• Portfolio, Monday, June 9, 2008 10:30 AM

Product tie-in hype is growing in Hollywood even as a new school of advertisers is trying to redefine this industry within an industry. "Indiana Jones," "Kung Fu Panda," "Iron Man," "Speed Racer," "The Dark Knight" and even "Sex and the City" have piled onto the cross-promotion bandwagon this summer. Spending can match or exceed the estimated $3.5 billion that all studios budget to market movies.

A division is growing between the easy-to-spot tie-in and an emerging school of brands that don't want you to know, they just want you to want. The traditional tools of old-school advertisers like McDonald's, General Mills, and Mattel include Happy Meal toys, TV spots, on-pack promotions for Lucky Charms, Betty Crocker, and Pop Secret, and rolling out action figures for kids.

By contrast, the new school aims to give consumers a deeper movie experience through interactive means. Microsites, premieres, free video content, and off-screen product demos by the stars are all part of where the game is headed. The "Indiana Jones" microsite, for example, offers a chance to win trips to exotic locales, behind-the-scenes footage, an "Indy store," bulletin boards, news, and other features. The coming of 3-D will open a host of new opportunities.

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