The Car Manufacturers And Hollywood
2015 is going to be a big year for the box office, with 'Furious 7' setting the bar high by dominating the box office both at home and overseas. Now audiences have The Avengers, Mission Impossible, Jurassic World and 007's Spectre to look forward to. But what about the brands featured in the movies? It goes without saying that these box office heavyweights all have their fair share of fast (and beautiful) cars. So why have car manufacturers pushed for Tinseltown?
Overcoming the Generational Shift From Traditional Advertising
Car manufacturers are turning to Hollywood in an effort to take their marketing and advertising initiatives away from the traditional style of advertising. Since the rise of digital media, ad avoidance techniques have grown among the millennial market. Traditional media viewing has shifted to on-demand and mobile video. The best way for brands and car manufacturers to overcome this shift is to become a part of the content consumers are watching.
Cars 2
The effort of turning to Hollywood for the car manufacturers is evidently paying off! For example, Disney's Cars 2 featured 12 brands - all of which were exposed to audiences who made Cars 2 have the fourth highest opening weekend for a G-Rated movie in the USA and Canada. A more crucial question here - who accompanies the audience members of the G-Rated movies? The household money makers! The parents of course. Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Ford and Ferrari are among many brands that have been digitally recreated and animated for the film!
Fast & Furious 6
Fast & Furious 6 features 16 brands in total - as expected, most of these brands are car brands with Range Rover, Dodge, Ferrari and Mercedes Benz making multiple appearances throughout the film. Other brands that got in on the opportunity for product placement included Corona, Under Armour, and Vans Shoes. The 16 brands that were featured in the Fast & Furious film were also part of the film's 70% international revenue - meaning that these brands received tremendous international exposure!
Car-Themed Movies Are Taking Gold
Car manufacturers don't necessarily have to completely shy away from traditional advertising. Lincoln Motor Company caused a stir in early 2015 with Matthew McConaughey as the celebrity endorser and ad spots, (read more on this here). Also, the 2015 Super Bowl had its fair share of car commercials. Read our recap on the top performing Super Bowl commercials of 2015, here.
Before you spend another dollar on traditional advertising, consider the use of product placement/brand integration in your entertainment marketing strategy. Watch our video to learn techniques to conquer common advertising challenges!
