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Eagle-eyed readers already caught it – a distinctive, not quasi-almost/maybe that is normally used, Nike swoosh has been appearing in Marvel Comics. According to an article by Brian Steinberg in today’s Wall Street Journal, seeing a Nike swoosh in New X-Men is just the beginning of a new wave of product placement coming in Marvel and DC titles. Along with Nike, DC will reportedly launch Rush City, a six part mini-series that will - along with serving as the vehicle (pun intended) for a new character called “The Rush" (the superhero alias of Diego Zhao) - will also showcase the Pontiac Solstice GXP as the character’s car of choice and a key part of the his adventures. "The car will be as essential to the character as the Aston Martin was to James Bond," David McKillips, vice president of advertising and custom publishing for DC Comics told the Journal. DC has confirmed for Newsarama that the new series will launch in July, and will appear in Battle for Blüdhaven, Birds of Prey, Batman: Journey into Knight and Nightwing before his own series begins, written by Chuck Dixon, with art by Timothy Green and covers by Jock. The series will also be supported with a six-page origin story a DCComics.com on a page that also sport interactive features, and house ads in DC comic books. The move is the most recent inroad for product placement lately, as the method for stealth advertising has most recently been seen in videogames, and has been ubiquitous in film and on television for years. The “placement” part of the moniker is slightly misleading as the “placement” is sold, not freely given. That is, the appearance of a Nike swoosh or a Pontiac Solstice in front of the eyes of thousands of comic book readers doesn’t come without a price being charged by the publisher as part of its advertising for the comic. According to the Journal’s report, Dodge’s new Caliber will soon be seen in Marvel comics as well, although not in a starring role as in Rush City. Both the Pontiac and Dodge deals are part of larger ad buys with the companies. DC’s McKillips and a representative from Marvel both said that the advertisers would exert no editorial influence on the comics, and the article noted the appeal of the product placement in comics – while a can of Coke on a desk in say, 24 may be visible for all of two bought and paid for seconds, Spider-Man swinging by a Nike billboard is there forever. Go back to the panel next month, or next year, and Nike is still there. The appeal of the approach from the Madison Avenue side of the equation is simple – go look in the mirror. By and large, if you’re reading comics today, you’re not 10. Given comics’ older audience, the ad space, allowing advertisers to speak to consumers in their 20s and 30s has become increasingly valuable, and apparently, has reached a breaking point. And while this isn’t the first time product placement has been used in comics, this wave seems to have staying power and momentum, as the article noted that both DC and Marvel effectively have “networks” of titles that appeal to different segments of the consuming public. McKillips indicated that the automotive placement won’t be the first, noting that there will be more “health and beauty care, shaving cream, razors, alongside the automotive.” The Journal also quotes Mile High’s Chuck Rozanski, who finds the placements less than savory, claiming that they “taint the experience.” Rozanski: "The comic environment is designed to take you away from reality for a moment. Here we are thrusting offensive marketing products from our world into this fantasy world." |