For readers of comic books, 2011 may go down as the year that big business figured out that it might be worth sticking its massive hand into an industry that’s been more aligned with outsiders than the mainstream.

Earlier this year we saw the introduction of big-brand product placement in comics when Nike’s logo appeared on a Marvel character’s T-shirt. Now Marvel has taken another step and struck a licensing deal with the University of Southern California to have its characters appear on gear alongside the university’s mascot and logo.Continue reading...

Period films and costume dramas never offer much in the way of product placement, except for the odd historical brand sighting.

Genre-bending period films appear to be no different, as the Western/science fiction mash-up Cowboys & Aliens could not even match earlier #1 film True Grit by mustering a Sharps rifles mention.Continue reading...

As expected for a movie that largely takes place on the battlefields of WW II Europe, Captain America: The First Avenger does not offer much in the line of product placement.

The one brand that has taken full advantage of its role is Harley-Davidson, which cooperated with filmmakers and in exchange was a VIP guest at the premiere and featured the film's bike in the Harley Museum.

Yet, run a Google search for the terms "Captain America" and "Harley-Davidson" today and this weekend's $65-plus million grossing, Harry Potter-toppling film will not dominate those search results.

No, true Harley fans think of something entirely different when they hear "Captain America."Continue reading...

Our loyal readers (Hi Mom!) know all about Captain America's tie-ins with Dunkin' Donuts and Norton Anti-Virus. They've been riveted by the search for Captain America's leather jackets. They've ridden along on Captain America's Harley-Davidson deal.

Now, as Captain America: The First Avenger heads into its opening weekend — poised, it seems, to unseat the mighty Harry Potter juggernaut — we bring you more news of how Marvel has powered up brands for the Captain's Comic-Con timed big-screen debut ... and a little somethin' somethin' about who's been cozying up to Friends with Benefits on its first weekend date with moviegoers. Continue reading...

Dunkin' Donuts is leaving no bear claw unturned in its quest to wring every last bit of promotion out of its partnership with Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger, which opens Friday.

The commercial Dunkin' has been running to call attention to its line of Captain-inspired products is creative and fun. Then there is pressuring Captain America star Chris Evans into admitting that producers have told him just how that shield gets buttered.

But that's not all for Dunkin' Donuts' tie-ins, nor Captain America's. Bring on Comic-Con, Harley-Davidson and... Norton Anti-Virus?Continue reading...

This weekend, Captain America will burst from the screen in 3D, dispatching Nazis while wearing a spiffy leather jacket.

The last year alone has been a fine one for leather jackets onscreen, including those in Harry Potter, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class, Inception, I am Number Four, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Takers, Limitless, Tron: Legacy, True Grit, and The Expendables.

Hollywood has had a longstanding love affair with leather jackets (books have been written on the subject), dating back to the Schott Perfecto motorcycle jackets worn by Marlon Brandon and James Dean.

But nowadays, connecting the hero onscreen with the leather on his (and her) back is a challenge. Enter Filmjackets.com, a website that connects those looking for that big screen coat with those who made it (or who can at least make a passable facsimile).Continue reading...

When Harley-Davidson went from a way of life brand to a lifestyle one in the 1990s, it put itself in the perfect position to suffer severely from the 2008 economic meltdown in which its best customers saw layoffs and massive drops in their retirement accounts and home values — while at the same time those offering to loan money for purchase of, say, an $18,000 motorcycle, all but disappeared.

From a 2008 profit of $654 million, Harley saw a $55 million loss a year later, and duly dropped to #98 (from #73 a year earlier) on Interbrand's 2010 Best Global Brands ranking.

Now, a just over a year after threatening to leave its longtime headquarters in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Business Journal reports that Harley has "begun delivering all 14 models in next year's Touring and Sportster lines to dealers in the United States and Europe, which will allow dealers to sell 2012 models throughout the peak summer selling season." But it's not open road for the iconic brand just yet.Continue reading...

Ever wonder who brings together Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, the Incredible Hulk, and all the rest together to form the Avengers?  (And don’t say it was the writers at Disney-owned Marvel Comics.)

It was, of course, S.H.I.E.L.D., a secret government organization. And now fans can join.

Marvel will be using S.H.I.E.L.D. at the massive annual Comic-Con comic book convention in San Diego to drum up interest in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, which debuts right smack in the middle of Comic-Con (taking place July 20-24th) as well as The Avengers, which doesn’t come out till 2012.Continue reading...