Acura and Marvel Entertainment Announce Exclusive Co-Promotion Campaign for Marvel’s The Avengers

04/05/2012 - TORRANCE, Calif.
Acura and Marvel Entertainment, LLC, announced today the details of their promotional campaign for this summer's most anticipated film, Marvel's The Avengers. Following the luxury automaker's integration with THOR last summer, Acura is building on its established role as the official vehicle of S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D., the international peacekeeping agency of the Marvel Universe, has a leading role in this film portrayal of the iconic comic book series. Throughout Marvel's The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents drive various Acura vehicles, including the MDX, ZDX and TL models; the completely redesigned 2013 RDX will make a cameo appearance. In addition, an Acura convertible sports car was created specifically for the film.

"Acura is developing an impressive second chapter as the official vehicle of the cutting-edge S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, enabling us to reinforce Acura's brand philosophy of innovation and advancement, and leverage excitement for the new ILX, RDX and NSX supercar concept product news announced earlier this year," said Susie Rossick, Acura Brand Manager.

Acura kicked off its campaign with Marvel at the New York Auto Show on April 4, 2012, where a militarized S.H.I.E.L.D.-Edition MDX was on display with a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Product Specialist. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent street teams are scheduled at PAX East, Boston and C2E2, Chicago.

As the exclusive automotive sponsor of the world premiere of Marvel's The Avengers on April 11 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, a surprise special stunt is planned to make an impactful, red-carpet entrance. A fleet of Acura vehicles will also be used as talent transportation during the premiere.

The hub of Acura's national advertising campaign for Marvel's The Avengers, http://www.SHIELDops.com, allows fans to immerse themselves in the world of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Marvel's The Avengers. Users can rise within the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D. by testing Avengers-inspired technology mounted to S.H.I.E.L.D.-Edition Acura vehicles. The tests take place within different combat simulation environments that correspond with the four main characters: Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Thor. As users attain a specific S.H.I.E.L.D. rank, they earn the chance to win movie passes and S.H.I.E.L.D. gear, including a branded tactical flashlight, a replica Acura convertible sports car (created for and featured in Marvel's The Avengers) and a virtual keyboard. The grand prize is an all-expense-paid Tony Stark-inspired trip to New York City.
Social media will be leveraged throughout the campaign to recruit fans to test their skills at http://www.SHIELDops.com. The Acura.com Avengers section will also feature Marvel's The Avengers content, including trailers and movie stills.

The advertising campaign, developed by Acura's agency of record, rp&, a division of RPA, is composed of a multiplatform media buy, retail tie-ins and national ABC screenings of Marvel's The Avengers with after-parties in select markets. The entirely new 2013 Acura RDX will be featured throughout the campaign, including a 30-second TV spot which incorporates the new vehicle with scenes from Marvel's The Avengers. The spot, "Re-re-routed," http://www.acura.com/Avengers.aspx, begins April 16 on spot TV, cable and sports.
Unique S.H.I.E.L.D.-themed videos will run on comic and entertainment websites such as Marvel and Rotten Tomatoes and will drive traffic to http://www.SHIELDops.com.

In addition, more than 130 Acura dealers will be hosting pre-release screenings of Marvel's The Avengers in early May in their respective markets.

About Marvel's The Avengers
Marvel Studios presents "Marvel's The Avengers"—the team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.

Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, directed by Joss Whedon, from a story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon with screenplay by Joss Whedon, "Marvel's The Avengers" is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series "The Avengers," first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when "Marvel's The Avengers" assemble in summer 2012.

"Marvel's The Avengers" is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Louis D'Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The film releases May 4, 2012, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com.

About AcuraAcura offers a full line of technologically advanced performance luxury vehicles through a network of 272 dealers within the United States. The Acura lineup features six distinctive models including the RL luxury performance sedan, the TL performance luxury sedan, the TSX Sport Wagon and sedan, the RDX luxury crossover SUV, the MDX luxury sport utility vehicle and the ZDX four-door sports coupe.

About rp&
rp& is a full-service marketing communications division of RPA, headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif. Established in 2008, rp& has been responsible for the development of all Acura National, Regional, Online, Direct Mail and Event Marketing communications. For more information, visit http://rp-and.com/.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/acura-automobiles-headlines/releases/acura-and-marvel-entertainment-announce-exclusive-co-promotion-campaign-for-marvel-s-the-avengers

Acura S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Recruitment Center celebrating Marvel's THOR (4/21-24)

Here's something to pass along to those in the New York area....

Acura is the official vehicle of the upcoming film "Thor," Acura will open the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Recruitment Center for fans of Marvel's intelligence and security organization during the New York International Auto Show. The public is invited to Pier 83 for an exclusive look at the S.H.I.E.L.D. edition Acura TL loaded with custom features, including a sound cannon, smokescreen and extreme weather protection and will have a chance to make their own S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent ID badge on site.

