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...

Following the news that NASCAR driver Kyle Busch received a speeding ticket while test driving a new $350,000 Lexus, it didn't take long for a few cynics to ask whether or not the whole thing was set-up to draw attention to the automaker's new LFA model supercar.

Absurd as the notion is, Lexus has been very willingly embracing alternative marketing lately.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...

The video for Rebecca Black's so-bad-it's-epic song Friday now has a gobsmacking 60 million views on YouTube. Black, meanwhile, has become a punching bag for culture critics who have taken upon themselves the important work of knocking a 13-year-old girl down to size — one, at least, who no longer needs an allowance from her parents.

Black's Friday should interest brand marketers who are trying to figure out the viral video space. Above, the video's co-star can be seen, sporting a grill if not braces: a convertible Chrysler Sebring. Of the product placement, The Wall Street Journal asks "Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ Video: Will Chrysler Benefit?"

The short answer to The Wall Street Journal's question is no. In fact, Chrysler will be happy if it just breaks even.Continue reading...