It sucks that they have to whore this movie out when Batman Begins stood alone, and in my eyes became the best comic adaptation ever. As I cringed along the article, I came to the near-end where they discuss Xbox's tie-in. Batman and Joker consoles?! That sounds cool at least. http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003725887 Domino's, General Mills Step Up to Bat for Knight March 16, 2008 By T.L. Stanley Holy tie-ins! The legendary protector of Gotham City is not only confronting a new level of dark and psychotic villain in the upcoming Warner Bros. thriller, The Dark Knight, he's taking on a raft of marketing partners as well. The interest has been so strong that even the fatal drug overdose of co-star Heath Ledger in January didn't dissuade new and veteran marketing partners from sticking to wide-ranging deals they'd made months earlier with the studio. The Dark Knight, expected to be a top-ranked movie in a packed summer season, is the July followup to Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan's reawakening of the franchise after the much-maligned Batman & Robin in 1997. Audiences proved they'd return, to the tune of $370 million at the box office. Now the marketing community has taken renewed notice. Pizza giant Domino's, in its first feature film link, joins General Mills, Nokia, Hershey, Comcast, Microsoft's Xbox and the California Milk Processor Board to co-promote the film, which again stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. Design house Giorgio Armani even gets in the picture, using its sleek wardrobe of Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne as a centerpiece for Dark Knight-themed print ads in fashion magazines. "We have a big, cinematic action-filled movie on the heels of an incredible reinvention," said Mimi Slavin, svp-domestic promotions at Warner. "The partners understood the vision, and what they're doing adds to the event-movie experience." Starting weeks ahead of the July 18 release, The Dark Knight will be visible in grocery and convenience stores, Nokia and Domino's real estate, and across the partners' media, including TV, print, in-theater, direct mail, online, street teams and other out-of-home. Toys from Mattel and merchandise from dozens of licensees, based on the movie and classic comic property, will add to the barrage. Executives at Domino's said The Dark Knight's hardcore fan aligns nicely with its 18-34-year-old male consumer. The marketer plans some Batman-themed food and a focus on its online ordering and pizza tracking. The ad campaign is still in the works. "We liked that Batman's a superhero who uses technology,"said Kris Holley, consumer promotions project leader at the chain. "There's a good match between our brand messaging and the character's brand attributes." General Mills plans a number of Batman-centric sweepstakes, toys and on-pack offers for its breakfast cereals, yogurt and fruit snacks products. The promotions will focus on the Batman equity rather than the PG 13-rated movie. "It's part of Americana," Steve Greer, Big G's global equity and events director, said of the franchise. "It's a classic that will always be part of a kid's and a family's world." The marketer, which worked with Warner Bros. on Happy Feet and the upcoming Speed Racer, has a long history of Hollywood ties, including last summer's megahit Spider-Man 3 from Sony Pictures. As part of the push, Hershey will release a "dark" version of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Xbox will create limited-edition custom consoles, Joker and Batman versions, that can't be bought (only won). The only partner from Batman Begins, the California Milk Processor Board, will launch a Batman-centric Got Milk? print campaign. Nokia, which plans an extensive global campaign, also will debut a Dark Knight phone in the U.S. pre-loaded with exclusive movie content like screensavers and voicetones.
