in one hand. He also sports Nike sneakers and Dior shades. But Batman jumps one block further.

In the Dark Knight, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne aka Batman, means business in his ‘subtle’ Lamborghini Murcielago, and also rides a stylish MV Augusta superbike. In the movie, marketers used the suave Wayne to advertise brands such as Armani, Lamborghini, MV Augusta, Bentley and Bang & Olufsen, which are top of the line options for any young businessman worth his dollars. Even Finnish phone giant Nokia’s yet to be launched touch screen phone appears for a brief little cameo in the movie.

Gadgets and cars seem to be the favourites with superheroes. Case in point: Another billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (better known as Ironman) parades his collection of expensive cars in the superhero flick Ironman. His expansive garage is the perfect place for German carmaker Audi to showcase its range of models such as the R8, Q7, A4 and S5.


As for his phone collection, it is South Korean electronics firm LG that made an appearance.
“That’s not new,” says advertising firm JWT India’s CEO, Agnello Dias. “Superheroes have been helping brands to connect with the persona of the character for sometime now. And attribute rub offs are bound to happen. For instance, Batman is dark and mysterious; Superman is bright, colourful and cheerful. And James Bond is stylishly slick and techno-savvy and a perfect role model for accomplished adult professionals.”

And Sony Ericsson has realised this long back. Bond’s new film also features the G700, a touch screen organiser and the W910 Walkman™ phone from the same phone maker. Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Sony Ericsson is not new to the business.


Bond’s earlier movies such as Casino Royale and Die Another Day were also used by the same company to introduce its K800i Cyber-shot™, P900 and T68i mobile phones. In the new flick, Bond is seen capturing evidence with his new phone and sending high-resolution shots back to MI6 for quick diagnosis. Even wristwatch brands such as, Swatch has been part of superhero flicks for decades now.


Hamilton India (a part of The Swatch Group) brand manager Ganesh Ponnuswamy, whose brand has been associated with more than 300 movies, told SundayET, “It’s mutually beneficial to both the production house as well as the watch company. Many costume designers approach Hamilton to design a watch that fits the particular style of their character.” In return the movies help popularise the brand. Hamilton is also eyeing Indian movies to launch their forthcoming Code Breaker watch.


But if advertising experts are to be believed, there is no established system in place that can measure the effectiveness of product placement in movies. Same for superhero movies. A lot of factors such as, plot integration and time onscreen would decide the recall value of a product placed in a movie.

For instance, Apple computers have appeared in around 55-60% of all Hollywood movies this year, according to industry estimates. And not all stints have been superhits. But coming back to superheroes, if Batman and Ironman prefer sleek and fast cars, have you ever wondered about the vehicles the Hulk would help sell? You guessed it right—the Jeep and the Hummer!