How Brand Marketing Won Big At Comic Con

 

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Brands Are Leveraging Geek Cred To Market Themselves - And It's Working

Comic-Con, or rather the San Diego Comic-Con International is the yearly gathering to celebrate entertainment and comic contributions to art and culture. Known famously for its attendee's extravagant costumes paying tribute to comic-book, video game, and TV show characters (called Cosplay), the convention also features exhibitions, panels, and of course brands.

From exclusive releases of footage from upcoming films such as Doctor Strange and Wonder Woman, to activations with various brands, it is clear that with great attention comes great marketing power. And with great marketing power comes great responsibility.  In this blog, Hollywood Branded examines the way brand marketing has been leveraged at Comic-Con and how those brands grab consumers' attention at the convention.


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What Makes Marketing At Comic Con Different?

Comic-Con is nothing like an event such as SXSW or Coachella. Something as simple as a "Doritos Stage" or a "Spotify Party" are great ideas for music festivals and sporting events.

However, with a crowd as specific and passionate as Comic Con's, brands must tailor their presence to the scene organically and with originality.

This can often be challenging for brands, especially without knowledge of or experience with the vast world of comic books and franchise video games and movies. But for those who pull it off, it means tapping into a niche market that has proven its brand loyalty time and again.


How MAC Capitalized On Their Partnership With Star Trek

After the world premiere of Star Trek: Beyond was held at Comic Con (brilliant marketing ploy on behalf of the film's team in our opinion) the event was buzzing with Trekkies fresh with the content of a brand new film.

MAC, a cosmetic company, partnered with the movie to create a line paying tribute to the long history of women in Star Trek. They aren't the first to create a makeup line after a movie series - CoverGirl has had the monopoly so far for other sci-fi flicks like Star Wars and The Hunger Games. But MAC pulled out all the stops on their Klingon-inspired cosmetics.

And off course, what better way to attract Star Trek fans than an event activation at Comic Con? MAC's booth at the event included samples to try on as well as its very own transporter pad. Of course, this builds in a social media footprint at the event as photo opportunities are abundant. 

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However, it doesn't hurt that the Star Trek account itself tweeted this picture:

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Car2Go Uses Mr. Robot Theme To Combat Lyft And Uber

Ride-sharing company Car2Go tapped into the fictional world of Mr. Robot at Comic Con to put a fresh and confrontational approach on their marketing. 

Those of you who are fans of Uber and Lyft know the feeling you get when you see rates are surging. For those of you who have no idea what that means, it is ride-sharing services hike rates up to even 8 times their normal cost when tons of people are trying to find a ride in an extremely busy area (like the convention center in San Diego during Comic Con for example).

Car2Go targeted those exact areas as places they would go to first, creating the Surge Order, familiar to Mr. Robot fans to combat more popular services as well as created a scavenger hunt for extremely rare comic books around San Diego.

Check out their ad:


Schick Becomes Super-Schick

Schick is no stranger to niche marketing. They recently sponsored original content from YouTube digital influencers "Smosh" on YouTube's Red platform.

Now, they're taking on Comic Con. With a simple but funny idea, Schick made their presence known at the convention with a Superhero version of the Schick Hydro razor itself. The Robot Razor walked around the convention and saved people from "Real Life Irritations." 

With the hashtag #HydroRescue used to tag photos and tweets, the ploy made waves at Comic Con.

Oh yeah, and did we mention Spock (aka Zachary Quinto) got shaved by the Robot Razor? Big win, Schick. Bravo.

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Now It's Time To Get Ready For Next Year

Missed out this year? No worries. Plans are already being made for next year's Comic Con which promises to be even bigger and better than this year. Now is the perfect time to get involved. And we are ready to help you make your interests into reality!

Are you interested in learning how to integrate your product into celebrity events and festivals while also obtaining press? Download our celebrity event planning calendar to see what event options exist where you can obtain tangible assets that can be shared with consumers, media outlets and retail distributors to impact your sales.

Celebrity Event Planning Calendar by Hollywood Branded