Transformers 5 Movie cross-promotion items

[griffin]

China KFC - two special promo cups that have figures on the top, 3D art on the cup, and has a sound chip in the lid.
Plus, a number of the KFC outlets will be painted up in a Transfomers theme.

It makes you wonder where the breakup of this cross-promotion money goes, as we only ever hear about box office earnings as a yardstick on how successful/profitable a movie is, but if a movie is raking in several hundred million in these promotions, it doesn't get added to the box office earnings. A movie can also be more popular with DVD sales and rentals, and even TV screenings, than at the box office... but the box office takings seem to be the only measurement of success we use, or declared.

[tinyJazz]

It makes you wonder where the breakup of this cross-promotion money goes, as we only ever hear about box office earnings as a yardstick on how successful/profitable a movie is, but if a movie is raking in several hundred million in these promotions, it doesn't get added to the box office earnings. A movie can also be more popular with DVD sales and rentals, and even TV screenings, than at the box office... but the box office takings seem to be the only measurement of success we use, or declared.

The breakdown of earnings from a TF film and its merchandising would be interesting to see. They definitely earn more from merchandising, licensing and promotions than they do from ticket sales. Pixar's Cars, produced on a budget of $120million, made close to $500 million at the box office and over $10 billion in retail sales. This was before Cars 2 was released.

[griffin]

The breakdown of earnings from a TF film and its merchandising would be interesting to see. They definitely earn more from merchandising, licensing and promotions than they do from ticket sales. Pixar's Cars, produced on a budget of $120million, made close to $500 million at the box office and over $10 billion in retail sales. This was before Cars 2 was released.

For Merchandise and toy sales off the back of a movie, it depends on how much was paid for the licenses (and any royalties on popular Brands) to produce those items... even Disney properties like Cars.
Transformers is a little different, because the toys are being produced by the company that owns the Brand... but since the movie company (Paramount) isn't Hasbro, Paramount's production budget for Transformers movies doesn't get anything from the sale of any Hasbro Toys, unless it was specifically added to the contract (like Michael Bay getting a percentage off EVERY movie toy that Hasbro produces since TF2).

[griffin]

The American "Tastykakes" brand of packaged cakes and muffins, has a competition/promotion running for a variety of prizes, by answering 5 quiz questions.

And if you are likely to be in America in the next four weeks, the movie prop Sqweeks is doing a tour of the country before the Movie comes out, showing up at various conventions and events (list can be seen here - and a photo from one location here).


How times have changed... anyone remember the 2007 movie promo tour, with the big black Sector 7 semi-trailer driving around the country to give Americans a sneak peak at the Movie and it's secret government agency. Ten years later, they get a rusty Vespa-bot touring the country instead...

[griffin]

A car detailer/painter in America has a new commercial with Bumblebee... filmed at Paramount Studios backlot.

(photo here is from my tour of the Paramount studios in 2014 with UltraMarginal, showing the same area as the commercial)

[griffin]

The Schick Hydrobot from some of the earliest posts of this topic, has been given its own mini-comic by IDW (not sure why)... but you can "buy" it for free from the IDW site (if you have an account, or want to go to the trouble of setting up an account for this).

Some of it has been posted here, but it doesn't make much... any... sense.

[griffin]

US Car Rental company "Enterprise" has a commercial out, featuring Transformers TLK toys (yes, toys), being played with by two children, while the voice-over talks about the car rental company.

It's certainly a new approach, featuring toys like that... but ironically, it is non-Hasbro commercial that gives us our first clear look at the new mould Deluxe Bumblebee toy (from wave 3).

[griffin]

Chinese phone company Meizu, is releasing a special edition Transformers Last Knight themed phone on June 7th, featuring, "a customized body design, as well as customized design on the box casing. There are also customized themes, ringtones, wallpapers and other contents".

An entertainment magazine, that appears to be produced by (or for) McDonalds in France, has an article this month on the TF5 movie. It is in French, but there is a translation below the scans of the pages, of some of the article.

[griffin]

Not a cross-promotional item, but a cross promotional tour... of America.

We know that Walmart in America is the home of the "Autobot Unite" toyline and the character of Hot Rod, but to really promote the Brand at their stores, they will be doing a five month cross-country visit of 870 of their stores!

The tour is split up into three teams, featuring Optimus on the East coast, Bumblebee in the Central region, and Hot Rod on the West coast... with each team only visiting stores for 3 hours, in order to fit in all those stores between June 12th and November 3rd.
(the "characters" might just be the robot suits... not the actual vehicles)

[Bladestorm]

Caltex Hong Kong have just released their Transformers promotion.

You can get cups with figures on top, a box of tissues or a "talking head" through their promotion.
Unfortunately, my hubs only fills our car with Shell so I'm going to have to beg my friends to see if they use Caltex and would mind helping me get some of these.