• by Karl Greenberg , April 28, 2010

Audi, whose vehicles are featured in "Iron Man 2" is launching a marketing program around the Marvel Entertainment film that backs the movie's national run with a social media competition, “The Tony Stark Innovation Challenge� and advertising.

Besides running a month-long late night TV and national cable campaign, and an online presence on Fandango.com and Movies.com. The automaker also ran an Iron Man-themed TV spot in cinemas in the month leading up to the release. Audi is also sponsoring the re-launch of Marvel.com that will include a digital comic book featuring the R8 Spyder convertible.

In the film, Stark drives an Audi R8 Spyder. In the first film he drove the hard-top version. The move also features the A8 sedan.

The automaker is also running a social-media program meant to align with the movie franchise’s theme of technology as a force of good. The “Innovation Challenge� program aims to get consumers with bright tech ideas to submit two-minute videos detailing their inventions and how they promote better living.

They have to then rally members of their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social media networks to rate, comment, and discuss the their ideas. Finalists are to be picked by consumer rating of the uploaded videos. www.tonystarkinnovationchallenge.com.

The winner gets $15,000 in seed funding, and a promotional web video about their invention on Audiusa.com The winner also gets a four-day trip for two to California with Spa treatments, new threads and grooming, a tour of Audi Design Center and the ICON aircraft facilities including air and water testing of their new A5 aircraft, Track time in the R8 at Audi’s “Sports Car Experience.�

Audi, perhaps paradoxically, is also featured in the Joneses, a feature length critique of consumer culture and stealth marketing. The Audi TT and R8 both are central to the film’s theme of frenzy of materialism, and the closing shot.