• by Steve Ellwanger , April 10, 2023

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Movie trailers can inspire not only potential viewership but brand partnerships as well.

That was the case for hot-sauce brand Truff—named for black truffle mushrooms—and the Mushroom Kingdom in the record-setting “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” theatrical release.

Truff director of marketing Michelle Gabe encountered the "Mario Bros." movie trailer back in November.

“I was sitting in the movie theatre about to watch ‘Wakanda Forever’ and the trailer came on—and it’s all about mushrooms and the Mushroom Kingdom,” Gabe tells Marketing Daily.

That was the genesis of a collectible pack of Truff’s three best-selling, truffle-infused hot sauces whose labels bear the likenesses of movie characters Mario, Princess Peach and Toad.

Besides the intersection of mushrooms, the movie provided a means of engaging with consumers across multiple demographics who had become acquainted with Mario in the Nintendo video game.

“Anyone on our team—from 22 all the way up to 40—felt some kind of nostalgia and excitement about this collaboration,” says Gabe.

Truff generated awareness of the movie partnership mainly through digital platforms. “We were able to utilize some of the film assets to help promote it. Putting those on our social media gave us a lot of traction,” says Gabe.

Just over 5,000 packs of the three-bottle collection priced at $69.99 sold out in two days.

“You’ll see it on eBay, for example, going for double the price, which is really quite funny,” he adds.

The premiere of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” grossed $378 million globally last weekend, making it the biggest movie opening of 2023.

Other brands that partnered with the movie launch include McDonald’s and Lush cosmetics.