For a series of Batman movies that takes itself so seriously, it's a surprise to see it right there so prominent as one of only five menu items on the official The Dark Knight Rises website: "Imported From Gotham City."

The Dark Knight Rises has a number of other official partners. There is Nokia (remember them?) and No Fear (remember them?) and Mountain Dew, which features at the core of its tie-in "Sad Batman." But none of these brands even get a mention on the film's official website, let alone being featured on the site navigation.

It seems that the heavyweight "Imported from Detroit" campaign, which debuted with Eminem at the 2011 Super Bowl and was reborn with Clint Eastwood at the 2012 Super Bowl, is now so ingrained in the American psyche that it's worth lampooning. But the first rule of auto product placement is "be serious." Be so, so serious.Continue reading...

Product placement may make a big leap soon if the reboot of the 1981 classic Cannonball Run gets the green light.

New York magazine's website reports that GM is deep "in discussions about backing an update of The Cannonball Run in a deal that would be much larger than your average product placement." Reportedly looking for an "equity stake," GM could go deep into its pockets in a gamble to pack the film with its models, and might even give the "new Corvette the lead."

There are several reasons this might be a disaster — so it's a good thing GM isn't getting involved.Continue reading...

The comedy 30 Minutes or Less is opening in cinemas this weekend, and with a cast including Danny McBride and Aziz Ansari, it looks hilarious. It's a shame its source material is so depressingly grim.

While the idea that strapping a bomb on a pizza delivery guy and forcing him to rob a bank (or be blown to smithereens) may seem like a plot straight out of Hollywood, it actually happened in 2003.

On Aug. 28, 2003, Mama Mia Pizzeria delivery man Brian Wells was stopped by police during a bank robbery. Subsequently, Wells revealed a bomb strapped to his neck. He told police he had driven out to deliver a pizza but instead had been confronted by two men, who locked a time-bomb collar around his neck, and then sent him to rob a bank.Continue reading...

There are only so many aspects of everyday human life that we let robots control. From autopilot to cruise control to automatic anything. Dodge seems to feel we may be letting these machines run too much of our lives, and released a commercial to make that statement.Continue reading...

With Universal claiming that Fast Five's opening weekend is the most lucrative opening in the studio's history, it was a winning weekend for Chrysler and Dodge, the brand that poured a lot into the film including extensive cross-branding and marketing tie-ins, both onscreen and off.

Simply put, Fast Five will help move Dodge Chargers off the lot. And that's the greatest compliment a product placement can get. Even though there is evidence Dodge almost blew it.Continue reading...

It's a Fast Five Dodge Charger weekend.

We've already noted numerous times how the core of Chrysler's 2012 product placement run, which includes everything from The Dilemma to Green Lantern, is its perfectly timed inclusion of its new Charger model in the highly anticipated fifth installment of the Fast and Furious series.

But Dodge isn't Fast Five's only partner. And Fast Five isn't the only movie out this weekend.Continue reading...

Dodge finally released a statement summing up the extensiveness of its product placement tie-in with the upcoming fourth Fast and the Furious sequel Fast Five.

Of course, auto roles in films, even Dodge ones, are a dime a dozen. But the marketing muscle supporting this street-racing action film could end up making the Dodge Charger the product placement of the year — it certainly dovetails nicely with the two distinct goals of automotive product placement. And we don't mean Rebecca Black and Chrysler.Continue reading...

Dodge finally released a statement summing up the extensiveness of its product placement tie-in with the upcoming fourth Fast and the Furious sequel Fast Five.

Of course, auto roles in films, even Dodge ones, are a dime a dozen. But the marketing muscle supporting this street-racing action film could end up making the Dodge Charger the product placement of the year — it certainly dovetails nicely with the two distinct goals of automotive product placement. And we don't mean Rebecca Black and Chrysler.Continue reading...