Acura S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Recruitment Center for "THOR"
Recruitment Center: Pier 83, West 42nd Street at 12th Avenue, New York, NY 10036 (Take the 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, A, C, E, N, Q or R train to Times Square 42nd Street)
4/21: 9:30am – 7pm; 4/22-4/24: 10am-7pm
Open to the public; Free
Check in on Foursquare at the Pier 83 Recruitment Center for chance to win tickets to see "Thor" in theaters! https://foursquare.com/venue/19858130

http://twitter.com/acura_insider and www.joinshield.com

Acura partners up with new Thor Movie

With the release of films featuring Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America, all roads are leading to next summer's launch of "The Avengers" -- and Marvel Studios is keen to bring its promotional partners along for the ride, offering the opportunity for the brands to appear not just in "The Avengers" but other comicbook hero pics down the line. A little more than a month before Paramount and Marvel unleash "Thor" on May 6, Acura, Dr. Pepper, 7-Eleven, Visa and Burger King are prepping to roll out TV, radio and online campaigns that tie in their brands with the god of thunder's first outing at the megaplex. Walmart is a major retail partner. All but Acura and Visa had backed previous Marvel releases in some form ("Thor" will be 7-Eleven's eighth teaming with a Marvel superhero). Honda's luxury brand had been looking for projects that could get Acura in front of more moviegoers through the branded entertainment arm of ad agency RP&, a division of RPA, and its exec Steve Rossmann, a former Gersh agent. When "Thor" offered an automaker the chance to serve as the official wheels of spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D, Acura was quick to lock down its first film partnership. "Getting to be the official car of S.H.I.E.L.D sold it for us," said Susie Rossick, Acura's national advertising manager. "To have that role in the film and in future films was attractive to us." S.H.I.E.L.D, the secret government org that recruits Marvel's superheroes as a crime-fighting force, made cameos in the two "Iron Man" pics and "The Incredible Hulk." The group will play a larger role in "Thor" and future films, guaranteeing any automaker appearances in multiple franchises for years to come. Acura especially gravitated toward a pairing with S.H.I.E.L.D due to the org's image of being advanced and innovative, aspects with which the automaker likes to associate itself. The design of Acura's own shield-like front fascia on its vehicles and corporate logo was a coincidence, but didn't hurt seal the deal. Car partners are "someone you need to spend a little more time thinking about," said Bob Sabouni, senior VP of business development and promotions for Marvel, which had previously landed Audi to serve as Iron Man's preferred carmaker. "It's something that gets noticed. You have to have the right car." As a result of its deal, Acura's lineup of recently redesigned sedans and SUVs gets roughly two minutes of screen time in the pic, a considerable amount of exposure when it comes to product placement. In return, Acura will help Marvel and Par promote "Thor" through the launch of a micro website that recruits consumers to become S.H.I.E.L.D agents, play games and design their own agency vehicle. It's also buying TV spots, print ads and installing signage and offering customers early screenings at its dealerships. Acura is also touring a series of events like Chicago fanboy fest C2E2, Florida's MegaCon and the New York Auto Show with recruitment booths that will feature a S.H.I.E.L.D agent car with weaponry like a sonic canon. In order to pull off the concept of turning each of its films into a chapter of an overall universe, Marvel said it needed to broker deals with brands that were "like-minded" and could be "dedicated to a plan" that embodies the characters and messaging of the films in programs "that is smart for both of us." Sabouni said Acura has "bought into the concept and is having a lot of fun with it." Separately, Dr. Pepper is buying TV, radio, online ads and setting up in-store displays to promote the six character cans it is producing for "Thor." It's targeting males with its core Dr. Pepper product and females with its diet and cherry varieties. Burger King will have toy-filled kids meals worldwide, backed by TV and online ads. Visa Signature cardholders get exclusive movie ticket offers at Fandango.com, a move that Par and Marvel hope will help sell more tickets to the pic but also puts the film in banks, where studios can't normally market. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven will offer up 10 different cups and other exclusive merchandise, as well as a Slurpee smartphone app at its stores, and a three-minute behind-the-scenes video on the making of the movie, produced by Marvel. It's buying radio and online ads to tubthump the products to its core Slurpee buyer that tends to be male and under 24. "Action-hero fans index high with Slurpee-lovers," said 7-Eleven VP and chief marketing officer Rita Bargerhuff. Naturally, Marvel is creating exclusive digital comicbooks for its partners to distribute individually or providing some with exclusive footage. "It's always important to give your partners a little corner of the movie," Marvel's Sabouni said. "We've learned how to do that over the years." Doing so helps giving the bad news that a partner's products will be destroyed on film a little easier. In scenes, a 7-Eleven store and Acura's vehicles are obliterated by the villainous Destroyer. "They definitely have allowed us to play a little bit more," Sabouni said. Acura approved the destruction "because there wasn't anything wrong with the car," Rossick said. "They weren't the reason things were blowing up." Given the amount of marketing coin Par is spending to promote "Thor," the pic doesn't necessarily need to generate more awareness with ticket buyers. But the ad efforts that promo partners are launching will help consumers learn about elements of the "Thor" characters and S.H.I.E.L.D org that they may not be familiar with. Dr. Pepper's ads will stress Thor's strength, speed and ability to fly, for example. "We provide activities that allow fans to engage in ways that are meaningful and fun, thus building more anticipation for the movie's release," 7-Eleven's Bargerhuff said. Ads from partners start Friday and run through July 6. Source (via autoblog); http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118034701?refCatId=13