This weekend the Disney movie “Real Steel” will open with a futuristic look at fight sports, a world where robots enter the ring, controlled by gamers and former fighters, as a way to deliver action and excitement without the mano a mano violence that occurs when humans mix it up. Starring Hugh Jackman, the movie is part “The Champ,” part “Rocky,” and part “Rock Em Sock Em Robots,” with lots of gaming and brand extensions if it is a hit.
However one of the hidden gems in the movie is not in the characters, it is in the branding. The movie takes place in 2021, with Jackman helping train some down on their skills robots at the bequest of his son, who he has been estranged from. The challenger robots take on elite gamers on large screen tablets who manipulate and create champions, and the eventual storybook finish is expected and very strong. What is remarkable however, and the companies represented in the movie. Tablets abound, but they are not ipads, they are HP Tablets. Verizon may dominate the mobile world today, but all the action takes place in the Sprint Arena and with Sprint equipment. And what is the search engine of choice? Not Google but Bing. Today those are all the challenger brands, but by placing them in the movie, the brands send a subtle message to viewers that THEY are the brands of the future.
Very smart strategic placement by three companies who are still challengers in their space.
Now will it work, and will kids drop Apple to go buy HP tablets, or jump from googling to binging? Not right away. But if the movie is a hit the brands benefit not just with this theater period, but probably for the DVD, the video game, and for the sequel. Maybe the mega-brands chose not to be in, maybe the challengers pushed. Either way the messaging is subtle, the projection to the future effective, and the branding story one to watch. Well placed marketing punch by all involved.
